Admission Trends and Early Admission Results – Class of 2028

With each passing year, college admissions grows increasingly competitive. On average, more applicants are applying to college every year, and although some schools are increasing their class sizes and introducing new programs, acceptance rates for many continue to decline, especially for majors related to Computer Science, Engineering, and Biology. 

As a result, more and more students are applying under Early Decision and Early Action admissions plans. While early admissions plans often have higher acceptance rates than regular decision, the continuing rise in applicants (and early applicants), means these early rounds are growing more competitive as well. 

The charts below illustrate the Early Action and Early Decision admissions results for five Ivy League schools and MIT for the past two admissions cycles (2021-22 and 2022-23).  

* Cornell, Penn, and Princeton will not disclose admissions results until the end of the yearly cycle. However, Penn reported an increase in applicants (from 8,000 in 2021-22 to 8,500 in 2022-23) and Cornell announced it will be reducing the number of admitted ED applicants for this cycle. 

Schools that saw an increase in early applicants include Columbia (+4.72%), Dartmouth (+17.98%), Yale (+1.54%), and MIT (+5.36%). Additionally, Dartmouth, Yale, and MIT also reported a decrease in early acceptances rates, with Dartmouth dropping from 19.21% to 17.07%, Yale dropping from 10.02% to 9.02%, and MIT dropping from 5.74% to 5.26%. 

Other schools that saw a decrease in acceptance rates for early rounds in the previous admissions cycle include Duke (16.48% to 12.92%), Emory (37.41% to 31.99%), Georgetown (11.76% to 10%), and Notre Dame (15.24% to 14.99%). All of these schools also saw an increase in the total number of early applicants as well. 

Setting New Admissions Records in Texas 

On February 12th, UT Austin shared that it received nearly 73,000 applications for the 2023-24 admission cycle, breaking the previous record and continuing the university’s upward trend. By state law, the top 6% of Texas high school students are offered automatic admission to UT Austin, accounting for 75% of each class. Non-auto admit students compete for the remaining 25% of seats at an acceptance rate of ~11%. And UT isn’t alone—Texas is the second fastest growing state in the country for domestic first-year applicants. 

So what does this mean for Texas high school students?

1. A well-balanced college list is more important than ever. Students should ensure their list includes a range of schools (B2A recommends at least 2 safeties, 2 matches, 4 reaches, and 2 long shots). College lists should take into account both the student’s desire to attend that school and their reasonable chances of acceptance. 

2. Students must be strategic with their major selection as well. A student’s profile (both academic and extracurricular) should support their intended major. Additionally, students need to be aware of how competitive different programs are at different schools so they can select the major that best fits their interests while increasing their chances of admission when possible. 

3. As Texas application numbers grow, admissions for Texas schools are expected to become more competitive as well. Students cannot discount the importance of preparing for in-state applications. This means students should 1) prioritize their GPA and class rank for auto-admissions, 2) secure a competitive SAT/ACT score, and 3) identify gaps in their profile and address them with relevant activities, leadership experiences, awards, etc. 

For individualized recommendations and an evaluation of your admissions profile, schedule a meeting with a B2A counselor. B2A also offers 1:1 college preparation opportunities through College Admissions Service (CAS) hours and the Gateway Program, an all-inclusive college admissions program.