What Is Demonstrated Interest and Why Does It Matter?
Demonstrated interest refers to the signals you send to a college indicating you are genuinely interested in attending. NACAC’s State of College Admission report data shows that schools that track demonstrated interest use it to predict yield: the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll. Schools with lower yield rates (like WashU, Tufts, and BC) are more likely to weigh demonstrated interest because admitting students who are likely to enroll protects against under-enrollment. Schools with high yield rates (Harvard, Princeton, MIT) do not need this signal because most admitted students enroll anyway.
Which Top Schools Consider Demonstrated Interest?
| School | Considers DI? | How to Show It |
|---|---|---|
| WashU | Yes (Important) | Visit, info sessions, ED, email engagement |
| Vanderbilt | Yes (Considered) | Visit, MOSAIC, ED, info sessions |
| Tufts | Yes (Important) | Visit, interviews, ED, email opens |
| Boston College | Yes (Considered) | Visit, info sessions, ED |
| CMU | Yes (Considered) | Visit, info sessions, ED |
| Emory | Yes (Considered) | Visit, interviews, ED |
| Tulane | Yes (Very Important) | Visit, ED, Tulane-specific app |
| NYU | Yes (Considered) | ED, campus events |
Source: Common Data Sets (Section C7), NACAC, institutional policies, 2024-2026.
Which Top Schools Do NOT Consider Demonstrated Interest?
| School | Considers DI? | Why Not? |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard | No | High yield (~84%) |
| Princeton | No | High yield (~70%) |
| Yale | No | High yield (~72%) |
| Columbia | No | High yield |
| MIT | No | Mission-driven, no legacy preference |
| Caltech | No (officially) | Pure merit focus |
| Stanford | No | REA is the interest signal |
| UCLA | No | UC system, volume too large |
Source: Common Data Sets (Section C7), institutional policies, 2024-2026.
Based on CDS Section C7 data, these schools explicitly mark demonstrated interest as “not considered” in their admissions criteria. This means campus visits, email opens, and info session attendance do not affect your admissions decision at these schools. However, visiting campus can still strengthen your essays by giving you specific details to reference. For how ED signals interest at schools that don’t track DI, see our ED vs RD guide.
Even when a school marks demonstrated interest as “not considered” in Section C7 of the Common Data Set, I do not think that means interest is irrelevant in every sense. In practice, colleges may define demonstrated interest differently. Some may not track formal signals such as email opens, campus visits, or webinar attendance, but they still want to see genuine engagement through the way a student approaches the application. That can come through in the specificity of a supplemental essay, the clarity of the student’s academic and extracurricular fit, or the overall thoughtfulness of the application.
For that reason, I always recommend that students take the time to engage with a school seriously, even when it officially says it does not consider demonstrated interest. Visiting campus, attending information sessions, speaking with current students, or simply spending time researching the school can help a student decide whether it is truly the right fit. Just as importantly, that deeper understanding often leads to stronger, more specific, and more convincing application materials.
How Do Schools Track Demonstrated Interest?
According to admissions professionals and NACAC, schools that track demonstrated interest use CRM platforms (like Slate, which is used by over 1,000 colleges) to log: campus visit attendance, info session RSVPs, email open rates and click-through rates, alumni interview participation, admissions event attendance, contact with regional admissions officers, and whether you applied ED or EA. Some schools assign a “demonstrated interest score” that is factored into the admissions decision alongside academics and extracurriculars. The most powerful signal is always the binding ED application, which guarantees enrollment if admitted.
Does Visiting Campus Actually Help Your Application?
At schools that track DI (WashU, Tufts, Tulane, BC, CMU, Vanderbilt): yes, meaningfully. A campus visit is logged in your admissions file and signals genuine interest. At schools that officially report not tracking DI (Ivies, MIT, Stanford): visiting still helps by giving you specific material for your “Why Us?” essay. If you cannot visit in person, virtual info sessions and regional events count at schools that track DI. For building your overall profile, see our summer programs guide.
What Is the Most Powerful Form of Demonstrated Interest?
Applying Early Decision. As reported by CDS data across all schools that track DI, the binding ED application is the single strongest interest signal because it guarantees enrollment if admitted. At schools like WashU (61% of the class filled through ED), the ED application IS the demonstrated interest strategy. Other effective signals include: campus visits with registration, alumni interviews (where offered), and attending in-person info sessions. Email opens and website clicks are the weakest signals. For recommendation strategy, see our recommendation letter guide. For essay strategy, see our Common App essay guide.
