6.3 percent projected admit rate
With an all-time high of 35,000 applicants this year, it's never been harder to get into Harvard. The school saw a 15 percent increase in the number of applications over last year's record 30,489 and has no plans to increase its class size. (It can't. There aren't enough beds!) Harvard, which just announced that it will bring back its early admission program, is on track to accept a record low 6.3 percent of applicants this year compared to 7.2 percent last year—30,489 applicants for 2,205 spots—and 9.3 percent five years ago. The good news: "Ivies are the cheapest schools to go to because they give better financial aid," says Michele Hernandez, president of Hernandez College Consulting. "The hardest part is getting in."
6.9 percent projected admit rate
New York City’s most prestigious university reported a 32 percent jump in applications this year—34,587 compared to 26,179 last year—in part due to the school’s decision to accept the Common Application for the first time, making it simpler for high school seniors to apply. The heightened appeal will likely result in an all-time-low 6.9 percent acceptance rate—making it one of the toughest Ivy Leagues to get into after Harvard—down from 9.2 percent last year (26,179 applicants for 2,397 offers) and 9.7 percent five years ago.
7.5 percent projected admit rate
The Elis had a record 27,230 applications this year, up 5.3 percent from last year's 25,869, making it the third-hardest Ivy to get into, after Harvard and Columbia. Today its admission rate is poised to settle somewhere around 7.5 percent, not too far off from five years ago, when 8.9 percent of applicants gained admission. To boost your odds and more than double your chances, apply early. "It's statistically easier to get in early," says Michele Hernandez, president of Hernandez College Consulting. "The pool tends to be weaker." (This tip holds true for the five Ivies offering early admissions and most other selective schools except for MIT and Georgetown, which don't give extra weight to early applications.)
8.5 percent projected admit rate
Marking seven consecutive years of record-setting application numbers, Princeton reached its peak with 27,115 applicants this year, a 3.3 percent increase over last year’s high of 26,247. Over the past seven years, the number of Princeton hopefuls has increased by a whopping 98 percent. This year Princeton is on track to admit 8.5 percent of its applicants, down from 8.8 percent last year—26,247 applicants for 2,311 offers—and 10.2 percent five years ago. One bright spot: The university intends to enroll 1,300 freshmen this fall, a slightly higher number than previous years, as it continues its 11 percent increase of the undergraduate population, which began in 2005.
9.0 percent projected admit rate
Harry Potter actress Emma Watson is a student, and Women's Wear Daily named it the most fashionable Ivy a few years back, but Brown University students are no academic pushovers. The free-spirited Providence, Rhode Island, school received a record 31,000 applications this year, a 69 percent rise from the 18,316 applications it got five years ago. It's poised to accept just 9 percent of students who applied for the fall. Adding to the heightened competition is a record 4,800 international students in the applicant pool. Five years ago, the acceptance rate was a tamer 13.8 percent.
9.90 percent projected admit rate
The New Hampshire school received more than 22,140 applications this year, a record number and a 17.9 percent increase from last year’s pool of 18,778 applications. The acceptance rate is poised to drop to a low 9.9 percent, compared to 11.7 percent last year—18,778 applicants for 2,193 offers—and 15.7 percent five years ago. The Ivy received an influx of Californians this year, up 21 percent, making it the most represented state in the applicant pool.
12.1 percent projected admit rate
Founded by Benjamin Franklin and situated in downtown Philadelphia, this popular urban Ivy received 31,651 applications this year, a 17.5 percent increase over last year’s 26,941 applications. The school is on track to accept 12.1 percent of those who applied, down from 14.3 percent last year—26,941 applicants for 3,841 offers—and 17.7 percent five years ago.
18.3 percent projected admit rate
With 36,349 applications and counting—the university hasn’t released its official tally yet, but its number has already surpassed last year’s 36,338 applicants—the largest Ivy League school is also poised to be the easiest to get into. This year’s acceptance rate is on track to reach 18.3 percent, the same rate as last year, compared to 24.7 percent five years ago.
