The Definition & Meaning: What Exactly is a College Yield Rate?
A college’s yield rate is the percentage of people who accepted their offers of admission. In other words, the percentage of people who chose to enroll in that particular school after having been accepted there.
For example, if a college had 5,000 applicants and accepted 1,000, its acceptance rate would be 20%. If 500 of those 1,000 accepted students chose to enroll there, the school’s yield rate would be 50%—because half of the accepted students selected that college.
What’s the average yield rate? Scroll below to see the full list of 2027 College Yield Rates. Each school has different goals and methodologies to achieve them. Therefore, the concept of an “average” yield rate might not make sense. However, we can tell you that a 50% yield rate indicates positive student enthusiasm, and top schools boast yield rates of 80% or higher!
Video: Understanding Admissions Yield and Admissions Rates
Why Do College Yield Rates Matter to You?
It’s in a college’s interest to keep its yield rates high, as this suggests that it’s a desirable school. Think of it this way: if you heard 95% of accepted students enrolled in a particular school, that would suggest that it’s a lot of people’s first choice, right?
On the other hand, if only 10% of admitted students enrolled, you might think that just about everyone would rather go somewhere else, and only choose that college as a last resort.
Because a college wants to keep its yield rate high, it’s more likely to offer admission to people who it thinks are likely to accept. If a school thinks you’re more likely to go somewhere else, it may be less inclined to accept you. It’s not because you aren’t qualified, but rather the college administrator’s attempt to keep their college yield rate high.
Yield Rates and the Waitlist
Uncertainty in accurately predicting yearly college yield rates is one reason so many universities use a waitlist system. During any given year, the school can’t know the exact number of accepted students that will ultimately enroll for the upcoming semester. However, they also can’t issue more acceptances than there are spots in the freshman class. The consequences of over- or under-enrolling the student body can create issues with the university budget, student housing, and even class offerings. To avoid this, many college administrators prefer to have a backup plan. By keeping a set number of offers conditional, they can balance any unclaimed spots with students from the waitlist.
If you’re totally unaware of college admissions, you can also consider hiring a good college counselor to make the process smooth. Here are some tips to help you find a perfect college counselor according to your needs.
Taking Yield Rate into Account
For the most part, the yield rate is not a deciding factor for students and families. For colleges and universities, some of their exclusivity is based on selective acceptance and yield rates (among many other data points). However, other aspects of the college experience that impact your day-to-day life are far more important. When selecting schools for your college list, compare academic programs and social environments first.
Later on, once your college list is built, it may be worth investigating yield rates. After all, some admissions readers may take their yield rate into consideration when deciding on their freshman class. Your best bet for avoiding rejection, for this reason, is to demonstrate an interest in the college. If you go out of your way to show a college that you’re really interested in attending, the admissions officers will understand that you’re likely to boost (rather than lower) that school’s yield rate.
Here’s a list of 2027 college yield rates:
| School | Yield Rate | Admit Rate |
| American University | 22.02% | 47.38% |
| Amherst College | 39.07% | 9.81% |
| Auburn University | 24.42% | 50.47% |
| Babson College | 39.67% | 19.74% |
| Barnard College | 75.64% | 7.96% |
| Bates College | 42.62% | 13.06% |
| Baylor University | 16.37% | 50.97% |
| Bennington College | 14.28% | 48.10% |
| Boston College | 41.36% | 15.45% |
| Boston University | 36.01% | 10.85% |
| Bowdoin College | 57.34% | 8.02% |
| Brandeis University | 21.90% | 35.33% |
| Brown University | 63.10% | 5.23% |
| Bucknell University | 29.23% | 32.01% |
| California Institute of Technology | 64.56% | 3.14% |
| Carleton College | 37.36% | 22.28% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 44.44% | 11.40% |
| Case Western Reserve | 13.79% | 28.67% |
| Chapman University | 20.41% | 55.61% |
| Claremont McKenna College | 49.77% | 11.12% |
| Clark University | 30.07% | 41.67% |
| Clemson University | 19.64% | Overall: 38.05% In-State: 49.23% Out-of-State: 36.04% International: 19.64% |
| Colby College | 48.84% | 7.00% |
| Colgate University | 31.95% | 11.95% |
| College of Charleston | 13.73% | In-state: 75.61% Out-of-state: 70.92% International: 49.06% |
| College of the Holy Cross | 45.05% | 21.10% |
| Colorado College | 34.26% | 20.03% |
| Columbia University | 64.07% | 4.00% |
| Cornell University | 66.01% | 7.90% |
| Dartmouth College | 67.28% | 6.23% |
| Davidson College | 48.78% | 14.48% |
| Denison University | 25.77% | 16.93% |
| DePaul University | 12.44% | 73.53% |
| Dickinson College | 16.96% | 43.08% |
| Duke University | 55.92% | 6.30% |
| Elon University | 13.26% | 67.31% |
| Emory University | Emory Campus: 40.25% Oxford Campus: 14.36% | Emory Campus: 10.65% Oxford Campus: 17.53% |
| Fairfield University | 20.64% | 44.98% |
| Fordham University | 9.87% | 56.28% |
| George Washington University | 21.52% | 43.54% |
| Georgetown University | 47.96% | 13.08% |
