While the applications are up at Villanova University, its new differentiated admission options have brought the university’s overall acceptance rate down, according to a report from Admissions Intel.

Villanova received 22,727 first-year applications for the 1,670 places at the university this fall, according to Michael M. Gaynor, director of undergraduate admission. This is a 7.65 percent increase in first-year applications over last year’s high.

Villanova began offering an Early Decision application option for students who applied last fall. This year, 24 percent of the entering class will be admitted through its new Early Decision program. The university is also still offering the non-binding Early Action option used by 12,677 applicants in the fall.

The new differentiated admission options have affected Villanova’s overall acceptance rate, which has dropped to 28.8 percent. Last year, when the only options were Early Action and Regular Decision, the overall acceptance rate was 34.9 percent. During the previous admission cycle, it was even higher at 43.2 percent.

Out of the students accepted, the middle 50 percent had weighted high school GPAs between 4.10 and 4.48. Their SAT scores ranged between 1380 and 1490, and their ACT was between 32 and 34.

Read more about Villanova at Admissions Intel by clicking here.