20.3 percent projected admit rate
With 52,920 applications for this coming fall, the flagship UC school, on the east shore of San Francisco Bay, is poised to be one of the toughest state schools in the country to get into. Berkeley's admission rate is likely to drop to 20.3 percent this year from 21.4 percent last year and 23.6 percent five years ago.
24.4 percent projected admit rate
The largest UC campus in terms of enrollment, UCLA received a record 61,505 applications for the fall 2011 freshman class, up from 57,670 applications last year. But the Bruins are likely to admit more students this year for a projected 24.4 percent admission rate, which is a little more than the 22.7 percent last year and less than 25.8 percent five years ago.
30.1 percent projected admit rate
Thomas Jefferson's university had 23,968 applicants this year, a slight increase from the 22,510 students who applied last year. The Charlottesville campus is poised to take about 30.1 percent of its applicants in the fall, a slight decrease from the 32 percent it accepted last year and the 36.9 percent it accepted five years ago.
31.9 percent projected admit rate
This fall 23,664 high-school seniors hope to become Tar Heels, a slight increase from the 23,273 students who applied last year. One of the oldest public universities in the nation, Carolina is on track to admit 31.9 percent of its applicants, compared to 32.5 percent last year and 34.1 percent five years ago.
32.8 percent projected admit rate
With 12,800 students applying this year, a slight increase over the 12,537 applicants last year, the nation's second oldest college is poised to admit 32.8 percent of its fall applicants. That's a slightly better admission rate than last year's 31.7 percent, mostly because the school intends to hand out more offers: Approximately 4,200 seniors will receive fat envelopes this year compared to 3,978 students last year. Five years ago, 10,722 seniors applied to the historic Williamsburg campus, for an admission rate of 32.3 percent.
34.3 percent projected admit rate
This public research school, in sunny La Jolla, had a record number of students apply this year with 53,455 applications, up from 48,093 applications last year. The increased interest means the admission rate is on track to be a low 34.3 percent, down from 38.2 percent last year and 49 percent five years ago.
40.2 percent projected admit rate
Situated on the California coast, this UC campus, 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, received 49,015 applicants for this fall, a 5 percent increase over last year's numbers. The acceptance rate is poised to reach 40.2 percent this year, down from 51.8 percent five years ago. One noteworthy statistic about this year's applicant pool: 33 percent have a high-school grade point average of 4.0 or higher.
49.3 percent projected admit rate
Atlanta's public research university had 14,200 applicants this year and expects to admit an estimated 7,000 of them for a 49.3 percent admission rate. Last year, the Yellow Jackets had 13,555 students apply, accepting 7,060, for a rate of 52.1 percent. Five years ago, only 9,342 students applied to Georgia Tech, with 6,444 students receiving offers, for a rate of 69 percent.
50.4 percent projected admit rate
As of Feb. 15, the University of Wisconsin counted 28,564 applicants for the upcoming fall, a hefty increase over the 25,522 applicants last year. Of those hoping to become Badgers in 2011, about 50.4 percent will be offered admission, down from 56.5 percent last year and 58.4 percent five years ago.
52.9 percent projected admit rate
The Huskies had 24,500 high-school students apply this year, a 7.5 percent increase over last year's applicant pool. The university is on track to accept 52.9 percent of its applicants, down from 56.8 percent last year and 68.4 percent five years ago. "We're raising the class size of non-resident students because we've had budget cuts and we're doing our best to maintain our resident student numbers," says Philip Ballinger, director of admissions at UW. The school also saw an 18 percent increase in international student applications this year.
12.6 percent projected admit rate
Of the private liberal arts schools we profiled, this suburban school, in Amherst, Massachusetts, is poised to be the toughest to get into: 8,432 high school seniors sent in applications this year for an acceptance rate of about 12.6 percent. That’s a noticeable dip from the 15.3 percent acceptance rate last year and the 18.6 percent rate five years ago.
