College admissions officers weigh a variety of factors when deciding which students to accept, and for an increasing percentage of those officers, applicants’ social media profiles are part of the picture. On Kaplan Test Prep’s 2019 survey of nearly 300 admissions officers, 36% said that they view candidates’ social media profiles, up from 25% last year. And that number has potential to continue to rise, because 59% of respondents said that social media profiles are “fair game” when making admissions decisions.
For students, this may not be a bad thing. Of the respondents who view applicants’ profiles, 38% said that what they saw left them with a positive view of the student, while 32% said it had a negative effect. And 70% of applicants agreed that it was acceptable for admissions officers to view their profiles.
Source: Kaplan Test Prep. (2020, January 13). Kaplan survey: Percentage of college admissions officers who visit applicants’ social media pages on the rise again [Press release].
