Given how sophisticated colleges have become in recruiting applicants, it's dangerous to rely on old admissions data.
We've taken a look at our coverage universe and identified schools with notable admission rate differences between the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2019. In addition to providing the admission rates, we've included some commentary to explain why as well as a link back to the source article.
Relative to last year, the number of schools with notable changes is more muted. Unfortunately, the news from the majority of schools listed is not in your favor, and depending on how you categorize schools, the change may be enough to turn a safety into a target or target to a reach. On the flip side, we have also identified a few schools where rates have gotten more favorable overall, or for a particular segment of applicants. Regardless, take a moment to review the list—the last thing anyone needs at this point is a surprise.
College Kickstart subscribers: Class of 2020 admission rates are available for nearly 80 institutions and departments within those institutions in the latest release of College Kickstart.
Click Continue Reading for the list.
Colleges with Notable Admission Rate Changes for the Class of 2020
College Kickstart LLC
| Institution | Reason | Rate (2020) | Rate (2019) | % Change | Notes | Source |
|---|
| American University |
Falling rate |
26 |
35 |
-26% |
Applications up 15%, admits down 15% due to higher expected yield |
|
| Georgia Institute of Technology |
Falling rate |
25 |
32 |
-22% |
Applications up 12%, admits down 13% due to smaller targeted class size |
|
| Boston University |
Falling rate |
29 |
33 |
-13% |
Admits down 7%, higher mix of class from ED due to new ED2 option |
|
| University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign |
Falling rate |
58 |
66 |
-13% |
Applications up 11%, admits down slightly |
|
| Scripps College |
Falling rate |
25 |
28 |
-11% |
Applications up 14%, higher mix of class from ED |
|
| University of Florida |
Falling rate |
43 |
48 |
-11% |
Applications up 7%, admits down 4% due to lower targeted class size |
|
| George Washington University |
Falling rate |
42 |
46 |
-9% |
Applications up 29% after going test optional, higher mix of class from ED pool |
|
| University of California - Irvine (Non-Resident) |
Falling non-resident rate |
51 |
56 |
-9% |
Non-resident applications up 21%, outpacing 11% growth in admits |
|
| University of California - Santa Cruz (Non-Resident) |
Falling non-resident rate |
71 |
76 |
-7% |
Non-resident applications up 20%, outpacing 11% growth in admits |
|
| University of Maryland - College Park |
Improved rate |
48 |
45 |
6% |
Applications up 7%, admits up 14% |
|
| Brigham Young University - Provo |
Improved rate |
53 |
48 |
10% |
Applications flat, admits up 12% |
|
| University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Improved rate |
29 |
26 |
11% |
Applications up 7%, admits up 17% due to higher targeted enrollment growth |
|
| University of California - Irvine (Resident) |
Improved resident rate |
37 |
33 |
12% |
Resident applications up 5%, admits up 16% with improved state funding and refocus on resident admission growth |
|
| University of California - Davis (Resident) |
Improved resident rate |
38 |
33 |
15% |
Applications up 2%, admits up 17% with improved state funding and refocus on resident admission growth |
|
| University of California - Santa Cruz (Resident) |
Improved resident rate |
56 |
46 |
21% |
Applications up 6%, admits up 26% with improved state funding and refocus on resident admission growth |
|