College Admissions
The college admissions process is becoming increasingly competitive every year. This is most evident in the top universities across the United States. Because of these trends, there are well-deserving students receiving denials from many of their aspired schools. There are three key factors as to why the overall admissions rates have been progressively decreasing. So, let’s talk about trends in college admissions to help you create your best plan.
1) Higher Yield Rates
A yield rate is the percentage of students who decide to attend a school after receiving an offer. Yield rates are increasing among the nation’s top universities, which consists of the Ivy Leagues, elite liberal arts colleges, and specialized state schools. This is because students opt to attend the most prestigious university they can.
Students who submit their application in the early decision phase yield 100% because of binding agreements, and a higher yield rate is correlated with popularity, and thus, more applications. With more applications, the overall acceptance rate is destined to decrease.
2) More International Applications
According to trends in college admissions, the number of applications top schools receive is increasing by approximately 10,000 every year. This is the result of both booming populations and increasing international students seeking quality education abroad.
One well-known example is the University of Californiahttps://universityofcalifornia.edu system. In the past five years, the number of out-of-state applicants has increased by 47%. Because of the influx of quality applications, the admissions rates of UCs and other prominent state schools are continuously decreasing.
3) Increased Concentration in Well-known Schools
Reputation in the post-undergraduate world is a strong factor as to where students decide to apply to colleges. Students want to have an immediate advantage on their resume through the name of their alma mater.
Furthermore, the established general rankings and word of mouth has made acceptance to a top university a common goal most students hope to achieve by the end of the college decision phase. These schools receive more applications, and thus, have lower admissions rates.
Curious about college admissions counseling? Wondering what kind of support an independent college admissions counselor could offer? Talk to one of our team today to learn more.
