Undergraduate applications to New Orleans colleges are spiking, driven by out-of-town students who want to lend a hand with post-Katrina recovery.

The increase is highest at Tulane University, with a record 40,000 applications for just 1,500 seats.

Many Tulane applicants say they have visited New Orleans as part of volunteer relief projects. “They get exposed to the city,” the college’s registrar said. “They get exposed to the university.”