A student's decision to apply to college may hinge on something entirely beyond a school's control: whether it rained during their campus visit.
New research shows that adverse weather conditions during tours significantly suppress application rates. Students who visited on days that were too hot, too cold, rainy, or even just cloudy were less likely to submit applications afterward.
The finding suggests that first impressions formed under poor weather conditions create a lasting negative effect on prospective students, even when they return home to rational decision-making. A drizzly tour of the quad or a sweltering walk across campus apparently lingers longer than the actual academic offerings or campus architecture.
Colleges have long understood that campus visits matter. But this research reveals a blind spot in how weather influences enrollment strategy. Admissions offices carefully plan tour routes, time them for peak seasons, and train guides to highlight strengths. Few, however, explicitly account for meteorological sabotage.
The practical implications are striking. Schools cannot control weather, but they can be strategic about tour scheduling, indoor route options, or even offering rebooking incentives when forecasts look grim. Some institutions have already begun adjusting operations accordingly, recognizing that a sunny day might be worth more to enrollment than any brochure.
For prospective students, the takeaway is simple: if your campus visit felt like a slog through bad weather, give the place a second chance before filing that rejection. The campus probably looks different in sunshine.
Author James Rodriguez: "This is a humbling reminder that colleges can optimize admissions all they want, but nobody picks a school on a day they got soaked."
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