Landing a seat at a top college feels like finding a needle in a haystack, especially when you consider that acceptance rates at institutions like Harvard have dipped below 4%, Stanford hovers just under 4%, and even Caltech hit a historic low of 2.7% for its incoming class.
Key Takeaways
- Harvard University's acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 3.59%, down from 3.41% the previous year
- Stanford University's acceptance rate for fall 2023 was 3.91%, with 2,075 students admitted out of 52,937 applicants
- Yale University's acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 4.46%, admitting 2,308 students from 57,465 applicants
- Total undergraduate applications to U.S. colleges rose 5% to 19.3 million for fall 2023
- Common App reported 7.1 million applications for 2023-2024 cycle, up 6% from prior year
- Applications to selective colleges increased 10% YoY for Class of 2027, per CDS data
- 43% of White high school graduates enrolled in college in 2022 vs 37% Black
- Hispanic/Latino students made up 26% of college enrollees in fall 2022
- Women comprised 58% of total undergraduate enrollment in 2022
- Average SAT score for Harvard admits Class of 2027: 1520-1580
- Stanford middle 50% SAT for Class of 2027: 1500-1570, ACT 33-35
- Yale admits average SAT 1510-1580 for enrolled Class of 2026
- Yield rate for Harvard Class of 2027 was 82.3%
- Stanford yield for Class of 2027: 78.4%
- Yale yield rate Class of 2027: 71%, up from prior years
Top college acceptance rates hit record lows as applications surge nationally.
Acceptance Rates
- Harvard University's acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 3.59%, down from 3.41% the previous year
- Stanford University's acceptance rate for fall 2023 was 3.91%, with 2,075 students admitted out of 52,937 applicants
- Yale University's acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 4.46%, admitting 2,308 students from 57,465 applicants
- Princeton University's acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 stood at 4.5%, with 1,782 admits from 39,644 applicants
- MIT's acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was 4.8%, offering admission to 1,291 out of 26,914 applicants
- Columbia University's early decision acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 11.3%, compared to overall 3.85%
- University of Chicago's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 5.4%, admitting 2,273 from 42,000 applicants
- Duke University's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 5.1%, with 2,766 admits from 54,000+ applicants
- Caltech's acceptance rate for freshmen Class of 2028 was 2.7%, lowest in its history
- University of Pennsylvania's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 5.8%, admitting ~3,400 from 58,000+ applicants
- For the 2023-2024 cycle, UCLA's acceptance rate was 8.7% for California residents and 8.6% for non-residents
- UC Berkeley's overall acceptance rate for fall 2023 was 11.6%, with 13,558 admits from 117,369 applicants
- NYU's acceptance rate for Class of 2027 was 12.5%, dropping to around 8% for Class of 2028 estimates
- USC's acceptance rate for fall 2023 was 9.8%, admitting 8,084 from 82,682 applicants
- Georgetown University's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 12%, with 1,600 admits from 13,000+ early applicants alone
- Vanderbilt University's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 4.7%, lowest ever recorded
- Northwestern University's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 7%, admitting 3,574 from 51,000 applicants
- Johns Hopkins University's acceptance rate for Class of 2029 was 6.2%
- Dartmouth College's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 5.3%, with 1,685 admits
- Brown University's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 5.2%, admitting 2,521 from 48,881 applicants
- Cornell University's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 varied by college, overall ~7.5%
- University of Michigan's in-state acceptance rate for fall 2023 was 17.7%, out-of-state 18.2%
- University of Virginia's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 16.8% for in-state, 12.5% out-of-state
- William & Mary's acceptance rate for 2023 was 33%
- Amherst College's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 7.3%
- Williams College's acceptance rate for recent cycles hovers at 8-9%
- Swarthmore College's acceptance rate for Class of 2027 was 6.8%
- Pomona College's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 6.9%
- Bowdoin College's acceptance rate was 8.1% for recent class
- Middlebury College's acceptance rate for Class of 2028 was 9.4%
Acceptance Rates Interpretation
The phrase "selective" is now so insufficient it belongs on a museum wall next to "dial-up internet."
Application Numbers
- Total undergraduate applications to U.S. colleges rose 5% to 19.3 million for fall 2023
- Common App reported 7.1 million applications for 2023-2024 cycle, up 6% from prior year
- Applications to selective colleges increased 10% YoY for Class of 2027, per CDS data
- Harvard received 54,008 applications for Class of 2028, up from 52,250 prior year
- Stanford saw 52,937 applications for Class of 2028, a record high
- Yale had 57,465 applications for Class of 2028, increase of 10% from 2027
- Princeton applications dropped 4% to 39,644 for Class of 2028 post-test optional
- MIT applications rose to 26,914 for Class of 2028, up 5%
- Columbia received over 60,000 applications for Class of 2028
- UChicago applications hit 42,000 for Class of 2028, steady rise
- Duke applications exceeded 54,000 for Class of 2028, up 7%
- Caltech applications increased to 15,500+ for Class of 2028
- UPenn saw 65,230 applications for Class of 2028, record
- UCLA received 117,369 freshman applications for fall 2023
- UC Berkeley had 126,718 applications for fall 2023, down slightly
- NYU applications reached 118,000 for Class of 2027
- USC freshman applications totaled 82,682 for fall 2023, up 6%
- Applications to HBCUs rose 12% in 2023, per UNCF data
- Community college applications surged 20% post-pandemic in 2023
- Early decision applications increased 15% at top schools for 2024 cycle
- Test-optional policies led to 20% application increase at selective privates 2020-2023
- International applications to U.S. colleges up 7% to 1.5 million in 2023
- Women submitted 58% of applications to four-year colleges in 2023
- First-gen applicants grew 10% in Common App 2023-24
- Legacy applicants comprised 5-15% of admits at Ivies pre-2023
- In fall 2022, 58% of U.S. high school graduates enrolled in college immediately
Application Numbers Interpretation
Amidst an ever-swelling sea of applications, where even the most hallowed ivy-covered halls are not immune to the unpredictable tides of strategy and preference, it appears the modern college admissions saga is a masterclass in collective ambition, anxiety, and the hopeful calculus of standing out in a crowd of millions.