13.3 percent projected admit rate
High-school seniors wanting the feel of a New England college but with sunshine and flip-flops year round tend to love Pomona, a small school in Southern California. In fact, 7,206 students gave it a shot this year, for fewer than 1,000 spots. The likelihood of getting in: 13.3 percent this year compared to 14.7 percent last year and 17.7 percent five years ago.
14.3 percent projected admit rate
Just 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, this relatively new school—founded in 1946 as a men's college, but now co-ed—has only about 1,200 undergraduates on campus, which makes getting in no simple feat. With 4,478 high-school students applying and a 32 percent increase in early-decision applicants, this year's freshmen class already has a good portion spoken for. The overall admission rate is on track to be a tough 14.3 percent, down from 22.4 percent five years ago.
14.6 percent projected admit rate
Founded by Quakers in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, just 11 miles outside Philadelphia, this small suburban school had 6,593 applicants this year and will likely send out fewer than 1,000 offers of admission. With 501 more applicants today over last year, the admission rate is poised to come in around 14.6 percent, compared to 16 percent in 2010 and 19 percent five years ago.
15.3 percent projected admit rate
With 6,551 applicants ready to embrace the chilly Maine campus, this small liberal arts college has seen a rise in popularity, with 8.7 percent more students applying this year over last and a 15 percent increase in international applicants. That means the college, which accepted 21.6 percent of applicants five years ago, is on track to take only 15.3 percent today. Bowdoin received applications from about 2,900 high schools this year compared to about 1,800 a decade ago, notes Scott Meiklejohn, dean of admissions and financial aid at Bowdoin.
17.6 percent projected admit rate
This small, rural school in Williamstown, Massachusetts, modeled after Oxford and Cambridge's tutorial systems, where students critique each other's work, had 7,010 applications this year, up 5.7 percent from last year's tally. Its acceptance rate hasn't changed a whole lot over the years, with the school on track to accept 17.6 percent of applicants this year, down from 18.6 percent last year and 19.1 percent five years ago.
17.9 percent projected admit rate
Renowned for its international studies and environmental programs as well as its top-notch summer language schools, this Vermont-based college with views of the Green Mountains had 8,550 applicants this year for an acceptance rate that should hover around 17.9 percent. Last year’s class had 7,984 hopefuls, with 1,529 receiving offers—a 19.2 percent admission rate. Five years ago Middlebury offered admission to 24.4 percent of its applicants.
19.5 percent projected admit rate
Named for George Washington, who contributed a large endowment gift, and for Robert E. Lee, who served as its president after the Civil War, this Lexington, Virginia, school had 6,473 applicants this year, down slightly from 6,627 hopefuls last year. It's one of the few schools The Daily Beast profiled that saw a drop in the number of students who applied, logging a 19.5 percent admission rate. But compared to five years ago the numbers are up: In fall 2010, it had 4,215 students send in applications for a 27.4 percent acceptance rate.
23.1 percent projected admit rate
The idyllic school in the heart of the Hudson Valley in New York has seen a steady increase of applications over the last five years, with more applicants from a broader socioeconomic spectrum. This year almost 8,000 students submitted applications, putting their chances of getting in at about 23.1 percent, compared to a more forgiving 30.1 percent five years ago. "Students are applying to places they wouldn't have applied to before because they find out about them online and use the Common Application," says David Borus, dean of admissions and financial aid at Vassar. "Students might not have known about us a few years ago."
25.2 percent projected admit rate
Founded in 1837 by Presbyterians, this small school in Charlotte, North Carolina, became one of the first colleges in the nation in 2007 to change its financial-aid packages so that students didn't need to take out loans. By 2008, the school was flooded with applicants; a run to the Elite Eight in basketball that year only heightened the appeal. Today Davidson has 4,748 applicants, a hefty surge over 3,895 applications five years ago, and it's on track to take 25.2 percent of those who applied compared to 30.4 percent five years ago.