| Georgia Tech | 43.61% | In-state: 36.60% Out-of-State: 12.53% International: 9.95% |
| Gonzaga University | 17.32% | 75.96% |
| Grinnell College | 36.33% | 12.70% |
| Hamilton College | 40.70% | 11.77% |
| Harvard University | 83.72% | 3.45% |
| Harvey Mudd College | 35.67% | 13.10% |
| Haverford College | 45.21% | 12.91% |
| Howard University | 21.46% | 34.81% |
| Indiana University | 21.89% | In-State: 75.79% International: 70.64% Out-of-State: 83.91% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 48.18% | 7.56% |
| Lehigh University | 28.41% | 29.26% |
| Lewis & Clark College | 11.71% | 74.53% |
| Loyola Marymount University | 16.31% | 40.29% |
| Loyola University – Chicago | 8.96% | 81.39% |
| Macalester College | 22.67% | 28.21% |
| Marquette University | 13.78% | 87.48% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 84.59% | 4.80% |
| Miami University – Ohio | ~14.00% | 83.35% |
| Middlebury College | 44.60% | 10.37% |
| New York University | 54.39% | 9.41% |
| Northeastern University | 50.27% | 5.65% |
| Northwestern University | 56.46% | 7.22% |
| Oberlin College and Conservatory | College of Arts and Sciences: 20.95% Conservatory of Music: 31.4% | College of Arts and Sciences: 32.92% Conservatory of Music: ~34.68% |
| Olin College of Engineering | 48.76% | 21.66% |
| Pepperdine University | 11.79% | 49.85% |
| Pitzer College | 47.66% | 16.66% |
| Pomona College | 49.82% | 6.76% |
| Princeton University | 76.66% | 4.50% |
| Providence College | ~20.20% | 48.00% |
| Purdue University | 25.50% | 50.00% |
| Reed College | 12.87% | 27.16% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 16.63% | 58.50% |
| Rice University | 45.97% | 7.88% |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 14.49% | 72.81% |
| Rutgers University | 27.12% | Overall: 65.35% In-State: 70.72% Out-of-State: 71.98% International: 62.27% |
| Santa Clara University | 18.79% | 43.84% |
| Sarah Lawrence College | 14.47% | 58.93% |
| Smith College | 33.33% | 19.73% |
| Southern Methodist University | 17.23% | 61.22% |
| Stanford University | 80.94% | 3.91% |
| Swarthmore College | 41.83% | 6.94% |
| Syracuse University | 20.30% | 43.12% |
| Texas A&M University | 42.55% | 63.10% |
| Texas Christian University | 28.47% | 42.60% |
| Trinity College | ~27.56% | 33.00% |
| Trinity University | 20.48% | 28.16% |
| Tufts University | 50.49% | 10.13% |
| Tulane University | 45.79% | 14.59% |
| United States Naval Academy | 85.21% | 9.36% |
| University of British Columbia – Vancouver | 45.35% | International and American: 56.04% Canadian: 49.98% |
| University of California – Berkeley | 44.97% | Overall: 11.73% In-State: 15.13% Out-of-State: 7.80% International: 3.53% |
| University of California – Davis | 16.70% | Overall: 41.64% In-State: 36.25% Out-of-State: 60.35% International: 49.14% |
| University of California – Irvine | 21.79% | Overall: 25.75% In-State: 20.39% Out-of-State: 47.25% International: 32.56% |
| University of California – Los Angeles | 51.70% | Overall: 8.73% In-State: 9.46% Out-of-State: 8.62% International: 6.09% |
| University of California – San Diego | 21.62% | Overall: 24.76% In-State: 24.51% Out-of-State: 31.92% International: 17.93% |
| University of Chicago | 87.94% | 4.79% |
| University of Colorado – Boulder | 16.67% | In-State: 92.35% Out-of-State and International: 74.82% |
| University of Denver | 10.74% | 70.67% |
| University of Florida | 43.05% | Overall: 24.03% In-state: 52.58% Out-of-state: 14.25% International: 19.60% |
| University of Georgia | 38.09% | In-State: 50.24% Out-of-State: 28.11% International: 21.60% |
| University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign | 28.27% | Overall: 43.69% In-State: 56.23% Out-of-State: 35.87% International: 34.50% |
| University of Maryland | 23.38% | In-State: 41.56% Out-of-State and International: 53.90% |
| University of Massachusetts – Amherst | 18.09% | Out-of-State: 58.65% In-state: 60.05% International: 47.89% |
| University of Miami | 26.04% | 18.51% |
| University of Michigan | 47.49% | 17.94% |
| University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill | 43.30% | Overall: 18.74% In-State: 41.16% Out-of-State: 9.33% International: 18.22% |
| University of Notre Dame | 59.12% | 12.38% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 69.25% | 5.87% |
| University of Richmond | 23.63% | 23.31% |
| University of Rochester | 19.85% | Overall: 35.85% |
| University of Southern California | 44.89% | 10.02% |
| University of Texas – Austin | 48.75% | Overall: 29.12% In-State: 40.97% Out-of-State: 11.76% International: 13.24% |
| University of Virginia | 41.60% | In-State: 27.58% Out-of-State: 12.92% |
| University of Washington – Seattle | 26.39% | In-state: 52.27% Out-of-state: 38.46% International: 45.42% |
| University of Wisconsin – Madison | 28.94% | Overall: 43.24% In-State: 60.67% Out-of-State: 42.67% International: 31.91% |
| Vassar College | 32.05% | 17.73% |
| Villanova University | 34.96% | 20.50% |
| Vanderbilt University | 57.03% | 6.28% |
| Virginia Tech | 26.73% | In-State: 47.08% Out-of-State: 63.16% International: 68.01% |
| Wake Forest University | 36.76% | 21.56% |
| Washington & Lee University | 42.40% | 17.36% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | 47.42% | 11.96% |
| Wellesley University | 50.35% | 13.91% |
| Wesleyan University | 31.54% | 17.10% |
| Willamette University | 16.04% | 79.08% |
| William & Mary | 28.20% | 32.72% |
| Williams College | 47.25% | 9.99% |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 19.69% | 58.50% |
| Yale University | 70.37% | 4.50% |
Explore: trends in yield rates at four year colleges.
