Decreasing applicant numbers lead to higher early acceptance rates at Brown and Williams universities.
Earlier decision acceptance rates climbed at Brown University and Williams College, two prestigious educational institutions in the USA, while the number of student applications decreased. This trend suggests that admission competition, which had been intensifying for years, might be softening.
Brown approved 18% of its early decision applicants, or 906 out of 5,048 applicants for the Class of 2029. As reported by the student-led Brown Daily Herald, this represented the highest acceptance rate in six years.
On the other hand, Williams admitted 26.6% of its early decision applicants, a rise from the previous year's record-low 23.3% and the first increase since 2020, according to the student-led Williams Record.
A decrease in early applications
The number of early applications to both schools declined. Williams received 964 early decision applications, a decrease from the 1,068 applications received the previous year.
Brown received over 1,200 fewer early applications than the previous year, according to the Brown Daily Herald. The university's website pointed out that a decrease in the number of early applicants was anticipated "following the University's reinstatement of its requirement that applicants for first-year admission submit standardized test scores."
Many universities, like Brown, suspended test score submission requirements during the pandemic due to school closures and testing center shutdowns. This adoption of test-optional policies led to a significant increase in application volume to top-ranked universities.
However, several Ivy League universities, including Dartmouth, Harvard, and Yale, along with Brown, have reimplemented standardized test score submission requirements as the pandemic's impact lessened. This move has created both financial and academic barriers that may deter some students from applying.
"We expected a total applicant pool comparable to the years before the temporary test-optional policy," said Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Logan Powell on the Brown website.
Williams remains test-optional through the fall of 2025.
A demographic decline contributes to increasing acceptance rates
A demographic decline is also likely contributing to expanding acceptance rates and decreasing application pools. The lower birth rate following the 2008 global recession has now led to a decrease in high school students, now apparent 16-17 years later. With fewer students applying to universities, competition to be accepted will decrease.
This so-called "enrollment cliff" is anticipated to result in a 15% decrease in college students after 2025, according to some experts. Certain states may be more heavily affected than others. For example, New York's college enrollment share has already decreased.
Universities are already grappling with the need for change. The pandemic brought unprecedented disruption and financial challenges while the value of a university degree is increasingly being questioned. Technology is reshaping white-collar professions, and student debt remains a significant concern. Even before the pandemic, a strong economy was encouraging more high school graduates to enter the workforce directly rather than pursue a university degree.
Some top-ranked schools delay early data release
While decision day for early applicant students is typically in mid-December, numerous schools have opted not to release acceptance rates and application data until the completion of the admission cycle, or even later.
For the first time in decades, Harvard University did not report its early acceptance data when students who had applied early were notified last week. The school has decided to release that information, along with the regular decision acceptance rate, next spring, in the fall of 2025. Cornell stopped publicly releasing its early acceptance rates with the Class of 2024 while Stanford ceased this practice in 2018.
Some top schools argue that publishing early acceptance rates, which have recently been at or near record-lows, may dissuade qualified students from applying during the regular decision admissions cycle.
- The early decision acceptance rate at Harvard, an Ivy League university, is expected to be revealed next spring, following a trend of several top-ranked schools delaying the release of their early data.
- The demographic decline caused by the lower birth rate after the 2008 global recession may contribute to the increasing acceptance rates at liberal arts colleges like Brown and Williams, as fewer high school students apply to universities.
- In line with this trend, Brown University approved 18% of its early decision applicants for the Class of 2029, marking the highest early acceptance rate in six years, while the number of early applications decreased.
- The early decision acceptance rate at Williams College also rose, with 26.6% of applicants receiving early acceptance, a significant increase from the previous year's record-low rate.
- Some students may be deterred from applying to universities like Brown, which have reinstated the requirement of submitting standardized test scores, due to the financial and academic barriers these requirements may create.
