Stanford, Chicago announce acceptance rates; other college admissions letters expected soon

Stanford has released their admissions statistics for the Class of 2014.   Last year the school experienced a 20% increase in applications and accepted 7.8% of them. This year Stanford’s acceptance rate dropped lower: 7.2%. If Stanford’s numbers offer any glimmer into the competition that the Class of 2014 faces, the next few days could usher in some of the darkest for this year’s applicants. Stanford’s acceptance rate is the lowest in the history of the school.

Similarly, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offered admission to the lowest percentage of applicants ever: 9.7%. This is the first year the school has dropped below a 10% admission rate. Last year they admitted 11% of the students; this year applications increased by 6%.

Last year Duke ranked among the record breakers with a 17% acceptance rate. This year the percentage of acceptances fell again to 15% while the number of applications increased by 12%.

Swarthmore released their admissions figures, citing an 8% increase in applications and an admit rate of 16%. The school reports that the Class of 2014 is on par with the previously most selective admitted class of 2012.

Northwestern University’s acceptance rate fell by 4% to 23% of applicants. They also experienced a surge in applications with a 9% increase.

Both Swarthmore and Northwestern report that Californians seem to be migrating to the east, as both attribute at least some of the increase to California applicants. Swarthmore reports 15% more applicants from California and Northwestern cites 15%-20%. Perhaps the situation with the University of California disheartened many would-be candidates and caused them to look elsewhere. While official statistics will not be reported until mid-April, Dean of Admissions at the Berkeley did not deny the assertion that a greater percentage of accepted students will be applicants from out of state. The UC system suffers from dire financial difficulty, sparking the increase in out-of-state applicants who will pay higher tuition and possibly bring some relief to the financial stress among the schools.

One of the stand out universities that rocked the regular admissions trends is the University of Chicago. The school had a record-breaking 42% increase in applicants for the class of 2014. They accepted 18% of the students, compared with 27% last year. Perhaps more compelling is the comparison between this year and 1993 when the acceptance rate was 77%. It’s safe to assert that the University of Chicago has outdone almost any other school in history as far as their application statistics.

Early data from Ivy League colleges reveal an increase in applications across the board, with the exception of Yale University, which experienced a decline of applicants by a little less than 1%. The university is expected to announce their acceptance information tomorrow. Last year Yale accepted 7.5% of applicants.

Dartmouth received the highest number of applications in the school's history last year, with a decrease of 1% in the number of applicants admitted. This year applications rose again by 3.5%, while the acceptance rate decreased by 1%, to 11.5.

Harvard and Brown are rumored to release the school’s admission figures today, while Princeton will keep applicants waiting an additional day when they find out tomorrow. Regardless of how long they wait to hear from colleges, one thing is certain: the Class of 2014 certainly faced some tough competition in the battle to gain entry into college.

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