College Statistics

Facts, figures and trends in admissions today

%

of admissions counselors visit student’s social media pages

%

UPenn’s acceptance rate in 1991 (compared to 9% in 2016)

%

of Duke’s Class of 2021 was admitted through Early Decision

%

of Princeton applicants with a 4.0 GPA were rejected in 2016

%

Brown

%

Columbia

%

Cornell

%

Dartmouth

%

Harvard

%

Princeton

%

UPenn

%

Yale

Unique essays required to apply to Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College

Average number of students per counselor at public high schools in New Jersey

Average number of applications read by an admissions counselor at a private college in 2016

Applicants to UCLA for the fall of 2016 (most in US)

Percentage of colleges attributing considerable or
moderate importance to factors in the admission decision

NACAC Admissions Trends Survey, 2016

  • Grades in college prep courses 92.2% 92.2%
  • Grades in all courses 91.3% 91.3%
  • Admission test scores (SAT, ACT) 88.2% 88.2%
  • Strength of curriculum 87% 87%
  • Essay or writing sample 61.1% 61.1%
  • Counselor recommendation 59.7% 59.7%
  • Teacher recommendation 58.7% 58.7%
  • Class rank 51.7% 51.7%
  • Student’s demonstrated interest 50.2% 50.2%
  • Extracurricular activities 48.9% 48.9%
  • Subject test scores (AP, IB) 42.2% 42.2%
  • Interview 26.6% 26.6%
  • Work 22.2% 22.2%
  • Portfolio 16% 16%
  • State graduation exam 14.5% 14.5%
  • SAT II scores 13.7% 13.7%