US College Admissions Data
Purpose of this Page
This webpage is designed to present US college admissions data of the last 5 years, covering the classes of 2025 to 2029. The purpose of this page is to give prospective college applicants an overview of how competitive admissions to various schools have been in recent years. By analyzing these trends, applicants can make more informed college application lists, decisions, and goals.
Acceptance Rates by School
| School
Schools are listed alphabetically.
|
2029 Acceptance Rate
The most recent data available. Acceptance rate for students entering in fall 2025
|
2028 Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate for students entering in fall 2024.
|
2027 Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate for students entering in fall 2023.
|
2026 Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate for students entering in fall 2022.
|
2025 Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate for students entering in fall 2021.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American University | 54.0% | 55.0% | 44.0% | 40.6% | 64.1% |
| Amherst College | 7.4% | 9.0% | 9.0% | 7.3% | 8.7% |
| Babson College | NA | 17.1% | 19.7% | 22.4% | 25.4% |
| Barnard College | NA | 8.8% | 6.5% | 8.8% | 10.4% |
| Bates College | NA | 13.2% | 12.0% | 13.8% | 17.3% |
| Boston College | 12.6% | 15.9% | 15.0% | 16.7% | 18.9% |
| Boston University | 12.7% | 11.1% | 11.0% | 14.0% | 18.3% |
| Bowdoin College | 6.8% | 7.1% | 8.0% | 9.2% | 8.80% |
| Brown University | 5.7% | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.0% | 5.50% |
| Bucknell University | 31.0% | 28.9% | 32.0% | 32.6% | 34.5% |
| Caltech | NA | 2.3% | TBA | 2.7% | 3.9% |
| Carleton College | 19.5% | 17.9% | 21.8% | 16.6% | 17.6% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | NA | NA | 11.0% | 11.3% | 13.5% |
| Case Western Reserve University | NA | 37.8% | 28.7% | 27.4% | 30.2% |
| Claremont McKenna College | NA | 9.6% | 11.1% | 10.4% | 11.2% |
| Colby College | 7.0% | 7.0% | 6.0% | 7.5% | 8.0% |
| Colgate University | 17.4% | 13.5% | 12.0% | 12.34% | 17.2% |
| College of the Holy Cross | 18.0% | 18.0% | 21.0% | 36.0% | 43.0% |
| Colorado College | 20.0% | 19.0% | 20% | 16.3% | 14.3% |
| Columbia University | 4.3% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.74% | 3.90% |
| Cornell University | NA | 8.4% | 7.3% | 7.3% | ~8.70% |
| Dartmouth College | 6.0% | 5.4% | 6.2% | 6.4% | 6.17% |
| Davidson College | NA | 13.4% | 14.5% | 17.0% | 17.8% |
| Denison University | 19.5% | 17.3% | 17.0% | 22.0% | 28.3% |
| Duke University | 4.8% | 5.4% | 6.0% | 6.20% | 5.7% |
| Elon University | NA | NA | 67.0% | 74.5% | 77.7% |
| Emory University | 15.0% | 10.3% | 10.0% | 15.8% | 20.4% |
| Fairfield University | 24.9% | 33.2% | 44.9% | 52.2% | 55.8% |
| Florida State University | 24.0% | 24.2% | 23.8% | 25.0% | 37.1% |
| Fordham University | 54.0% | 59.3% | 54.3% | 53.0% | 58.3% |
| Georgetown University | 12.2% | 12.3% | 13.0% | 12.10% | 12.00% |
| Georgia Tech | 12.7% | 14.1% | 16.0% | 17.1% | 18.3% |
| Grinnell College | NA | NA | 12.7% | 10.8% | 10.5% |
| Hamilton College | NA | 13.6% | 11.8% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
| Harvard University | NA | 3.7% | 3.4% | 3.19% | 3.43% |
| Harvey Mudd College | NA | 12.7% | 13.1% | 13.4% | 10.0% |
| Haverford College | 13.3% | 12.4% | 12.9% | 14.2% | 17.8% |
| Johns Hopkins University | NA | 6.4% | 6.3% | 7.24% | 7.4% |
| Lafayette College | 29.5% | 31.5% | 30.7% | 33.6% | 40.7% |
| Lehigh University | NA | 25.9% | 28.5% | 37.0% | 46.0% |
| Loyola University Maryland | NA | NA | 76.0% | 83.5% | 84.2% |
| Macalester College | 27.2% | 28.5% | 27.6% | 28.4% | 31.3% |
| Miami University, Ohio | NA | NA | 83.4% | 82.54% | 88.6% |
| Middlebury College | 14.0% | 12.0% | 11.0% | 12.7% | 15.70% |
| MIT | 4.5% | 4.6% | 4.8% | 3.96% | 4.0% |
| New York University | 7.7% | 8.0% | 8.0% | 12.46% | 12.8% |
| Northeastern University | NA | 5.2% | 6.0% | 6.8% | 18.4% |
| Northwestern University | 7.0% | 7.6% | 7.0% | 7.21% | 6.80% |
| Oberlin College | 34.0% | 34.3% | 32.9% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
| Pepperdine University | NA | NA | NA | 48.7% | 52.7% |
| Pitzer College | 26.8% | 25.2% | 16.7% | 18.4% | 18.3% |
| Pomona College | NA | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7.0% | 6.60% |
| Princeton University | NA | 4.6% | 4.5% | 5.7% | 3.98% |
| Rice University | 7.8% | 8.0% | 7.7% | 8.7% | 9.3% |
| Santa Clara University | NA | 48.0% | 42.0% | 52.1% | 54.0% |
| Smith College | NA | 21.0% | 19.0% | 22.9% | 29.9% |
| Stanford University | NA | 3.6% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 3.95% |
