Applications up 15 percent at Temple University

Temple University officials are seeing an uptick in student applications.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Temple has seen an increase of more than 15 percent in applications for the fall 2016 semester over last year.

The university drew more than 32,600 applications as of last week. William Black, senior vice provost of enrollment management, says he expects that number to climb to about 34,000. Last year, the university received a record 30,000 applications.

Some university officials are attributing some of that increase to the success of the football team. President Neil Theobald says college football is the “front porch” of university life.

Black says the university’s decision to allow students to opt out of submitting standardized test scores continues to drive applications.