2025 Early Acceptance Results

It has been quite a year already for college admissions, and we are still waiting for regular decision results! In this post, we’ll share available early acceptance data from some of our students' most popular colleges along with why schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Cornell are declining to share certain information.

*Early Decision (ED)

*Early Action (EA)

*Restrictive Early Action (REA)

*Single Choice Early Action (SCEA)

Why are top universities declining to release admissions data? 

In the past few years, we’ve seen a growing number of top schools step back from releasing their admissions data. For example, Stanford hasn’t released information on the number of applications it receives since 2018. Although this makes it difficult to determine their acceptance rate, it is estimated to be less than 4%. However, Stanford does release the total number of students they accept each year (for the class of 2027 it was 1,705), as well as a class profile with diversity and gender data. 

Cornell followed in Stanford’s steps in 2020, and Princeton joined this trend two years later in 2022. Now, Princeton highlights their enrolled class of students and shares various statistics in a detailed class overview. The Dean of Admissions stated that previous experience illustrated that, “highlighting an admission rate and framing the admissions process through a list of statistics instills anxiety and fear,” claiming it could discourage students from applying to Princeton due to its selectivity. 

The University of Pennsylvania also withheld releasing their acceptance rate in 2022 with similar reasoning. According to the Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule, “[Penn] is focusing not on how hard [it is] to get into, but on who these young people are that [Penn] chose.”

Finally, breaking a 70-year trend of admissions transparency, Harvard recently announced that this year they will not be releasing their admissions data on Decision Day and will instead share this data in October or November. Unlike Princeton and Penn, Harvard has attributed this change to the 2023 Supreme Court decision to eliminate race-conscious admissions, sharing that they want to “provide the most complete view of the newly enrolled class, reducing confusion and offering a predictable timeline.”

What does this mean for you?

It may not be easy to get into these top universities, but that shouldn’t discourage you from applying! Use the data provided by the schools you are interested in to inform your decision process and approach to college applications. Understanding how acceptance rates are shifting can help you:

1. Create a well-balanced college list

2. Determine what kind of students a school is looking for and whether you are a good fit

3. Build a stronger application profile

4. Decide when you should apply under an early admissions plan 

Ultimately, admissions data is a great tool to prepare you to become a well-informed and competitive applicant, so be sure to analyze this information from the past several years during your college research process. 

Are you nervous about applying to top schools or confused about which schools to apply to? Consider signing up for our all-inclusive Gateway Program, a premier college admissions program designed to assist you with up to 5 college applications. Our expert counselors can help you finalize your college list, craft a cohesive and unique application theme, write compelling essays, and more!  

Contact us today for a free consultation!