News January 2025
Class of 2029 First Round of Acceptances
University of Duke: Early Action Acceptance Results Mid December 2024
Total Applications: 6,627
Accepted Students: 849
Acceptance Rate: 12.8%
Duke received a record number of Early Decision (ED) applications — a 6% increase over last year — continuing a trend of rising interest in top-tier universities.
While dropping only slightly from last year's record-setting low of 12.9%, the 12.8% ED acceptance rate this year is also a record-breaker, highlighting Duke’s highly competitive and selective admissions landscape and possibly reflecting the continuation of its test- optional admissions policy.
International students made up 8% of all students accepted during this year’s ED round, with the greatest number hailing from China, the UK, Canada, India, and Brazil.
Class of 2029 Acceptance Results Overview: Source includes Columbia Spectator
As a test-optional Ivy League school in the heart of New York City, Columbia offers a unique appeal to thousands of students each year, making the school’s acceptance rate highly competitive.
This year, Columbia has announced its Early Decision results for the Class of 2029, with Regular Decision results to follow in March 2025.
The deadline for Regular Decision applications for the Class of 2029 is January 1st.
Early Decision Acceptance Results
Total Applications: 5,872
Accepted Students: not available
Acceptance Rate: not available
Columbia received slightly fewer Early Decision applications this year, decreasing by two percent compared to last year.
Columbia’s Early Decision Acceptance Rate Trends
Although Columbia hasn’t yet reported the number of Early Decision applicants accepted for the Class of 2029, we can make thoughtful projections based on years of Columbia data we track.
Over the past four years Columbia’s Early Decision acceptance rate has hovered between 10–15%, providing a fairly reliable range for estimating this year's EA acceptance rate, with 12–14% being a reasonable estimate.
The most recently publicized Early Decision acceptance rate statistics for Columbia are from the school’s 2023–24 data set (Class of 2027):
Total Applications: 5,733
Accepted Students: 840
Acceptance Rate: 14.65%
Class of 2029 Acceptance Results Overview: Source includes: Mit/org/blog
MIT continues to set the standard for academic excellence, with its admissions process remaining one of the most competitive in the world. This year, MIT announced its early action acceptance rate for Class of 2029, with the regular decision acceptance rate to follow early next year, around mid-March.
EA Acceptance Rate: 5.98%
RA Acceptance Rate: TBA (March 2025)
Overall Acceptance Rate: TBA (March 2025)
MIT's Early Action Acceptance Results
Total Applications: 12,053
Accepted Students: 721
Acceptance Rate: 5.98%
MIT's EA acceptance rate is 5.98% this year, a slight increase from last year's 5.26%.
This year, the number of applicants decreased slightly from 12,563 to 12,053, while the admitted cohort size increased from 661 to 721, resulting in this increase in acceptance rate.
The EA acceptance rates this year is the highest in the past 5 years, since class of 2024's EA acceptance rate of 7.39%.
Dartmouth’s Class of 2029 Acceptance Results Overview
Dartmouth College continues to be one of the most highly sought-after universities in the US. This year, Dartmouth has decided to withhold its Early Decision acceptance rate until late March, after Regular Decision results have been released. Below is an overview of what we know about this year's acceptance statistics and trends.
Early Decision Acceptance Results
Total Applications: 3,550
Accepted Students: TBA March 2025
Acceptance Rate: TBA March 2025
The number of Early Decision applications to Dartmouth matched last year’s record volume. This is the sixth “record pool” of early applicants since 2017 — unsurprising given the trend of rising interest in top-tier universities.
Why Apply Early Decision?
Higher Acceptance Rates: Early Decision applicants typically enjoy higher acceptance rates compared to Regular Decision. For the Class of 2028, Dartmouth’s Early Decision acceptance rate was over four times higher at 17% than the Regular Decision acceptance rate of 3.85%.
Demonstrated Interest: Applying early shows Dartmouth your strong interest in joining their academic community and your willingness to commit to a binding decision.
Class of 2029 Acceptance Results Overview: Source includes: admissions.upenn/edu
As an Ivy League school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city, UPenn is considered a highly prestigious university, making the school’s acceptance rate highly competitive. UPenn has announced its Early Decision results for the Class of 2029, with Regular Decision results to follow on Ivy Day — March 26, 2025. Below is an overview of this year's acceptance statistics and key trends, based on available data.
Early Action Acceptance Results
Total Applications: ~9,500
Accepted Students: TBA
Acceptance Rate: TBA
UPenn received an all-time high number of ED applications for the Class of 2029, handily surpassing the approximately 8,500 received last year.
