Over the past few weeks, tens of thousands of students have received the results of their early applications from a number of colleges and universities around the country. Whether students received an admit, deny, or deferral, these decisions marked an important checkpoint in their journeys to find what could be their home away from home for the next four years of their college careers. For those still preparing for their own admission processes, the results of the early admission rounds provide a peek into the very trends in the world of admissions that may also shape their futures as the college students of tomorrow. While not every college and university has been transparent with the results of the early admission processes, there are a few notable trends that can be gleaned from the information we do have.
Many institutions saw rises in their early acceptance rates.
Many of the colleges and universities saw an overall increase in the early acceptance rates for their class of 2029. While the early admission rounds are traditionally a great tool for students to leverage for higher acceptance rates, this year saw it become an even more valuable tool for students to use to increase their chances at some of the most prestigious institutions in the country. Amongst the ivies who shared their early admissions data Yale saw its early acceptance rate rise to 10.8% from last year’s 9%, and Brown’s early acceptance rate rate rose to 18% from last year’s 14%. This example emphasizes the importance of students and parents making sure they leverage the early admission rounds to place themselves in the best position possible to be accepted to their top colleges and universities.
Some institutions saw their popularity rise in part because of their test optional policies.
With many institutions embracing a test optional admissions policy in response to the challenges of the pandemic, the world of admissions has in turn seen a number of them benefiting from this inclusive policy by gaining a boost in applications during their early admission rounds. Notable institutions such as Northwestern (15.5%) and Emory (21%) all gained notable increases in the number of students applying to their early decision application pools which still accounting for roughly half of their respective incoming freshmen classes. With this trend on pace to continue, students should be sure to carefully consider the positive effect applying during the early admission rounds will have on their chances of being accepted into some of the most selective institutions in the country while still having to compete against a much lower number of applicants than in the regular decision round.
Many highly selective institutions keep their cards close to the vest as they withhold early admissions data.
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- Across the board there were some universities that traditionally share their early admissions data that choose to withhold their information for this cycle. Notable institutions that choose to withhold all or some of their data include:
- Harvard University
- Princeton University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- University of Pennsylvania
- While the world may never know why these universities have chosen to exclude some or all of their admissions data, it only adds to the difficulty for students to strategize their academic, extracurricular, and intellectual profiles to best position themselves for acceptance into the most selective universities in the country.
- Across the board there were some universities that traditionally share their early admissions data that choose to withhold their information for this cycle. Notable institutions that choose to withhold all or some of their data include:
As families reflect upon the past years trends, parents dive deeper into the available data, and students try their best to become as competitive as possible for their dream universities, it is even more important to make sure that expert guidance is sought out. Galin Education prides itself on providing guidance tailored to each student’s passions, academic goals, and best fit universities in order to take the guesswork out of the admissions process. And while every year will inevitably bring new trends to the world of admissions, you can count on the team at Galin to point your students in the right direction to ensure they are competitive for the colleges and universities that they dream of attending.
