Early-Admissions Stats for 2014

As the saying goes, there’s good news and there’s … well, not-so-good news. We’ve finally been able to see the high school class of 2014’s early-action and early-decision numbers. The early-admissions cycle at many of the country’s most selective colleges shows high rates of application—and in many cases, low rates of acceptance.

Before we get into the numbers, let’s step back and see exactly what it is we’re talking about. There are several early-admissions programs, and each carries with it its own risks, challenges, and in some cases acceptance rates:

1. Early Decision is a binding program, so if a student is accepted, they are committed to attending the institution to which they've applied. They must withdraw all other applications.
   
2. Early Action isn't binding. Students may apply to other colleges, and they're notified of their acceptance earlier than in Early-Decision programs. In addition, a student need not make a decision until May 1. 
   
3. Single-Choice Early Action or Restrictive Early Action programs vary somewhat from college to college. In general, students may apply to their schools of choice early, but without the commitment to attend if accepted.
   

The Buffalo News reports some of the numbers from this year’s early-application season:

• Early Decision applications at Duke University were up 25 percent over last year, its largest increase ever. 
  
• Northwestern and Boston University weren’t far behind with 15 percent increases.
  
• Stanford’s Restricted Early Action program proved more selective than any of the Ivy League schools’ programs, with 6,948 applications and a 10.8 percent admission rate.
  

Record-breaking became commonplace at most of the Ivy League schools:

• Brown University received 3,088 Early Decision applications and accepted 583 students, an 18.9 percent acceptance rate.
  
• The only information available from Columbia University is that its applicant pool grew by 5.4 percent over last year.
  
• Cornell University received 4,775 Early Decision applications and accepted 1,325 students, a 27.7 percent acceptance rate. Cornell’s Early Decision pool has increased by 75 percent over the past decade.
  
• Dartmouth University received 1,678 Early Decision applications and accepted 469 students, a 27.9 percent acceptance rate, filling 40 percent of the freshman class.
  
• Harvard University received 4,692 Restrictive Early Action applications and accepted 992 students, a 21 percent acceptance rate.
  
• Princeton University received 3,831 Single Choice Early Action applications and accepted 714 students, an 18.5 acceptance rate. Fifteen percent were legacy students who had a parent graduate from Princeton.
  
• The University of Pennsylvania received 5,149 Early Decision applications and accepted 1,299 students, a 25.3 percent acceptance rate, an increase of 6.7 percent, filling about 54 percent of the freshman class.
  
• Yale University received 4,750 Single Choice Early Action applications and accepted 735 students, a 15.5 percent acceptance rate.
  

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