Education after high school has never been hotter.

There are more women enrolling in college than men.

Seventy-three percent of the nation’s colleges reported that the number of admissions applications increased over the previous year.

So it comes as little surprise that the college admission system has become more methodical with an increased reliance on standardized test scores.

These are some of the findings that the National Association of College Admission Counselors provided in its 2006 Annual State of College Admission Report, released last week.

NACAC publishes this report annually to highlight issues of concern to college-bound students, their parents, and the educators who serve them.

So let’s take a quick look at some of the key findings that may impact the way you look at schools and apply to them; the full report can be found at www.nacacnet.org.

There are currently 15 million students enrolled in college, and both high school graduates and college enrollments are expected to increase until at least 2014.

These rising numbers have added to the growing belief that admission to college has become increasingly difficult. This perception has also been energized because students are submitting more applications than their predecessors did.

Students who employ the Common Application can now complete one application that works for 300 colleges, and it’s not uncommon for a student to submit 12 applications.

“Undoubtedly, the most highly selective colleges are becoming more selective, as their publicly-released acceptance rates prove,” wrote the authors of the report.

“However, on average, four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. accept seven out of every ten applicants who apply for admission.”

While colleges accept roughly 70 percent of the students who apply, students are more discerning. The average yield-rate, or percent of admitted students who enroll in an institution, for four year schools is about 50 percent.

More than three million students graduated from America’s high schools in 2005 and just over 60 percent of them enrolled in college.

Fifty-three percent of all the applications that were submitted this year were submitted online. This is an increase from 47 percent in 2004 and 35 percent in 2003.

The Common Application makes it easier for you to submit an application and for colleges to process your application. Overall, 85 percent of the colleges reported an increase in the number of online applications submitted.

“After a two-year period where Early Decision and Early Action Applications appeared to wane, a large number of colleges reported increases in Early Decision and Early Action applications, ” according to the study.

Early Action and Early Decision applications can either help or hurt your chances of getting into a school so speak with your school college counselor to determine whether to apply early or not.

According to the study being placed on the waitlist is the kiss of death. Nationwide, a student’s chance of being accepted from the waitlist was 21 percent. In the previous year a student’s chance of being admitted from the waitlist was 27 percent.

However, it’s important to note the obvious here – statistics often belie some of the facts. Of all of the students I knew this year who were waitlisted every single one was eventually admitted – from Princeton University to Northeastern.

“Though there are few certainties in college admission,” the report noted, “the factors that admissions officers use to evaluate applications has remained remarkably consistent over the past 15 years.”

First and foremost, the courses a student took in high school; second, SAT or ACT scores; and third, the overall grades in high school. These are some of the other key factors: class rank, recommendations from teachers and counselors, the application essay, connections with alumni, race and ethnicity.

The growing number of applicants has forced admissions offices to streamline the process into one that is more methodical with an increased reliance on standardized test scores. This is a good one to keep in mind, because colleges as a rule try to soft pedal how much weight they place on standardized test scores.

Look at the study to gain additional insight into how admission officers identify high school curriculum, recalculate high school GPAs, use class rank, and assess how interested a student is in an institution and why that’s essential to admissions.

Colleges and universities spent about $442 to recruit each applicant, and 68 percent of the colleges reported that marketing and public relations were the most important professional qualifications for chief enrollment officers at their institutions.

That ought to tell you how hard the schools are selling and how important it is for you to see through their sales pitches.

Now, to what pleases me most about this study. In 2005, approximately 55 percent of the enrolled students in college were women. This pleases me because there is still a wide discrepancy between the financial fortunes of women and men, and going to college can help to close that gap.

In 2003, women earned 75.5 cents for every dollar earned by men, and while the earning gap is shrinking, the acquired net wealth gap isn’t, and that creates widespread social consequences for women.