Early admission rates at many top US universities are down

Early Decision applications are up, but acceptance rates at many top universities are down, indicating increased competition.

Early admission results were announced by universities in the US on December 14 and 15. Harvard University received more than 7,900 applications and accepted 692 people, equivalent to 8.74%. The acceptance rate was 1.18% higher than last year, also the first increase in three years. However, this is the fourth lowest acceptance rate in the history of the university's early admissions.

Brown is another Ivy League university that saw an increase in its acceptance rate. 898 students out of more than 6,240 applications sent to Brown were accepted, or 14.38 percent, up slightly from last year's 12.98 percent.

In contrast, many universities in the top 30, according to the US News rankings, declined.

At Yale University (top 5), just over 700 students were accepted out of more than 7,850 applications, an acceptance rate of 9.02%. This number is down nearly 1% from last year, also Yale's lowest acceptance rate in the past 20 years.

Although not specifically public, Cornell University (top 12) announced at the end of November that it would reduce the number of students admitted in this year's early admissions period.

Declining acceptance rates were also seen at universities outside the Ivy League. Duke University (ranked 7) accepted 806 students out of 6,240 applicants, giving it a record low acceptance rate of 12.9%. Last year, Duke’s early acceptance rate of 15.6% was considered the lowest in its history.

The situation is similar for Emory University (top 24) and Rice University (top 17).

University	Number of Early Decision applications	Number of successful candidates	Acceptance rate	Increase/decrease compared to ED 2023
Harvard	7,921	692	8.74%	1.18%
Brown	6.244	898	14.4%	1.4%
Yale	7,856	709	9.02%	-0.98%
Duke	6,240	806	12.9%	-2.7%
Rice	2,886	442	15.3%	-1.2%
Virginia	4.465	1,133	25%	0.49%
Emory	2,704	865	32%	-5.4%

In terms of numbers, applications to early admissions schools are up this year. In the Ivy League, Columbia University saw a 5% increase in applications after three years of decline, while the University of Pennsylvania received more than 8,500 applications, 500 more than last year. Duke University saw a 28% increase in applications, more than 1,000 from last year.

The increase in applications partly reflects the increased competition in this year’s early admissions cycle. According to Forbes, a high GPA is not enough to set applicants apart from their competitors. Additionally, standardized test scores such as the SAT or ACT continue to be no longer required by many schools. Therefore, to increase their chances of admission in the upcoming regular admissions cycle, applicants will need to have a more creative and comprehensive story in their essays.

Some schools have changed their admissions questions since last year to differentiate their work. For example, Brown University asks applicants to say three words that best describe themselves and, if hired, what subjects they would like to teach. The University of Pennsylvania also dropped its short-answer questions, replacing them with a separate essay requirement for each of its member schools.

Duke University campus, USA. Photo: Duke University — Duke University campus, USA. Photo: *Duke University*

The college admissions season in the US usually consists of two rounds, including early admission (deadline around November 15) and regular admission (Regular Decision, deadline in January).

Candidates who apply early usually have a higher chance of being accepted, but they also have to accept some restrictions if they are accepted. Therefore, only candidates who have researched carefully and are sure of their financial ability should apply for this admission period.

Huy Quan (Synthesis)

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