What is Yield Protection & Tuft’s Syndrome?
Yield protection (also known as "Tufts syndrome" in some contexts) refers to a practice where highly selective colleges may reject or waitlist overqualified applicants who they believe are unlikely to attend if admitted. This is done to protect the college's yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll. Yield rate is an important metric for colleges because it affects their rankings and perceived selectivity. Colleges want to maintain a high yield rate to demonstrate that they are highly desired by admitted students.
How it works: If a college suspects that an applicant is using them as a safety school (i.e., they have much higher qualifications than the typical admitted student), they may reject or waitlist that applicant to avoid wasting an offer of admission on someone who probably won't enroll. This practice can be frustrating for highly qualified applicants who genuinely want to attend that college but are perceived as using it as a backup option.
What Can Applicants Do to Prepare?
You may be familiar with the “why this college?” essay. There are certain prompts that appear on many applications in slightly different ways, and this is one of them.
For instance, “Why do you want to attend Monsters University?” or “What draws you to apply to the engineering program here?” If given the chance, this prompt is a particularly good way to explain that you know all about the school and have compelling reasons to want to attend college there.
To achieve the best possible response, be sure to research your answer and reference specific details when writing.
Additionally, you’ll most certainly want to proofread for errors throughout your entire application before sending it off. If you reused sections of your essay submissions (or activities descriptions and the like) from other applications, remove ALL mentions of the other school. It’s worth saving your drafts and proofreading with fresh eyes another day, or asking a trusted friend to review them, to ensure you don’t miss anything.
Another strong strategy is to ensure that your college list appropriately balances safety schools, target or match schools, and reach schools in the first place. In other words, a wide range of institutions that range from easy enrollment to extremely selective. Every school on your list, regardless of the acceptance or yield rates, should be somewhere you can see yourself thriving academically and socially.
Taking the time to build a reasonable list of colleges you’d be happy to attend reduces the pressure for any single one from the very start.
FAQs about College Yield Rates
What Is the Yield Rate in College?
The yield rate in college admissions refers to the percentage of admitted students who decide to enroll in a particular college or university after being offered admission. It is a critical metric for institutions to understand because it helps them predict how many admitted students will actually attend.
Here's how the yield rate is typically calculated:
Yield Rate (%) = (Number of students admitted / Number of students enrolled?) × 100
What Is Open Admission In Colleges?
Open admission in colleges refers to a policy where colleges and universities admit all students who have completed high school or earned a GED (General Educational Development) certificate, regardless of their academic qualifications or background. This means that as long as a student meets the basic requirement of having completed high school or its equivalent, they are granted admission to the institution.
When Do College Admissions Come Out?
College admissions decisions are generally released in the spring, with regular decision applicants typically receiving their results between mid-March and early April. Early action and early decision applicants may hear back as early as December. Rolling admissions schools review applications as they are received, releasing decisions on a continuous basis. Students admitted early action receive non-binding decisions, whereas early decision is binding. Waitlisted students may receive decisions later in the spring or summer if spots become available. It's essential for applicants to monitor specific college admissions timelines, as dates can vary and are typically communicated through applicant portals or email.
Can You Accept Admission To Multiple Colleges?
No, generally you cannot accept admission to multiple colleges simultaneously. When you accept an offer of admission to a college or university, you are expected to commit to attending that institution and withdraw your applications from other colleges where you have been offered admission. This process ensures fairness in college admissions and allows colleges to manage their enrollment effectively.
What Is Yield Protection In College Admissions?
Yield protection, also known as yield management or Tufts Syndrome (named after Tufts University, which was once reputed for this practice), refers to a strategy used by colleges and universities to manage their yield rate—the percentage of admitted students who accept their offer of admission and enroll.
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