Class of 2029 Acceptance Rates for Highly Selective Colleges

Now that it’s April, the 2024-25 application cycle has wrapped up for most colleges. We’re  starting to see patterns–and new records–emerge in the admissions numbers across different schools.

The Common Application reported that as of March 1, 2025, 1,390,256 distinct first-year applicants had applied to 863 returning Common App members, an increase of 4% from 1,333,019 in 2023–24. Applicants identifying as an underrepresented minority

race/ethnicity increased by 12% in 2024–25, with fastest growth for applicants identifying as Latinx (13%) and Black or African American (10%). Applicants identifying as first-generation grew at a notable rate of 13%, while continuing-gen applicants did not increase from 2023–24 to 2024–25.

As you’ll see in the table, colleges such as Duke, Boston College, and Vanderbilt saw record low acceptance rates. Meanwhile, Princeton, Cornell, and Stanford continued to withhold their admit numbers, a pattern that has continued over the last few cycles. Barnard College hasn’t shared their admit numbers either.

Take a look at the table below for Class of 2029 acceptance rates at highly selective colleges.