2025 College Admissions Trends

What to know to set yourself up for success!

The 2024-2025 college admissions season is coming to a close. As colleges and application portals begin releasing data, we can use this information to better prepare future applicants. Today, we’ll identify some of the most relevant trends for rising seniors and other high school students. 

UT Austin continues to smash admissions records

It was a huge year for UT Austin and other Texas schools. In the 2024-25 application cycle, 1.3 million students submitted more than 8.2 million applications to over 800 Common App member colleges, and according to the organization’s newest application trends report, Texas remains the fastest growing state in terms of application numbers, increasing by 36% and contributing to the Southwest being the fastest growing region overall.

Applications to public colleges also grew at a rate of 10% (private colleges only increased by 2%). UT Austin, for example, saw a massive 24.3% increase in applicants. Over 90,000 students applied for Fall 2025 admission, compared to 72,885 students the previous year. Additionally, out-of-state applications shot up by an impressive 48%. As a result of this increasing demand, UT Austin announced it would be lowering its auto admission threshold to the top 5% and other admissions data supports this increase in competitiveness—the middle 50% of SAT and ACT scores for admitted UT Austin students drastically increased, jumping from 1230-1500 to 1310-1520.

Changes to standardized testing requirements

Some colleges that have maintained test-optional policies include Princeton, the University of Maryland, and Texas A&M. However, many of the most competitive schools—including Caltech, Stanford, and Cornell—have reinstated testing requirements. 

Another unique option can be found at Yale: applicants are now able to choose from a wider variety of standardized tests to satisfy admissions requirements. Yale will now allow students to submit AP and IB exam scores to fulfill standardized testing requirements with equal consideration. According to their admissions office, “Yale’s test-flexible policy is designed to empower applicants to put their best foot forward.” If a student chooses to use AP or IB exam scores to meet the standardized testing requirement, they must submit scores for all exam subjects. Students submitting SAT or ACT scores to meet the standardized testing requirement may still report AP/IB exams as usual.

Of the Common Application’s many member schools, only 5% implemented an SAT/ACT test score requirement for the 2024-25 application season, compared to 4% for the 2023-24 season. However, this was the first year since 2021 that more students reported SAT/ACT scores than did not by December 2024. 

Artificial intelligence and college admissions

A 2023 Inside Higher Ed survey found that many colleges used or planned to begin using AI in the admissions review process. In fact, a recent Daily Tar Heel article reported on the use of computer scoring tools to rank writing quality in UNC Chapel Hill’s application review process, along with the policies and views of other colleges like the University of Michigan.

However, many institutions have also adopted policies warning against the use of generative AI for students, citing ethical concerns along with consequences like academic dishonesty and plagiarism. Colleges want to ensure students are producing their own work and developing their own research, writing, and intellectual skills. 

Building more diverse classes post-affirmative action

Following the Supreme Court’s undoing of affirmative action, many colleges are implementing other ways to promote equal-opportunity for all applicants. To build more diverse classes, colleges may look to other factors, including socioeconomic status, rural and underfunded public high schools, geographic diversity, and unique life experiences such as first-generation students or those who come from multilingual households. 

Schools may also add short-answer response questions to their applications that invite students to share their identities, lived experiences, and any challenges they may have faced due to their circumstances. Below are some examples of such prompts from Harvard, Columbia, and Duke:

• “Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?”

• “A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia's diverse and collaborative community.”

• “We believe a wide range of viewpoints, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to maintaining Duke as a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.”

In order to help students effectively strategize their approach to college admissions, B2A counselors work with students and their families to consider factors like academic performance, extracurricular involvement, intended major, career goals, and more. 

Contact us today to learn more about our college advising programs—Steps, Gateway, and College Admissions Services (CAS) hours!