This week in college admissions, Carnegie Mellon receives a historic donation, the University of Michigan pauses its no-grade pilot program for first-years, Yale University will stop sending likely letters to highly competitive applicants, and SAT scores for the high school class of 2026 saw an increase.
Carnegie Mellon University announced a historic $3 billion donation by Kenneth C. Griffin. The donation will finance a 35-acre CMU campus in Miami, and the university plans to start enrolling students there for Fall 2028.
The University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts paused its plan to replace letter grades with “pass/no credit” for freshmen during their first semester. Following criticism, leaders of the university will conduct further review of the program before determining if it will resume.
Starting this cycle, Yale University will no longer send likely letters to highly competitive applicants, citing the practice’s ineffectiveness in yielding students. Likely letters will still be sent to recruited athletes.
According to the College Board, the mean total SAT score for the high school class of 2026 was 1045, which is a 16-point increase compared to the previous year. All student demographic groups saw a rise in their scores. However, overall SAT participation saw a 2.5% decrease from the previous year, indicating that fewer students are opting to take the SAT.
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