After seeing the data from early-round applications, we had the sense that this would be an especially tough year for college admissions. Now, more data is available for the Regular Decision pool, and it’s clear that this was indeed a record-setting year, with some of the biggest shifts we’ve seen year-to-year. We want to share some of the latest numbers and help to make sense of them.
Why are admit rates so low?
Many factors have contributed to record low acceptance rates, especially at highly selective colleges and universities. An ongoing trend from long before the pandemic has been that more students are applying to college (and to more colleges) every year, while class sizes at most colleges have stayed roughly the same — that’s more people applying for the same number of spots.
The number of applications at highly selective colleges then grew by leaps and bounds during the pandemic. As more schools became test-optional, applications surged as students realized they may have a chance for admission where their test scores may have previously been detrimental.
Many highly selective colleges and universities have also had to reduce the number of incoming students for fall 2022. In 2020, with the uncertainty of the pandemic, many students chose to defer their enrollment at schools to which they were admitted. Then, last year, many colleges and universities severely underestimated their yield — that is, the number of admitted students who will ultimately enroll. This led to overenrollment (in some cases considerable). The result? Fewer spaces available in this year’s incoming class.
The Numbers
We’ve compiled some data on a handful of schools that really highlight the effect of this combination of problems. Not all schools release the same data, so we have more information for some than for others. But here’s what we know about a few highly selective colleges and universities:
Brown
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| 5% | 3.6% | 50,649 |
9% increase from 2021 |
Further statistics from Brown:
- 17% of admitted students will be the first in their families to attend college.
- Brown’s special programs — the Program in Liberal Medical Education and the Brown/RISD Dual Degree Program — each admitted just 2% of applicants.
Boston College
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| 16.4% | 15% | 40,477 |
35% increase* from 2021 |
* This was an increase in Early Decision applications; the number of Regular Decision applications was roughly the same compared to last year.
Other interesting statistics out of Boston College:
- 43% of applicants, but 67% of admitted students, submitted SAT or ACT scores.
- The admit rate was slightly higher for EDII than EDI (30.2% and 27.3% respectively).
Duke
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| 6.2% | 4.8% | 50,002 |
1% increase from 2021 |
A note on Duke:
- Duke actually admitted about 200 more students this year, after adjusting for deferred enrollments and admitting fewer students last year.
Emory
Emory has provided data for Regular Decision applications at both Emory College and Oxford College, their liberal arts program for first-years and sophomores.
| Emory College | Oxford College | |
| RD Applications |
29,615 |
18,010 |
| Students Admitted | 2,647 | 2,460 |
| Admit Rate | 8.9% | 13.7% |
Further statistics from Emory:
- Target enrollment for fall 2022 dropped slightly to 1,400 students from 1,420 last year.
- Target enrollment at Oxford College also dropped to 450 students this year compared to 530 in 2021.
- At both Emory and Oxford College, only 30% of admitted students applied without test scores.
- As we’ve seen at so many colleges, test-optional has led to a dramatic increase in the average test scores for the mid-50% of admitted students. It’s now 1470-1550 at Emory College and 1460-1550 at Oxford College.
Harvard
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| 3.2% | 2.3% | 61,220 |
7% increase from 2021 |
More from Harvard:
- 20.3 percent of admitted students will be the first in their families to go to college, down slightly from 20.7 the previous year.
- The percentages of Black (15.5%) and Latinx (12.6%) students fell from last year (18% and 13.3% respectively).
- The percentage of Native American admitted students more than doubled to 2.9% this year, compared to 1.2% in 2021.
NYU
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| 12.2% | unreported | 105,000 |
5% increase from 2021 |
Other information from NYU:
- NYU received 85,000 applications in the Regular Decision pool.
- Over 50% of admitted students applied without test scores.
- Admit rates vary across NYU’s undergraduate colleges. At the College of Arts and Sciences and the Stern School of Business, it was 7%. At the Rory Meyers College of
Nursing, it was 3%.
- 66% of the incoming class identifies as students of color.
- 19.4% of incoming students will be the first in their families to attend college.
Tufts
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| 9% | unreported | 34,881 |
50% increase from 2020 |
Further statistics from Tufts:
- About 50% of applicants did not submit test scores, but only 40% of admitted students applied without test scores.
- 56% of the incoming class identifies as students of color.
- 12% of incoming students will be the first in their families to attend college.
The University of California System
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| unreported | N/A | 210,840 |
3.5% increase from 2021 |
More from the UCs:
- 46% of California applicants were from low-income families.
- 38.1% of applicants were Latinx, a 4.1% increase over last year.
University of Southern California
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| 11.9% | N/A | 69,000 |
3% decrease from 2021 |
Other information from USC:
- 8,200 students were offered admission, a 7% decrease from last year due to overenrollment.
- 38.1% of applicants were Latinx, a 4.1% increase over last year.
Vanderbilt
|
Overall Admit Rate |
RD Admit Rate | Total Applications | Change in Applications |
| unreported | 4.7% | 46,000 |
28.6% increase from 2020 |
More from Vanderbilt:
- 41,610 students applied in Regular Decision.
- The admit rate for Early Decision was 24.1%
What does all of this mean?
First of all, if you’re a senior and you’ve been admitted to college, congratulations! You should be so proud of yourself in this extraordinary year.
But the biggest lessons here are for current juniors. These low acceptance rates do not mean that college admissions have become a lottery and your applications don’t matter. In fact, they matter more than ever!
It’s so important that you make sure you have a range of schools on your college list. Really spend some time researching to find target or safer schools that feel like a great fit for you. Expand your list. With good research and genuine enthusiasm about each school on your list, you’ll be better able to write supplemental essays that demonstrate you’re a great fit for each school.
If you stay focused on your grades, extracurriculars, and college research, you can still make strategic decisions, even in a highly competitive applicant pool.
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