Trends in College Admissions in 2024
The process of admission to colleges and universities in the United States is constantly changing. From frequent changes in standardized test policies to the effects of an increasingly large applicant pool, the factors that affect college admission are often hidden and difficult to navigate. Here are five of the most important trends in college admissions that college-bound students should be aware of.
TREND #1: Increasing number of college applications leads to record-low admission rates
The number of college applications has skyrocketed in the past few years, with many colleges and universities receiving record-breaking numbers of applications. Last year, applications to private colleges increased by 10%, while applications to public universities increased by 14%. However, colleges have not been admitting more students, and the number of seats in each entering class has remained unchanged from prior years.
Harvard University: 3.3%
Stanford University: 3.7%
Columbia University: 4.0%
Dartmouth College: 4.1%
Yale University: 4.5%
MIT: 4.8%
University of Chicago: 4.8%
Brown University: 5.0%
Princeton University: 5.7%
University of Pennsylvania: 6.5%
Northwestern University: 7.2%
Cornell University: 7.3%
University of California, Los Angeles: 8.7%
What does this mean for prospective applicants?
TIP: Students who are placed on the waitlist should write a letter of continued interest to the colleges they are truly interested in attending. However, because getting off the waitlist is generally rare, students should plan for and get excited about attending a school to which they were admitted – and high school seniors who applied to a thoughtful, well-balanced list of colleges will certainly have many options to choose from.
TREND #2: Increasing number of Early Decision/Early Action applicants
Many colleges offer an early application process where students can apply for and receive an admission decision even before the regular application deadline. Under Early Decision, students apply to one college that they are required to enroll at if they are admitted to that college. Under Early Action, students can apply to multiple colleges early but are not required to decide which college they want to attend until late spring.
Just as colleges have seen a strong increase in the number of first-year applications overall, they have also seen an increase in the number of students applying through the Early Decision and Early Action processes.
Under Early Decision (and to some extent, Early Action), students often benefit from a statistical advantage in the application process, compared to regular decision applicants. Students who apply Early Decision are required to attend if admitted, so colleges fill a sizable percentage of their freshman class from the early applicant pool. This means that their rate of admission for regular decision rounds tends to be significantly lower, as many seats have been filled. Colleges like Brown University, Columbia University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and the University of Pennsylvania fill more than 50% of their entering class through the Early Decision process.
To provide more opportunities for students who apply by the regular application deadline, several top universities (including Cornell University and the University of Southern California) have decided to limit the percentage of students they admit through the early application process, which diminishes the advantage students have when applying to these schools. Students applying to Cornell University and USC should keep this fact in mind as they decide which schools to apply to early.
TIP: Students who are sure that they want to attend a particular college should apply through an early application process if available. You will need to have excellent grades and test scores, as well as a well-assembled application, to compete with others in the early pool.
TREND #3: Standardized test scores continue to be important in the college application review process
When the Coronavirus pandemic prevented students from taking the SAT and ACT, virtually all colleges stopped requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores as a part of the college application. Instead, colleges adopted a test-optional policy, where students could decide to take standardized tests and submit their scores if they believed the scores strengthened their college applications.
In the past year, several prominent colleges and universities have reinstated the requirement to submit an SAT or ACT score as a part of the application, including Brown University, Dartmouth College, Georgetown University, Georgia Tech, MIT, Purdue University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Yale University. Colleges say that standardized test scores allow them to compare students who attend different high schools that offer different courses and have different grading policies. Furthermore, standardized test scores are a good predictor of a student’s potential for success in college.
TIP: Students should prepare for and take the SAT or ACT to give themselves the best chance of getting admitted to a selective college. Even if a school is test-optional, SAT and ACT scores will be considered if sent, which adds to your academic profile. (Note: this does not apply to test-blind institutions).
TREND #4: Affirmative action is banned in college admissions (sort of)
After the United States Supreme Court banned the use of race as a factor in college admission decisions in June 2023, many colleges as well as students and parents were concerned that the decision would lead to a less diverse student body. A solution to the problem was suggested in the same Supreme Court decision, where the court stated that its decision does not prohibit colleges from considering an applicant’s “discussion” of how race affected his or her life.
In response, many colleges are inviting students to share how their identity and life experiences have shaped their perspectives about themselves and the society around them through the personal essay component of the college application.
TIP: Students who have a compelling story about challenges they’ve overcome or cultural influences that have shaped their identity and guided their actions should consider sharing their experiences in their college application essay.
TREND #5: Optional "video introductions" provide applicants an opportunity to stand out
In the quest to learn more about applicants, several prominent colleges (including Brown University, Duke University, MIT, and the University of Chicago) invite applicants to submit an optional video introduction. These colleges want to put a human face to the grades and test score data they receive in the application. While essays remain an important way to evaluate applicants, colleges are increasingly wary of students using artificial intelligence and outside helpers to craft overly edited personal statements.
TIP: Think of the video introduction as a way to make a more memorable and genuine first impression. Admirable qualities like maturity, humor, and charisma can be hard to convey in a written application. But in a live, recorded video, high school seniors can show their personalities and presentational skills directly to a college admissions committee.