Updated, Dec. 20, 2024: This post has been corrected to note that some accepted Early Decision students shared remarks with The Daily Princetonian newspaper. Princeton University did not release comments from admitted students.
Over the last week, thousands of students received the results of their early applications from top schools around the country. While the release of Early Action and Early Decision results herald an important moment in students’ collegiate journeys, it also provides a glimpse into current admissions trends. However, the 2024–25 early admissions round is signaling that data will be sparse this cycle. Only four of the eight Ivy League schools released information about their early admissions this year, as Harvard joined UPenn, Princeton, and Cornell in withholding the majority of their admissions data until the conclusion of this year’s admissions season. Although coveted Ivy League admissions statistics have largely been withheld, students and parents can glean information from the data points that top schools do release; these metrics can provide a strong indication of an institution’s priorities and values in the coming years. Further, despite the paucity of information from the most elite schools, admissions trends at second-tier and other highly ranked schools offer revealing information about the broader admissions landscape.
1. Some top schools received fewer early applications after reinstating standardized testing requirements
Brown University—which, in keeping with tradition of years past, published information about their early decision round—admitted 906 of the 5,048 students who applied Early Decision. At 17.9%, the 2029 Early Decision admission rate rose 3 percentage points over the Class of 2028’s rate of 14.4%. This is the highest Early Decision acceptance rate since the Class of 2023 and can be attributed to the fact that the school received nearly 1,200 fewer early applicants. Brown’s Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Logan Powell wrote in a press release that he expected this shift in applicant numbers following the reinstatement of the standardized testing requirement this year.
Yale reported a 14% decrease in early applications, dropping to 6,754 from 7,856 last year. The school admitted 728 applicants or 10.8%. According to the Yale Daily News, Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, explained that this “small decrease in this year’s early action applicant pool is exactly in line with what we anticipated following the change in our standardized testing policy.” This year’s applicants could elect to send AP, IB, SAT, or ACT scores, offering some flexibility despite the reinstatement of the requirement.
However, Dartmouth, which also reinstated a standardized testing policy for the Class of 2029, received the same number of early applications as it had for the Class of 2028 when the school had a test-optional policy: 3,550.
2. Some test-optional institutions received higher numbers of early applications than last year
Other top schools that maintained their test-optional policies received record-breaking numbers of applicants. Emory University, for example, received 21% more ED applicants than last year. The school accepted 995 of its 3,311 applicants—30%. Duke, too, received 6% more early applicants than last fall, marking the largest pool in its history. Northwestern, which also chose to maintain a test-optional policy, received just over 6,000 applications, 15.5% more than last year. This was one of Northwestern’s largest pools in recent years. Likewise, UPenn received a historic 9,500 applications, increased from 8,500 last early admissions cycle. Interestingly, Columbia similarly chose to maintain a test-optional policy and received 2.28% fewer applications—5,872, down from 6,009.
3. Elite colleges withhold some early admissions data
This cycle, Harvard University broke decades of precedent by electing to withhold admissions data following the release of early action results. The university declined to release its acceptance rate, number of applicants, and demographic information. Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons also declined his customary interview with The Harvard Crimson.
Similarly, Columbia shared the number of early decision applications received but withheld information concerning numbers of admitted students and acceptance rate. Johns Hopkins announced that 551 students have been admitted through Early Decision 1, but did not disclose the number of students who applied, nor the acceptance rate for this cohort of students.
Princeton, like Cornell, has not released admissions data concerning early admits since the class of 2024. Admitted students did share reactions with The Daily Princetonian student newspaper. “I opened it, and I jumped three feet in the air,” shared one admit.
Similarly, Vanderbilt will not release Early Decision statistics until January of 2025, and similarly published admitted student’s reactions and anecdotes about why they first fell in love with the school. Finally, though UPenn did not release their acceptance rate, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that half of the incoming Class of 2029 was admitted in the early application round.
4. Academics remain a focal point for top school admissions
Though Dartmouth is joining Harvard and Cornell in withholding numbers of admitted applicants, what can be gleaned from the school’s announcement is that the majority of early admits boast above average standardized test scores, with 95% of admits having “an SAT or ACT score at or above the 75th-percentile of test-takers at their high school.” Barnard College also emphasized academic excellence in their admissions process, sharing on LinkedIn that 96% of admits rank in the top 10 percent of their class.
5. First-gen students make up a significant portion of early admits
Top schools will welcome a significant portion of first-generation students to their campuses next fall. At Brown, Barnard, and Dartmouth, a little fewer than 20% of early admits will be the first in their families to attend college, with 18% first-gen at Dartmouth and Barnard, and 19% at Brown. At Duke, 131 or 15.4% of Early Decision admits will be first-generation students.
Though admissions statistics are particularly sparse this cycle, the available data brings no surprises: top schools continue to prioritize academic excellence and seek new ways to diversify their incoming cohort in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action, whether through withholding data to distance themselves from the perception of elitism or opening doors for greater socioeconomic diversity and first-generation student enrollment. The long-term effects of the reinstatement of standardized testing policies remain to be seen; students appear to be deterred from submitting applications to top schools as a result of standardized testing requirements. Though top schools have long prioritized high standardized test scores, perhaps some will maintain test-optional admissions policies in order to sustain applicant pool size.