Empowerly’s class of 2023 college-bound high school students received excellent news this spring. From the rapid thrill of early admission wins to the long-awaited relief of acceptances that arrive in March, hard work is paying off. We know our counselors and families have worked hard to help students get to this point. Today, we are ecstatic to announce and celebrate their successes!
In this article, we’ll not only break down our amazing results and statistics, but we’ll also review short case points from specific student journeys. To provide full context, we highlight insightful reflections from our lead counselors, as well as overall admit rates for the nation. Let’s get down to business.
The graduating class of 2023 achieved one of Empowerly’s most impressive rounds of college admissions results yet. Not only have our expert counseling admission teams gotten students into every Ivy League college, but some of our students have also achieved an impressive span of these coveted campuses individually!
“Our expert counseling admission teams have gotten students into every Ivy League college.”
Empowerly’s Class of 2023 Colleges and Early Decision Results
Ivy League Acceptance Rates Comparison – Class of 2023
| College | Average acceptance rate | Empowerly acceptance rate | Empowerly advantage |
| Boston University | 15% | 40% | 3x |
| Columbia University | 4% | 18% | 5x |
| Cornell University | 7% | 31% | 4x |
| Duke University | 6% | 25% | 4x |
| Emory University | 12% | 52% | 4x |
| Johns Hopkins University | 8% | 22% | 3x |
| New York University | 8% | 32% | 4x |
| Northwestern University | 7% | 23% | 3x |
| Princeton University | 4% | 13% | 3x |
| Tufts University | 10% | 27% | 3x |
| University of California, Berkeley | 11% | 27% | 2x |
| University of California, Los Angeles | 9% | 17% | 2x |
| University of Chicago | 5% | 29% | 5x |
| University of Pennsylvania | 6% | 17% | 3x |
So far this year, 16% of Empowerly student applications were accepted into the Ivy League, as compared to the national average of 5%. This means that across the board, we increased our student’s chances of acceptance into the Ivy League by at least three times (3x)!
Application to Acceptance Ratio for Ivy League Colleges – Class of 2023
In other words, that’s a 300% increase or better in acceptance chances to some of the most competitive schools in the nation.
Top 20 Liberal Arts College Acceptance Rates Comparison – Class of 2023
| College | Average acceptance rate | Empowerly acceptance rate | Empowerly advantage |
| Barnard College | 7% | 33% | 5x |
| Colgate University | 12% | 67% | 6x |
| Davidson College | 17% | 50% | 3x |
| Harvey Mudd College | 10% | 27% | 3x |
| Middlebury College | 13% | 50% | 4x |
| Pomona College | 7% | 29% | 4x |
| Smith College | 19% | 67% | 4x |
| Swarthmore College | 7% | 50% | 7x |
For the top 20 liberal arts colleges, 37% of Empowerly student applications were accepted into the Ivy League, as compared to the national average of 11%. That means Empowerly counselors increased their students’ chances of admission to the top liberal arts colleges by more than three times (3.5x)!
This year’s results prove yet again that the holistic, community-based approach to student growth at Empowerly works. With rigorous methods and unique resources, the Empowerly program empowers students to shine.
A Student Perspective: How to Get Accepted to Ivy League Schools
Of course, individual student journeys truly add depth to understanding the student experience here at Empowerly. By working under kind, compassionate, and dedicated mentors, our multi-year students are able to explore their passions and find the most effective path forward—in addition to developing their professional skills and a student resume. These top schools, while not for everyone, demonstrate a high caliber of accomplishment both in and outside the classroom.
Innovative Social Scientist
This spring, Empowerly Counselor Eli told us of one particularly notable story. “One senior from Illinois was accepted to Brown, UPenn, Duke, and Northwestern,” he said. “While working with Empowerly, he honed his future goals and admissions narrative, which was about fighting political polarization and promoting thoughtful discourse across the ideological spectrum. He created a nonprofit called the Anti-Polarization Coalition, moderating discussions in his hometown between congressional representatives and interning for a political candidate.”
