Updated: Thursday, December 19, 2024
The admissions process, while time-consuming and complex, is also fun and fascinating. Below, we’ve included some important college admissions statistics, facts, and figures that will help you understand the trends in admission over the past decade.
2024 college admission rates dropped as low as 3.65%, making it another competitive year for students applying to the most selective colleges and universities in the U.S. College acceptance rates over time have been dropping dramatically, making for an extremely competitive admissions process at some of the country’s top colleges and universities. Here’s a look at U.S. college admission rates over the years.
| School | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Amherst College | 9.00% | 9.81% | 7.25% | 8.70% | 11.80% | 10.80% | 12.80% | 13.00% |
| Babson College | 17.00% | 19.74% | 22.35% | 23.40% | 26.00% | 26.00% | 24.00% | 24.00% |
| Barnard College | 8.84% | 7.96% | 8.79% | 10.40% | 10.80% | 11.30% | 13.90% | 15.40% |
| Boston College | 14.70% | 15.45% | 16.70% | 18.90% | 23.80% | 27.10% | 27.00% | 32.00% |
| Boston University | TBA | 10.85% | 14.00% | 18.30% | 18.50% | 18.00% | 22.00% | 25.00% |
| Bowdoin College | 6.97% | 8.02% | 9.19% | 8.80% | 9.10% | 8.90% | 10.50% | 13.40% |
| Brown University | 5.39% | 5.23% | 5.00% | 5.40% | 6.80% | 6.60% | 7.20% | 8.30% |
| Bucknell University | 28.93% | 32.01% | 32.55% | 34.50% | 37.50% | 34.20% | 31.00% | 31.00% |
| California Institute of Technology | TBA | TBA | 2.69% | 3.90% | 6.70% | 6.40% | 8.00% | 8.00% |
| Carleton College | 17.85% | 22.28% | 16.63% | 17.50% | 20.10% | 18.90% | 19.40% | 20.00% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 11.50% | 11.40% | 11.30% | 13.50% | 17.20% | 15.40% | 17.10% | 22.10% |
| Claremont McKenna College | 9.59% | 11.12% | 10.30% | 13.00% | 10.00% | 8.90% | 8.90% | 10.40% |
| Colby College | 6.64% | 7.00% | 7.45% | 8.00% | 9.40% | 9.63% | 13.00% | 15.80% |
| Colgate University | 13.59% | 11.95% | 12.43% | 17.20% | 27.40% | 22.30% | 25.00% | 28.00% |
| College of William & Mary | 33.00% | 32.72% | 33.50% | 42.00% | 42.00% | 38.00% | 36.00% | 35.00% |
| Columbia University | 3.85% | 4.00% | 3.74% | 3.66% | 6.10% | 5.10% | 5.50% | 5.80% |
| Cornell University | 8.41% | 7.90% | 7.26% | 8.60% | 10.70% | 10.50% | 10.30% | 12.50% |
| Dartmouth College | 5.40% | 6.23% | 6.38% | 6.17% | 8.80% | 7.90% | 8.70% | 10.40% |
| Davidson College | 13.40% | 14.48% | 16.95% | 20.30% | 19.00% | 18.30% | 18.70% | 20.00% |
| Duke University | 5.15% | 6.30% | 6.20% | 7.40% | 7.70% | 7.40% | 8.30% | 9.00% |
| Emory University | 10.29% | 10.65% | 11.35% | 13.05% | 19.17% | 15.60% | 18.52% | 22.04% |
| George Washington University | TBA | 43.54% | 48.98% | 43.00% | 38.70% | 41.00% | 41.80% | 40.80% |
| Georgetown University | 12.33% | 13.08% | 12.10% | 12.00% | 15.50% | 14.00% | 14.50% | 15.00% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 13.81% | 16.46% | 17.14% | 21.30% | 20.00% | 18.80% | 22.00% | 23.20% |
| Hamilton College | 13.62% | 11.77% | 11.78% | 18.00% | 18.40% | 16.10% | 20.80% | 23.60% |
| Harvard University | 3.65% | 3.45% | 3.19% | 3.43% | 4.90% | 4.50% | 4.60% | 5.20% |
| Harvey Mudd College | 12.66% | 13.10% | 13.36% | 13.70% | 17.90% | 13.60% | 14.50% | 13.90% |
| Haverford College | 12.37% | 12.91% | 14.21% | 17.80% | 18.20% | 16.10% | 18.70% | 19.40% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 5.67% | 7.56% | 7.24% | 7.40% | 8.80% | 9.10% | 9.90% | 11.80% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4.52% | 4.80% | 3.96% | 4.00% | 7.20% | 6.60% | 6.70% | 7.10% |
| Middlebury College | 11.96% | 10.37% | 12.69% | 15.70% | 24.30% | 15.90% | 18.40% | 19.70% |
| New York University | 8.00% | 9.41% | 12.46% | 12.80% | 15.30% | 16.00% | 19.00% | 28.00% |
| Northwestern University | ~7.50% | 7.20% | 7.21% | 6.80% | 9.00% | 8.90% | 8.40% | 9.00% |
| Pomona College | 7.09% | 6.76% | 7.02% | 6.60% | 7.20% | 6.90% | 6.90% | 8.20% |
| Princeton University | 4.62% | 4.50% | 5.70% | 3.98% | 5.50% | 5.70% | 5.50% | 6.09% |
