College-Bound Cast Wider Net

In 2011, nearly 29% of college applicants applied to seven or more schools, up from 10.8% in 1997, according to the Higher Education Research Institute at University of California, Los Angeles. Nearly 5% of last year's college freshmen applied to 12 or more colleges, up from 1% in 1997. The statistics are based on the institute's annual survey of roughly 200,000 incoming freshmen at more than 200 colleges and universities. Data for the current year aren't available.