NASA Environmental Engineer
Proudly, Empowerly Counselor Denard shared his story with a high school senior from California who achieved remarkable success in both academic and professional pursuits at his public high school. Denard shared, “Amongst his accomplishments, he secured an internship with NASA and utilized his coding knowledge to help discover opportunities to improve the OceanWATERS autonomy project. He is excited about the prospect of attending Rice University in Houston, TX, where he hopes to stay connected with the Space Center Houston as he expands his CS and engineering strengths. His achievements are a testament to the power of perseverance and the endless possibilities of a strong education.”
Rising Star in the Arts
The excellence and resilience of this student class truly astound us. Empowerly Counselor Quincy told us: “I had the pleasure of working with a gap year senior who pivoted from a STEM major to a film major during the gap. He worked extremely hard to build an art portfolio that included a multitude of screenplays and stories displaying a very unique perspective. He brought that same commitment to our essay and application work and will happily be attending the California Institute of the Arts in the fall!”
Architect with Ambition
Additionally, Empowerly Counselor Eli remembers: “One student, a senior from Washington, got into USC for Architecture (one of the top programs in that field). When she started Empowerly in Junior spring, she had few relevant extracurriculars, and she ended up with an architectural internship, a full portfolio, multiple youth leadership positions at Seattle-area museums, and political activism projects. I think she’s a great example of what motivated students can accomplish in a short time in our program.”
With the right tools, the Empowerly community can help you develop your profile in the way that fits your strengths and talents best.
The Scoop on This Year’s Admissions Results, According to the Experts
National news hints at an emerging teen crisis as college results pour in. As quoted by CNBC, Connie recommends anxious students try “to take some of the focus off the prestige and name brand” and “research schools and programs based on other factors,” she said. Even if you don’t get the acceptance letters you originally hoped for, there may still be other great options for you out there, she reminds students.
Reflecting upon this year’s admissions results, Empowerly Counselor Connie brought up the overall admissions landscape as a necessary context. She shared that the acceptance rates and class results were “amazing,” especially considering the Early Decision (ED) round was so tough. More people were rejected this year from the early pools instead of deferred, she added. With that in mind, our students’ admissions results make a strong statement.
The acceptance rates and class results [are] “amazing,” especially considering the Early Decision round was so tough.
Empowerly Counselor Quincy agreed with Connie’s assessment of this year’s challenging results for concurrent reasons. In his mind, the excitement and accomplishments of the Empowerly Class of 2023 stood out as notable because of the colleges’ behavior. “As universities continue to become more and more competitive, they are also becoming more protective of their yield rates. Because of this, students crafting the correct college lists is more important than ever!” he said. “Here at Empowerly, we pride ourselves on the work we do to help students build balanced and appropriate college lists, and the results are showing in the successes our students have year after year.”
It’s true. Taking into account the competition variables is part of the work that the data-driven team behind the Empowerly Score® brings to students today.
Overall 2023 Ivy League Admissions Statistics and Trends
Wondering how the other students in the nation fared? These are the reported 2023 Ivy League admissions statistics, reflecting extremely slim chances across the board.
- Princeton University – 4.38% acceptance rate
- Harvard University – 3.40% acceptance rate
- Yale University – 4.35% acceptance rate
- Cornell University – 8.69% acceptance rate
- Columbia University – 3.89% acceptance rate
- The University of Pennsylvania – 5.87% acceptance rate
- Dartmouth College – 6.00% acceptance rate
- Brown University – 5.00% acceptance rate
That means that, on average, the Ivy League acceptance rates average about 5.20% of total applicants. While it’s possible, you’ll definitely need to be adequately prepared to face up against this competition!
In our Class of 2023’s early round, 87% of students were admitted to their top choice college, including schools like Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, UPenn, Stanford, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, and UChicago. Through the early and regular rounds, 22% of Empowerly students were admitted to an Ivy League University. Empowerly seniors were accepted to every Ivy League, every UC, MIT, UChicago, Stanford, Barnard, Georgetown, NYU, and many more.
Beat the odds. Reach out to Empowerly to learn more about our approach to college admissions.
