Responding to a multi-year spike in demand, Unity College is offering top students instant admissions decisions on Sept. 19.

With the second Instant Admissions Day in two years, college officials said they hope to capitalize on increased interest in America’s Environmental College while making the admissions process easier for students who make Unity their top choice.

“In 2015, we will again provide a chance for highly qualified students, both transfer and first-year applicants, the chance to complete the entire decision process in just one day,” Unity College Admission Director Joe Saltalamachia said. “It makes things easier and more stress-free for the applicant if he or she knows they will have a place at Unity prior to the regular decision cycle.”

If accepted, students receive a printed letter of acceptance and packet containing other accepted student information. Students will receive a Unity College T-shirt, and eligible students will be offered merit scholarships.

Students have a chance to meet with faculty, administrators, and current students, as well as learn more about academic programs and campus life similar to Unity’s traditional open houses, with students and families enjoying a tour of campus, lunch and an Experience Your Major opportunity.

In the past, Instant Admissions Day applicants have come from across New England and as far away as Bloomsburg, Pa.  Last year, 42 students were accepted at Instant Admissions Day. This year, students from Arkansas, California, Ohio, and Kentucky are signed up and may attend.

The opening of applications for the 2016-17 academic year comes amid record enrollment at Unity. The 244 members of the Class of 2019 make it the largest freshman class in the history of Unity College, with the average high school GPA of 3.33 up from 3.21 in the prior freshman class and the average SAT composite of 1520 up from 1503 in the prior freshman class.

Applications for admission to Unity College are at an all-time high, increasing 138% since 2012. There were 477 applications in 2012, 536 in 2013, 855 in 2014, and 1,133 in 2015. The 2015-16 year is the first time in its history Unity College has enrolled more than 650 students.

“Events like this at Unity have continued to draw record numbers,” Saltalamachia said, noting registration figures indicate this year’s Fall Open House will be one of the largest ever “as students in the region realize the gem that’s in their backyard.”

The event is Saturday, Sept. 19, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Instant admissions applicants must apply online by midnight Wednesday, Sept. 16. Other requirements apply.

Students can register and view requirements.

Recent accolades

• US News & World Report ranks Unity College No. 9 on its national “Best Value Colleges” among regional schools, No. 22 for veterans among regional colleges, and No. 28 on its national “Best Regional Colleges” list.
• Unity College earned a national Colleges of Distinction designation in 2014–15 by “expanding innovative opportunities to earn college credit by participating in service learning, learning communities, internships, and other new educational paradigms,” according to the group Colleges of Distinction.
• Using data from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Unity College was lauded as one of the 32 “greenest universities” in the U.S. for achieving “the greatest level of success with green initiatives on-campus and within in its surrounding community.”
• Washington Monthly ranked Unity College in the Top 20 U.S. baccalaureate colleges, recognizing schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).
• Sierra, the magazine of national environmental organization Sierra Club, named Unity one of its Top 100 “Cool Schools.”