Senior strategic communication major Megan Malone said she was excited for her little brother to have the same TCU experience she had.

But with the record number of applications in the past couple of years, Malone was concerned that her brother may not get in.

“I think that my brother might have a little bit of trouble getting into TCU,” Malone said. “It’s so much more competitive now and so many more people apply.”

Dean of Admissions Ray Brown said even he was caught off guard by the number of applications.

“This past year, the increase in applications took us by complete surprise,” Brown said. “We figured there would be an increase, but no sane person would have predicted the kind of increase this university has seen.”

Brown said the sharp rise in applications led to the lowest acceptance rate ever. This year only 37 percent of applicants were accepted. Three years ago, the rate was 48 percent.

Matt Anderson, a freshmen pre-major, said he felt it was harder to get into TCU compared to his junior and senior peers.

“I think it will keep getting more and more competitive in years to come, so I am really glad I got in this year,” Anderson said.

Last year there was a total of over 19,000 applications. By the regular application deadline, Brown said there was little space left. There were 22 valedictorians on the waiting list for the 2011-2012 school year.

Malone said the application process looks different for her brother then it did when she went through it four years ago.

“TCU was the only school I applied to, but I wasn’t that worried about getting in,” Malone said. “But if I was a high school senior I would definitely be applying to other schools. My brother is applying to other schools because he needs a fall-back plan.”