The Common App’s early-application brief shows growth in applications from Black, first-generation, low-income and rural students this cycle while international applications fell, led by declines from India, Ghana and parts of Asia and Africa. The report also found the most selective institutions saw the slowest growth and that more applicants are submitting standardized test scores where institutions have reintroduced requirements. Admissions offices face shifting applicant pools that could alter yield, financial-aid mixes and international-recruitment strategies as visa issues and geopolitical factors depress some overseas demand.