| Swarthmore College | 7.4% | 7.5% | 6.8% | 6.9% | 8.0% |
| Trinity University | 25.2% | 25.9% | 28.0% | 31.0% | 33.7% |
| Tufts University | 10.5% | 11.5% | 9.5% | 9.69% | 11.0% |
| Tulane University | NA | 14.0% | 13.0% | 11.5% | 9.6% |
| UCLA | 9.4% | 9.0% | 8.8% | 8.56% | 10.76% |
| UC – Berkeley | 11.4% | 11% | 11.6% | 11.4% | 14.5% |
| UC – Davis | 42.6% | 42.1% | 41.8% | 37.5% | 48.7% |
| UC – Irvine | 28.7% | 28.8% | 25.8% | 21.3% | 26.3% |
| UC – Merced | NA | NA | 93.3% | 89.5% | 86.6% |
| UC – Riverside | NA | NA | 68.1% | 68.5% | 65.4% |
| UC – San Diego | 28.4% | 26.8% | 24.7% | 23.7% | 34.2% |
| UC – Santa Barbara | 38.3% | 33.0% | 27.9% | 25.9% | 29.2% |
| UC – Santa Cruz | NA | NA | 62.7% | 46.9% | 58.7% |
| University of Chicago | NA | 4.5% | 5.0% | 5.4% | 6.2% |
| University of Florida | NA | NA | 24.0% | 23.4% | 29.0% |
| University of Georgia | NA | 36.9% | 35.1% | 42.2% | 39.0% |
| University of Miami | NA | 18.9% | 19.0% | 18.9% | 28.5% |
| University of Michigan | NA | 15.6% | 17.9% | 17.7% | 20.2% |
| University of North Carolina | NA | NA | 18.4% | 16.9% | 19.2% |
| University of Notre Dame | 9.0% | 11.1% | 11.9% | 12.9% | 14.6% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 4.9% | NA | 5.8% | 6.5% | 5.7% |
| University of Richmond | 21.0% | 22.0% | 22.0% | 24.4% | 27.3% |
| University of Southern California | 10.4% | 9.8% | 9.9% | 11.9% | 12.0% |
| University of Texas – Austin | NA | 26.6% | 29.1% | 31.4% | 28.8% |
| University of Vermont | NA | NA | 60.0% | 59.8% | 63.5% |
| University of Virginia | 15.4% | 16.8% | 16.0% | 18.7% | 21.0% |
| Vanderbilt University | 4.6% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 6.1% | 6.7% |
| Vassar College | NA | 18.6% | 17.7% | 18.7% | 20.2% |
| Villanova University | 27.4% | 27.0% | 20.5% | 23.4% | 25.2% |
| Wake Forest University | NA | NA | 22.3% | 21.4% | 25.2% |
| Washington and Lee University | NA | NA | 17.4% | 17.0% | 18.9% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | NA | 14.0% | 12.0% | 11.3% | 13.0% |
| Wellesley College | 13.7% | 14.0% | 13.0% | 13.6% | 16.0% |
| Wesleyan University | 16.1% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 14.4% | 19.4% |
| William & Mary | 36.3% | 34.0% | 32.0% | 33.5% | 36.5% |
| Williams College | 8.5% | 7.5% | 9.8% | 8.5% | 8.0% |
| Yale University | 4.6% | 3.9% | 4.4% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
Walkthrough
Example 1: USC's Improving Odds
USC's acceptance rate has been steadily growing over the last 5 years.
Click here to see USC's row in the table —
notice how the rate climbed from 9.9% in 2027 all the way to 10.4% in 2029.
While it marginally dipped between 2027 and 2028, the overall trend has been
an increase. This would indicate to prospective applicants that USC is becoming
slightly less competitive over time, and could be a strategic pick for applicants
on the fence about including it on their list.
Example 2: Vanderbilt's Consistent Selectivity
Vanderbilt is one of the most consistently selective schools in the dataset.
Click here to see Vanderbilt's row in the table —
its acceptance rate has hovered between 4.6% and 6.7% across all five years,
never crossing 7%. Unlike schools whose rates fluctuate widely year to year,
Vanderbilt's stability signals a highly controlled admissions process.
Applicants should treat it as a reach school regardless of the year they apply.
Glossary
- Acceptance Rate
- The percentage of applicants who are admitted to a particular college or university. It is calculated by dividing the number of accepted students by the total number of applicants and multiplying by 100. A lower acceptance rate generally indicates a more competitive admissions process.
- Acceptance Year
- Demonstrated on the table as "Class of XXXX", the acceptance year refers to the year in which a student is expected to graduate from college. For example, the "Class of 2028" refers to students who are expected to graduate in the year 2028, typically meaning they were accepted into college in the fall of 2024.
- School
- What the name of the university or college is commonly referred to as. For example, "MIT" is the common name for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Acceptance Rate Trend
- The pattern of change in a school's acceptance rate over a period of time. An increasing trend indicates the school is becoming less competitive, while a decreasing trend indicates growing competitiveness.
- N/A or TBA
- The orignal data source collected acceptance rate information directly from the universities and verifiable sources. Any cell that says N/A or TBA indicates misleading information, and therefore no clear percentage could be provided.