Demographic Breakdowns
- 43% of White high school graduates enrolled in college in 2022 vs 37% Black
- Hispanic/Latino students made up 26% of college enrollees in fall 2022
- Women comprised 58% of total undergraduate enrollment in 2022
- Asian students were 7% of enrollment but 25% at top national universities
- Black students represented 13% of undergraduates in 2022
- First-generation college students were 56% of the applicant pool in Common App 2023
- Pell Grant recipients make up 30% of undergraduates but vary by institution
- At Harvard Class of 2027, 20.8% Asian American, 14.1% Hispanic/Latino
- Stanford Class of 2027: 25% Asian, 17% Hispanic, 11% Black
- Yale Class of 2027: 24% Asian, 18% Hispanic/Latino, 10% Black/African American
- 52% of Princeton Class of 2027 identified as students of color
- MIT Class of 2027: 40% underrepresented minorities or first-gen
- At elite colleges, legacy admits are 43% white vs 16% for non-legacies
- International students were 5% of U.S. undergrad enrollment in 2022/23
- Rural students underrepresented at 15% of enrollment vs 19% population
- LGBTQ+ students self-report at 20% in higher ed surveys 2023
- Disabled students comprise 20% of college population but lower graduation
- Adult learners (25+) were 38% of enrollment in fall 2022
- In-state students at public flagships average 70% of enrollment
- Veteran enrollment in college steady at 4.5% or 800,000 students
- Homeschooled applicants up 10x since 2000, now 3-5% of admits
Demographic Breakdowns Interpretation
The higher education landscape reveals a complex tapestry where race, class, and access weave a story of persistent gaps in opportunity, even as diversity increases at the top, creating a system that is simultaneously more inclusive and more exclusive depending on which door you approach.
Test Score Statistics
- Average SAT score for Harvard admits Class of 2027: 1520-1580
- Stanford middle 50% SAT for Class of 2027: 1500-1570, ACT 33-35
- Yale admits average SAT 1510-1580 for enrolled Class of 2026
- Princeton enrolled students SAT middle 50%: 1500-1570
- MIT admits Class of 2027 SAT average 1570+, ACT 35-36
- Columbia test scores for top 25%: SAT 1570+
- UChicago average SAT for admits: 1510-1580
- Duke middle 50% SAT: 1510-1570, ACT 34-35
- Caltech SAT middle 50%: 1530-1580
- UPenn enrolled SAT average 1510-1570
- UCLA average SAT for admits: 1370-1540
- UC Berkeley SAT 25th-75th: 1330-1530 for fall 2021 test submitters
- Average ACT for top colleges rose to 34 post-2020
- 1.9 million took SAT in 2023, average score 1028, down from 1050
- SAT scores for Black students averaged 908 in 2023, Asian 1223
- 55% of test submitters at test-optional schools had SAT 1400+
- AP exam participation up 5% to 5.7 million in 2023
- IB Diploma pass rate 80% globally in 2023, U.S. 84%
- Average GPA of college admits at selective schools 4.0+ weighted
- 80% of Ivies reinstated testing requirements for 2025-26
- ACT average for National Merit Scholars: 33+
- SAT superscoring used by 80% of colleges, boosting averages 20-30 points
- Homeschooled SAT averages 1190 vs public school 1060 in 2023
Test Score Statistics Interpretation
The data reveals a stark, almost comical, disconnect: while elite universities casually float in a rarefied stratosphere of near-perfect test scores, the national average plummets back to earth, laying bare an educational chasm where privilege is not just an advantage but a prerequisite for entry.
Yield and Enrollment Rates
- Yield rate for Harvard Class of 2027 was 82.3%
- Stanford yield for Class of 2027: 78.4%
- Yale yield rate Class of 2027: 71%, up from prior years
- Princeton yield for Class of 2027: 81%, highest among peers
- MIT yield Class of 2027: 80%
- Columbia yield rate: 61% for Class of 2027
- UChicago yield: 68% Class of 2027
- Duke yield: 70% for Class of 2027
- Caltech yield: 85% for recent classes
- UPenn yield: 70% Class of 2027
- National average yield rate for four-year colleges: 38% in 2023
- UCLA freshman enrollment 9,312 for fall 2023 from 13,558 admits, yield ~69%
- UC Berkeley enrollment 6,719 freshmen, yield 52% from admits
- Total U.S. college enrollment fell 15% since 2010 to 15.4 million in 2023
- Public four-year enrollment down 8% from 2019 peak
- Early decision yield averages 90%+ at binding schools
- Community college enrollment 5.6 million in fall 2023, down 5%
- Transfer enrollment up 4% to 2.1 million in 2023
- Full-time enrollment share 62% of total undergrads
- Online enrollment grew to 3.5 million undergrads in 2023
- International student enrollment 1.06 million in 2023/24, up 7%
- Men now 41% of enrollment, down from 47% in 2010
Yield and Enrollment Rates Interpretation
For all the frantic hand-wringing over college admissions, these statistics reveal the elite game for what it is: a high-stakes talent auction where the Ivies and top STEM schools are collecting nearly all their winnings—with Caltech at 85% and the national average barely hitting 38%—while the broader system quietly restructures itself with more online students, fewer men, and a growing reliance on transfers and international applicants just to keep the lights on.
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