Our Founder and President, Dr. Leah Beasley, recently presented a webinar for her alma mater, Tufts University, on trends in selective college admissions based on insights from the last few years. You can watch the presentation here. I’ve summarized it along with practical, hands-on strategies students can utilize to improve their chances of admission at selective colleges and universities. Read on for a deep dive into the data and what it’s telling us about the selective college admissions landscape!
Trend 1: Applications have Increased, Driving Admit Rates Down
In the 2023-24 application cycle, applications increased 7% from the previous year. Public flagships have seen the largest increase in overall applications, with 81% more applications in the past five years!
However, the good news is the greatest growth in applications is not among the most selective colleges but the least selective colleges. The following graph from the Common App represents the growth in applications since 2014-15 by selectivity. For example, you can see that less selective colleges have seen the highest growth in application volume (12%) over the past ten years. This could be due to various factors, including a “trickle-down” effect, i.e., as the most selective colleges become even more competitive, students are submitting applications to less selective colleges to increase their chances of admission.
Trend 2: Shifts in Standardized Testing Policies
There is an increasing number of colleges that retain test-optional policies, and 45% of applicants last year applied to colleges without test scores. For the 2023-24 cycle, the stats indicate:
86% of colleges were test-optional/flexible
9% of colleges were test-free (did not use testing in their evaluation process)
Only 5% of colleges required test scores. Nevertheless, this includes a number of highly selective colleges, including Brown, Caltech, Dartmouth, Harvard, and MIT.
Trend 3: Early Applications Rise
Over the past five years, colleges have seen a 60% increase in early applications, including Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, and Early Decision plans. The rise in early applications allows a college to fill a larger percentage of their class from the early application pool and helps their yield rates.
Below is an example of the difference in admit rates between Early Action and Regular Decision at many selective colleges in 2024.
This chart reflects the difference in admit rates between Early Decision (Binding) and Regular Decision at many selective colleges in 2024.
Trend 4: Demonstrated Interest Utilization Increases
Colleges are increasingly considering demonstrated interest when making decisions, including attending campus tours and events, reading emails from the colleges, following the college on social media, etc.
Below is a sampling of colleges and how important they consider demonstrated interest to be in their evaluative process.
Trend 5: Impacts of Affirmative Action Ruling
Due to the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling, colleges can no longer consider race/ethnicity as a factor in admissions. However, if students talk about their background, ethnicity, culture, or personal story, those can be considered in a holistic admissions process. According to findings from the Common App, the ruling has not significantly impacted the volume of applications by race, and the number of applicants from racial minority groups applying to highly selective colleges has remained consistent. Admission and enrollment rates have varied a bit more. At many colleges, enrollment among underrepresented minorities has remained consistent, while others have seen increases or decreases. Because the revised FAFSA also came out last year (with many hiccups), we’ll likely need a few more years to tease out how the affirmative action ruling has impacted the landscape.
Given this information, what can students do to improve their chances of admission to selective colleges?
First, reflect on what’s most important for you to find in a college and ensure the school is an excellent fit academically, socially, and financially.
Research your colleges thoughtfully. Keep your list small and apply to a well-balanced list of colleges. We recommend that students apply to 2-3 likelies, 3-4 targets, and 2-3 reaches, allowing you to put your time and energy into the colleges where you are most invested. You’ll be able to attend information sessions (virtual or in-person), follow social media accounts, read emails from colleges, interview, and write compelling and detailed essays specific to each school. These can impact college decisions but can only be done well if you have the time and energy to apply.
Apply Early Action and/or Early Decision whenever possible.
Only submit standardized test scores at test-optional colleges when it offers a clear advantage (generally, this means your scores fall within the college’s middle 50th percentile for admitted students)
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