Common Mistakes with Demonstrated Interest
Three common mistakes: First, assuming that schools which officially report not tracking demonstrated interest are completely unaware of your engagement. Even at Harvard, visiting campus helps you write a more specific and compelling application. Second, neglecting demonstrated interest at schools that do track it. Not visiting WashU or Tufts when you live within driving distance sends a negative signal. Third, confusing quantity with quality: opening every marketing email is weak DI, while attending a campus visit and asking a thoughtful question to the regional admissions officer is strong DI.
Final Thoughts: Make Demonstrated Interest Part of Your Strategy
Demonstrated interest is a strategic tool, not a universal requirement. Know which schools on your list track it, and invest your time accordingly. At DI schools, visit campus, attend events, and apply ED. At non-DI schools, focus your energy on essays, academics, and extracurriculars instead. At Oriel Admissions, our team of former admissions officers from Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia helps families navigate these distinctions. Schedule a consultation to discuss how we can help. For a breakdown of how DI fits into your acceptance rate odds, see our acceptance rates by major guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Schools that rate DI as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ in their CDS include Tulane (very important), Boston College (important), WashU (important), Tufts (important), Lehigh (very important), and Case Western (very important). At these schools, campus visits, info session attendance, and engagement with admissions representatives are actively tracked and factored into decisions. Even schools that officially report not tracking DI may still notice engagement indirectly through essay specificity, interview quality, and regional rep familiarity. Our recommendation is to engage meaningfully with every school on your list regardless of its official DI policy.
Absolutely. Schools may categorize engagement differently, and visiting strengthens your application in ways that are not formally labeled ‘demonstrated interest.’ A campus visit gives your child specific material for supplemental essays, informs interview conversations, and helps you write with the kind of authentic detail that admissions officers notice. Visiting Harvard or MIT will not get logged in a DI tracking system, but the specificity it produces in your child’s application is immediately apparent to readers. We recommend visiting every school you are seriously considering.
Applying ED is the strongest form of demonstrated interest by a wide margin because it is the only signal that guarantees enrollment if admitted. A campus visit shows interest; an ED application commits to enrollment. At schools like WashU (61% of class filled through ED), the ED application IS the demonstrated interest strategy. Other high-impact signals include attending an in-person info session (registered and logged), conducting an alumni interview, and attending regional admissions events. Email engagement (opening admissions emails, clicking links) is the weakest form of DI and should not be relied upon as a primary strategy.
Prioritize schools that rate DI as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ in their CDS – Tulane, BC, WashU, Tufts, Lehigh, and similar schools. At these institutions, a campus visit is directly factored into your admissions evaluation. For schools that officially report not considering DI, visiting still strengthens your supplemental essays and interview quality. If you can only visit 5-6 schools, choose the ones where (a) DI carries formal weight, (b) you are applying ED, or (c) you need to experience the campus to write a compelling ‘Why Us’ essay. Supplement remaining schools with virtual info sessions and regional events.
At schools that use CRM platforms like Slate (which most selective schools do), email engagement is technically tracked. However, it is the weakest form of DI and should never be your primary interest strategy. Admissions officers have stated publicly that email opens and website clicks are noise compared to high-impact signals: campus visits, info sessions, regional events, and interviews. Opening every email from Tulane will not substitute for visiting campus. That said, consistently ignoring all communications from a school that tracks DI sends a negative signal. Engage with emails casually, but invest your strategic energy in in-person or high-touch interactions.
That advice is incomplete. At schools that officially report not considering DI (most Ivies, MIT, Stanford), formal DI tracking may not exist. But engagement still strengthens your application indirectly: visiting campus produces more specific supplemental essays, attending info sessions generates material for interviews, and connecting with regional reps builds familiarity. A consultant who dismisses campus visits at Harvard because ‘Harvard does not track DI’ is giving technically accurate but strategically limited advice. The strongest applications at every school – including those that report not tracking DI – come from students who have engaged deeply and authentically with the institution.
Not significantly. DI is a tiebreaker, not a substitute for academic credentials. A student with a 3.5 GPA who visited campus three times will not be admitted over a student with a 3.9 GPA who never visited. Think of DI as the final 5-10% of the decision, not the foundation.
Attend virtual info sessions and register with your real name and email. Attend regional admissions events in your area. Request and complete an alumni interview. Engage meaningfully with admissions officers at college fairs. Apply ED or EA. All of these are tracked by schools that consider DI.