UPenn’s Early Decision Acceptance Rate Trends
Although UPenn hasn’t yet released this year’s Early Decision acceptance rate or the number of Early Decision applicants accepted for the Class of 2029, we can make thoughtful projections based on years of UPenn data we track.
We do know that last year, about 50% of students who enrolled at UPenn came from the ED round. Assuming similar statistics this year, we estimate an ED acceptance rate around 13–15% for the Class of 2029, in line with ED acceptance rates at UPenn last year and the year before.
The most recently reported Early Decision acceptance rate statistics for UPenn are for the Class of 2028:
Total Applications: 8,500
Accepted Students: 1,221
Acceptance Rate: 14.4%
Why Apply Early Action or Early Decision?
Higher Acceptance Rates: Early Action and Early Decision applicants typically enjoy higher acceptance rates compared to Regular Decision.
Demonstrated Interest: Applying early shows UPenn your strong interest in joining their academic community.
What To Expect for Regular Decision Results
The Regular Decision results for the Class of 2029 won’t be available until after March 2025. Last year, however, UPenn's Regular Decision acceptance rate was an ultra-competitive 3.7%. Based on current trends, we anticipate another challenging admissions cycle.
Key Regular Decision Figures from Last Year (Class of 2028): Sources include Brown Herald.
Applications Received: 54,239
Students Accepted: 2,082
Acceptance Rate: 3.7%
Class of 2029 Acceptance Results Overview
While the overall acceptance rate hasn't been announced yet, Northwestern announced its Early Decision acceptance rate this year. The regular decision acceptance rate would likely be released in March 2025.
ED Acceptance Rate: ~20%
RD Acceptance Rate: TBA
Acceptance Rate: TBA
Northwestern Early Decision Acceptance Results
Total Applications: ~6,000
Accepted Students: ~1,200
Acceptance Rate: ~20%
Northwestern's ED acceptance rate continues to be consistent with previous years at around 20%.
The number of applicants this year has increased to one of the largest in recent years, climbing to around 6,000.
In line with previous years, early applicants will make up about half of the cohorts size, this year making up about 55% of the admitted cohort.
Early Application Results 2024: What can we learn from the available data? Sources include Brown Herald, Yale Daily News. Dec 2024
Thousands of students received the results of their early applications from top schools around the USA. While the release of Early Action (EA) and Early Decision (ED) results herald an important moment in students’ collegiate journeys, it also provides a glimpse into current admissions trends. Only four of the eight Ivy League schools released information about their early admissions this year, as Harvard joined UPenn, Princeton, and Cornell in withholding most of their admissions data until the conclusion of this year’s admissions season. Although coveted Ivy League admissions statistics have largely been withheld, students and parents can glean information from the data points that top schools do release; these metrics can provide a strong indication of an institution’s priorities and values in the coming years. Further, despite the paucity of information from the most elite schools, admissions trends at second tier and other highly ranked schools offer revealing information about the broader admissions landscape.
1. Some top schools received fewer early applications after reinstating standardized testing requirements
Brown University—which, in keeping with tradition of years past, published information about their early decision round—admitted 906 of the 5,048 students who applied Early Decision. At 17.9%, the 2029 Early Decision admission rate rose 3 percentage points over the Class of 2028’s rate of 14.4%. This is the highest Early Decision acceptance rate since the Class of 2023 and can be attributed to the fact that the school received nearly 1,200 fewer early applicants. Brown’s Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Logan Powell wrote in a press release that he expected this shift in applicant numbers following the reinstatement of the standardized testing requirement this year.
Yale reported a 14% decrease in early applications, dropping to 6,754 from 7,856 last year. The school admitted 728 applicants or 10.8%. According to the Yale Daily News, Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, explained that this “small decrease in this year’s early action applicant pool is exactly in line with what we anticipated following the change in our standardized testing policy.” This year’s applicants could elect to send AP, IB, SAT, or ACT scores, offering some flexibility despite the reinstatement of the requirement.
However, Dartmouth, which also reinstated a standardized testing policy for the Class of 2029, received the same number of early applications as it had for the Class of 2028 when the school had a test-optional policy: 3,550.
2. Some test-optional institutions received higher numbers of early applications than last year
Other top schools that maintained their test-optional policies received record-breaking numbers of applicants. Emory University, for example, received 21% more ED applicants than last year. The school accepted 995 of its 3,311 applicants—30%. Duke, too, received 6% more early applicants than last fall, marking the largest pool in its history. Northwestern, which also chose to maintain a test-optional policy, received just over 6,000 applications, 15.5% more than last year. This was one of Northwestern’s largest pools in recent years. Likewise, UPenn received a historic 9,500 applications, increased from 8,500 last early admissions cycle. Interestingly, Columbia similarly chose to maintain a test-optional policy and received 2.28% fewer applications—5,872, down from 6,009.
