The headlines can be recycled (again)! This year, like many consecutive years before it, marked a new record low for acceptance rates across the countries. With acceptances sinking down below 5 percent for some Ivies and nearing the single digits for some non-Ivies, there is no sign of competition slowing down in the near future. In this post, we chart out how rates have changed over the last few years.
The competition has been fierce for a spot in the Ivy League for quite a while, but as applications have swelled at schools across the country, class sizes everywhere have failed to keep up. While Stanford chose to stop releasing its acceptance rates for 2019 and beyond, in 2018, its acceptance rate dipped to 4.3 percent, the toughest in the nation. In light of the selectiveness, Harvard and Stanford applicants have begun applying to more and more schools. In addition, universities everywhere have increased their marketing, enticing students (many of whom will never get in) to apply. Many students think that they have a shot at schools they will never get into. This has created a trickle down effect, to top tier, non-Ivy League universities such as USC, whose acceptance rate fell to 11 percent this year.
*data not available
**In 2018, Stanford announced it would no longer release acceptance rates starting in 2019
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