I do not think that the colleges feel the increase in applications is a problem, so they will not solve for it. I think colleges will continue to market excessively to future-proof for the expected decline in college enrollment for 2025 and beyond. College enrollment decline of more than 15% predicted after the year 2025 (This Hechinger Report was from 2018, so it doesn’t address pandemic related issues of parents questioning “value” of colleges when their students were doing distance learning.)
With respect to @Mwfan1921’s point re the students/families… Under-resourced, over-worked HS guidance counseling departments don’t help the situation. At our public HS, there are 400 students to 1 counselor with no one dedicated specifically to college counseling. The counselors have so many issues to deal that college advising is not the priority. Then, students from families that can afford it (not me!), go to paid college advisors, who encourage students to apply to 15+ schools in a pre-pandemic year… I have no idea what was the recommended # of schools for the students applying this year.
I count myself lucky to have found the College Confidential community. 