3. Elite colleges withhold some early admissions data
This cycle, Harvard University broke decades of precedent by electing to withhold admissions data following the release of early action results. The university declined to release its acceptance rate, number of applicants, and demographic information. Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons also declined his customary interview with The Harvard Crimson.
Similarly, Columbia shared the number of early decision applications received but withheld information concerning numbers of admitted students and acceptance rate. Johns Hopkins announced that 551 students have been admitted through Early Decision 1, but did not disclose the number of students who applied, nor the acceptance rate for this cohort of students.
Princeton, which like Cornell, has not released admissions data concerning early admits since the class of 2024, chose instead to share admitted students’ reactions. “I opened it, and I jumped three feet in the air,” shared one admit. Similarly, Vanderbilt will not release Early Decision statistics until January of 2025, and similarly published admitted student’s reactions and anecdotes about why they first fell in love with the school. Finally, though UPenn did not release their acceptance rate, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that half of the incoming Class of 2029 was admitted in the early application round.
4. Academics remain a focal point for top school admissions
Though Dartmouth is joining Harvard and Cornell in withholding numbers of admitted applicants, what can be gleaned from the school’s announcement is that the majority of early admits boast above average standardized test scores, with 95% of admits having “an SAT or ACT score at or above the 75th-percentile of test-takers at their high school.” Barnard College also emphasized academic excellence in their admissions process, sharing on LinkedIn that 96% of admits rank in the top 10 percent of their class.
5. First-gen students make up a significant portion of early admits
Top schools will welcome a significant portion of first-generation students to their campuses next fall. At Brown, Barnard, and Dartmouth, a little fewer than 20% of early admits will be the first in their families to attend college, with 18% first-gen at Dartmouth and Barnard, and 19% at Brown. At Duke, 131 or 15.4% of Early Decision admits will be first-generation students.
Though admissions statistics are particularly sparse this cycle, the available data brings no surprises: top schools continue to prioritize academic excellence and seek new ways to diversify their incoming cohort in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action, whether through withholding data to distance themselves from the perception of elitism or opening doors for greater socioeconomic diversity and first-generation student enrollment. The long-term effects of the reinstatement of standardized testing policies remain to be seen; students appear to be deterred from submitting applications to top schools as a result of standardized testing requirements. Though top schools have long prioritized high standardized test scores, perhaps some will maintain test-optional admissions policies in order to sustain applicant pool size.
Originally Published on Forbes.
What’s In and What’s Out? Admissions Trends to Look Forward to—or Leave Behind—in 2025
Dec 31, 2024
The start of a new year brings opportunities for introspection, resolutions, and fresh perspectives. Whether cleaning out the closet, redecorating a room, or checking flights to an up-and-coming tourist destination, the possibilities for reinventing oneself this January abound.
But if you’re a high school student looking forward to the transition to college, you have more to worry about than Instagram trends.
Just like every other industry, the college admissions landscape evolves based on seasonal trends, and savvy students must be aware of these rapid changes in order to put their best foot forward in the admissions process. The end of the year is an optimal time to take an inventory of the latest developments in college admissions, as the early admissions round shines some light on what to expect in the coming spring when Regular Decision results are released.
Whether you are a freshman dreaming of receiving an Ivy League acceptance or a senior finalizing your regular decision applications, here’s what you need to know about what’s in—and out—in college admissions in 2025.
What’s In
1. Early Admission
Early admissions pathways (whether Early Decision or Early Action) have become some of the most popular and strategic ways to improve one’s odds of acceptance to their dream school. Brown’s acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 rose to 17.9%, compared with a mere 3.8% for Regular Decision for the Class of 2028. Likewise, UPenn announced that nearly half of their incoming freshman class was accepted during the early round. The admissions boost from early applications is so decisive that the admissions path has recently come under scrutiny for potentially favouring some students (particularly wealthy applicants) over others. In the coming year, expect to see not only the continued popularity of early admissions, but also sustained inquiries into its impact on colleges’ campus demographics.
2. Video Introductions
Given sharp increases in applications at top schools over the last five years, many institutions have been unable to offer interviews to all applicants. In light of this, some top schools such as Brown and UChicago have implemented optional video interviews as a means of getting to know students in a more personalized capacity. While it has yet to gain widespread use, nor is it a required component of applications at top schools, the video interview will likely become more popular as top schools seek creative ways to evaluate thousands of applicants holistically.
