The University of Virginia has offered admission to more than 5,000 students in its early action cycle, in a year when the school received a record number of applications.

Some 40,971 applications were submitted to UVA this fall, eclipsing the previous record of 40,804, set last year. Of those new applications, 25,160 were entered for the early action cycle, a non-binding admission process in which students meet an earlier application deadline of Nov. 1 and received notification early Friday evening. UVA extended offers of admission to 5,219 people.

The latest admission offers include 586 made to first-generation students. Women received 56% of the offers. The total offer rate for this year’s early action cycle is 21%.

In December, UVA offered admission to 748 people in its binding, early decision cycle – a process by which early applying students receive even earlier notification in exchange for their pledge to accept admissions offers, if extended. Of the students accepted under that plan, 56 are first-generation scholars.

Still to come is the regular admissions cycle. Applications were due Jan. 6, with decisions set to be released by April 1.

Students admitted during the early action and regular admissions cycles have until May 1 to accept their admissions offers.

Last year, UVA made 6,541 admission offers through early action. This year, the University is making a combined 5,967 offers through both early decision and early action.

UVA Dean of Admission Greg Roberts said of those offered admission in this year’s early action group, the mean SAT score is 1,439 (out of a possible 1,600). More than 95% of students offered admission in the early action pool are in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.

“We’re honored to offer admission to this impressive group of citizen-scholars. This was the most challenging and competitive admission cycle in our history and these students stood out for a host of reasons,” Roberts said. “They are truly exceptional.”

Soon after students received electronic notifications of their admissions offers early Friday evening, social media blew up, with posters using the hashtag “#UVA24.” Students from the early applicant pool come from 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 53 countries.