This past week, students all over the country found out if they were going to be joining the Ivy League ranks as acceptance (and rejection) letters arrived. These colleges are some of the most competitive in the country and each typically receives over 30,000 applicants each year. The main criteria for acceptance rests on student transcripts and SAT/ACT scores but there are many factors that influence a school’s decision. Here is what we know about the class of 2021:
- Cornell University received the highest number of applicants in its history, according to its website. With over 47,000 applicants, the school accepted 12.5%, or 5,889, into its 2021 class. Another 5,713 were offered a spot on the school’s wait list.
- Dartmouth College accepted just over 10% of applicants, or 2,092, into their 2021 class. According to their website, “mean SAT scores rose 17 points over last year’s accepted students, to an all-time high of 1495, while the ACT mean remained at 33.” As you can see, colleges continue to compete for ranking with higher SAT/ACT scores.
- Yale will welcome the largest freshman class in its history with 2,272 students from a pool of 32,900 applicant. Their website indicates the number of incoming freshman is 15% higher than any previous years.
- Harvard University accepted 2,056 students from 39,506 applicants, according to Yahoo Business Insider. This marks one of the lowest acceptance rates of the Ivy League schools at 5.2%.
And the most selective school this year?
The most selective school in America was not actually in the Ivy League this year. California-based Stanford University accepted only 4.7% of applicants to their 2021 class. 2,050 students were accepted from 44,073 applicants, according to their website.
Are you or someone you know working on choosing the college that is best for you? Check out our guide to college visits as well as our College Interquartile Guide which helps you understand the SAT/ACT scores you should look for to get into schools like these.
