Part 2: Elite College Acceptance Rates for 2016

Last week, we presented the Regular Decision (RD), Early Action (EA), and Early Decision (ED) admissions statistics for the eight Ivy League schools and Northwestern, MIT, and Stanford. This week, we present the RD statistics for 25 additional elite and popular colleges and universities that published their admissions results for the Class of 2020 by mid-April.

Institution	Applicants In 2016	Admitted in 2016	2016 % Admitted	Applicants In 2015	Admitted in 2015	2015 % Admitted
Amherst	8,397	1,149	14	8,536	1,006	12
Barnard	7,071	1,131	16	6,655	1,301	20
Berkeley	82,558	12,226	15	78,928	13,332	17
Bowdoin	6,788	970	14	6,970	1,010	15
Carleton	6,500	1,430	22	6,721	1,344	20
Claremont	6,342	594	9	7,152	698	10
Duke	32,202	3,319	10	31,180	3,465	11
Emory	19,924	4,927	25	20,519	4,796	23
Georgetown	27,029	4,168	15	19,481	3,202	16
Grinnell	7,368	1,326	18	6,414	1,585	25
Hamilton	5,230	1,317	25	5,434	1,348	25
Johns Hopkins	27,095	3,098	11	24,717	3,065	12
Kenyon	6,400	1,688	26	7,076	1,703	24
Middlebury	8,820	1,415	16	8,892	1,768	20
Notre Dame	19,499	3,665	19	18,156	3,577	20
Pomona	8,104	743	9	8,091	790	10
Swarthmore	7,717	963	12	7,818	976	12
Tufts	20,222	2,831	14	19,064	3,000	16
USC	54,100	8,920	16	51,800	9,050	17
Virginia	32,426	9,416	29	30,853	8,786	28
Vanderbilt	32,100	3,326	10	31,474	3,470	11
Vassar	7,306	1,943	27	7,567	1,947	26
Wake Forest	13,860	4,019	28	13,200	3,696	28
Williams	6,982	1,206	17	6,883	1,197	17
William & Mary	15,380	4,906	32	14,552	4,802	33

As was true with last week’s statistics, the trend toward increasing exclusivity in college admissions is evident in this data set. More than twice as many admissions rates fell than rose, with 15 institutions declining, 6 rising, and 4 remaining the same in a sample size of 25 schools.

Over the past decade, the competitiveness of admissions at elite schools has intensified. According to a study done by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the percentage of applicants accepted has declined by 6% during this period.

Whether or not they publicly acknowledge it, the US News rankings remain important to all but the most ultra-selective schools. The admissions rate is the key criterion in the ranking of colleges and universities by US News. The average class rank and test scores of admitted students are the only other factors in the rankings. However, these criteria are not as reliable as the admissions rate because class rank is often not disclosed by high schools and a growing number of institutions no longer require the submission of SAT or ACT scores.

As a result, admissions rate, although an imperfect measure, has become a proxy for academic quality in the perception of many high school sophomores, juniors, and parents when they begin to investigate and compare the top-tier colleges and universities that they may wish to target for admissions. To rely too heavily on a single facet of a school’s performance is a common mistake that you would be wise to avoid.

An IvySelect private admissions counselor will work with you you to select 12 or 13 schools that fit your unique set of needs, preferences, talents, and objectives. These may include some of the most exclusive colleges, but they won’t be targeted for that reason alone. They will be chosen for the extent to which they satisfy your personal requirements.