| Rice University | 8.00% | 7.88% | 8.68% | 9.3% | 10.00% | 8.70% | 11.00% | 16.00% |
| Stanford University | TBA | 3.91% | 3.68% | 3.95% | 5.20% | 4.30% | 4.30% | 4.65% |
| Swarthmore College | 7.46% | 6.94% | 6.93% | 8.90% | 8.80% | 8.70% | 9.10% | 10.20% |
| Trinity University | 26.00% | 28.16% | 30.51% | 33.70% | 33.60% | 29.00% | 33.00% | 32.00% |
| Tufts University | 11.49% | 10.13% | 9.69% | 11.00% | 15.00% | 14.60% | 14.60% | 14.80% |
| Tulane University | 13.98% | 14.59% | 11.45% | 9.73% | 11.00% | 13.10% | 1700.% | 21.50% |
| University of California – Berkeley | 11.03% | 11.73% | 11.39% | 16.80% | 17.50% | 16.80% | 15.20% | 18.30% |
| University of California – Los Angeles | 8.97% | 8.73% | 8.56% | 14.00% | 14.30% | 12.00% | 14.10% | 16.10% |
| University of Chicago | 4.48% | 4.79% | 5.43% | 6.20% | 6.20% | 5.90% | 7.20% | 8.70% |
| University of Michigan | TBA | 17.94% | 17.69% | 20.20% | 26.10% | 22.70% | 23.40% | 24.00% |
| University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill | TBA | 18.39% | 16.85% | 19.00% | 23.50% | 21.40% | 21.90% | 26.20% |
| University of Notre Dame | 11.10% | 12.38% | 12.87% | 14.60% | 16.50% | 15.30% | 17.60% | 18.40% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 5.38% | 5.80% | 6.50% | 5.68% | 8.00% | 7.40% | 8.40% | 9.10% |
| University of Richmond | 21.83% | 23.31% | 24.37% | 28.70% | 30.00% | 28.30% | 29.80% | 32.90% |
| University of Southern California | 9.81% | 10.02% | 11.88% | 12.00% | 15.80% | 11.00% | 12.80% | 16.00% |
| University of Virginia | 16.81% | 16.86% | 18.68% | 21.00% | 20.50% | 24.30% | 26.50% | 27.00% |
| Vanderbilt University | 5.80% | 6.28% | 6.10% | 6.70% | 11.60% | 7.80% | 9.20% | 10.30% |
| Vassar College | TBA | 17.73% | 18.66% | 19.00% | 24.50% | 23.40% | 24.00% | 22.80% |
| Wake Forest University | 21.74% | 22.31% | 21.37% | 25.20% | 31.90% | 29.00% | 27.50% | 27.00% |
| Washington and Lee University | 14.12% | 17.36% | 16.96% | 18.80% | 24.50% | 18.00% | 21.10% | 21.90% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | 12.06% | 11.96% | 10.00% | 13.00% | 16.00% | 14.00% | 15.00% | 16.00% |
| Wellesley College | 13.74% | 13.91% | 13.57% | 16.00% | 19.00% | 20.00% | 19.00% | 22.00% |
| Wesleyan University | 16.00% | 17.10% | 14.43% | 15.40% | 20.00% | 15.80% | 17.50% | 15.40% |
| Williams College | 7.52% | 9.99% | 8.50% | 8.00% | 15.00% | 12.40% | 12.20% | 14.60% |
| Yale University | 3.90% | 4.50% | 4.57% | 4.62% | 6.40% | 5.90% | 6.30% | 6.90% |
*Some schools have announced that they will not provide admission statistics at the time decisions are released. This means data may not be available until the publication of their Common Data Set the following year.
For waitlisted students, it can be hard to judge just how much of a chance they have of getting accepted off the waitlist. Data around waitlist acceptances can be scarce, especially as waitlists at top colleges grow and more and more schools become less transparent about their admissions statistics. The college counselors at IvyWise, however, have dug into the data and have some insight into waitlist admission rates.
Early Decision, Early Action, Early Decision II, Restrictive Early Action — believe it or not, the list goes on. There is no shortage of early application options for college admissions these days, and some hold a significant statistical advantage to students. Yes, this means that in some early processes, most students are significantly more likely to receive offers of admissions than if they applied Regular Decision. The percent advantage ranges from school to school and differs when it comes to Early Action programs. Read on for a breakdown of the numbers and for insight on why students should consider participating in early admissions programs.
It’s important for college-bound students to stay up to date on the latest college admissions trends. With the 2023-24 admissions cycle underway, now is an excellent time to reflect on recent updates and keep an eye toward the future.