3. Hyper specialization
If you dream of attending a top school, it is not enough to be the captain of the mock trial team, president of your class, an intern at a local startup, or founder of a student organization—the most competitive colleges expect you to do all of these things to showcase your hook. Elite institutions are seeking to build well-rounded classes made up of students who have pursued their core interests at the highest level throughout their high school career. Admissions committees want to see that you have already engaged with your field in a meaningful way before even stepping on campus. Students should therefore aim to hone their passions and become junior specialists in their area of interest by the time they apply to college their senior year.
4. Applying to Second Tier Schools
For many students, the Ivy League sheen has worn off, leading to a new batch of colleges becoming increasingly desirable—and competitive. For instance, in 2013, NYU’s acceptance rate was 35%. That number dropped to 8% in 2024. Likewise, the applicant pool at Rice University has more than doubled over the last ten years, from 15,408 in 2013 to 32,473 in the 2023–24 cycle. As these second-tier schools rise in both popularity and prestige, many parents and students underestimate the difficulty of earning admission—in the coming admissions cycles, students should expect to put as much effort into their Vanderbilt application as they do their application to Columbia.
5. AP and IB Classes
Over the last decade, GPAs across the country have seen steady inflation—a study found that the proportion of high school students with A averages rose to 47 percent in the Class of 2016—up from 38.9 percent in the Class of 1998, particularly in higher-income schools. Grade inflation has been on the rise dramatically since the pandemic. This means that your 4.0 GPA means little to top colleges if it does not also correlate to rigorous coursework. AP and IB classes can therefore boost your admissions profile by demonstrating your preparedness for collegiate academics. AP and IB classes may benefit you in additional ways as well—Yale, for instance, announced that they would accept AP and IB test scores to fulfill their testing requirement. As more top schools reevaluate their testing policies, this substitution may become more widely adopted in the coming years.
What’s Out
1. Test-Optional Policies
The Covid-19 pandemic led to a widespread adoption of test-optional policies that lingered at many schools in the years since—but that has begun to change. In February, Dartmouth became the first Ivy League school to reinstate their standardized test policy, followed quickly by Brown, Yale, and Harvard. Cornell, too, will require students to report their test scores again in the fall of 2026. Students and parents should expect that additional schools—including both Princeton and UPenn, as well as other second-tier schools where test-optional policies remain in place—will continue to roll back their test-optional policies and re-emphasize the importance of standardized testing in their admissions considerations.
2. Posting Acceptance Videos on Tik Tok
At the start of 2025, the fate of Tik Tok remains in the balance, as the Supreme Court weighs the possibility of banning the app over national security concerns. Since the app was launched in the U.S. in 2017, it has been a popular and entertaining platform for chronicling the everyday lives of its users—including the anticipation and elation of the college admissions process. Every application season, thousands of students post their real-time reactions to their admissions decisions, a rite of passage and glimpse into the emotional highs and lows of the admissions season. An impending ban on the app could mean that this was the last admissions cycle to be chronicled on Tik Tok.
3. Record-Low Acceptance Rates
While single-digit acceptance rates have long signalled the desirability and rigor of institutions, they are now viewed as signifiers of the exclusivity and elitism of the college admissions process at top schools. As calls for equity and transparency in college admissions grow, Ivy League and other top schools are distancing themselves from their reputations for selectivity, in part, by withholding their admissions rates. During this year’s early admissions cycle, Harvard, Princeton, and Cornell withheld their admissions data, and are not expected to release any until the conclusion of the admissions season. Brown and Yale both published their admissions data, while Dartmouth and Penn only released information concerning the numbers of early applications each received. Students should expect this trend to continue into the Regular Decision round—and the coming admissions cycles as well.
4. Liberal Arts Colleges
The years following the Covid-19 pandemic have mounted challenges for liberal arts colleges across the country, leading many to close their doors or merge with other institutions. In 2024, roughly one college closed or merged per week, leaving many students scrambling to find an educational alternative. In 2025, students who want a traditional, liberal arts feel are turning to more established schools or honours colleges within larger institutions, rather than hedging their bets at smaller, less stable liberal arts colleges.
5. Legacy Admissions
The Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action has brought renewed scrutiny to legacy admissions policies—in a 2022 Pew Research survey, 75% of surveyed adults believe that legacy status should not be considered in the admissions process, a number that has steadily increased in recent years. Last year, the Department of Education launched an investigation into Harvard’s use of legacy and donor preferences, and a bipartisan bill in Congress called for the end of the practice. While the Ivy League has indicated that they will not forego legacy considerations without a fight, a significant number of other top colleges have repealed their legacy policies, including Amherst, Johns Hopkins, and Wesleyan (as a rare exception, MIT has never considered legacy status). The new year will likely bring continued fervour to debates over legacy, and potentially more institutional re-evaluation of legacy.
