Record-low acceptance rates and record-high application numbers grab all the headlines, but who was actually admitted to the Class of 2026? And how do these accepted students reflect a college or university’s mission? Now that the dust has settled and colleges have released more information about their incoming classes, we can understand what mattered most in the selection process this year. Among the important themes are student body diversity, deep intellectual engagement, and meaningful community impact. We also notice colleges highlighting personal traits of their accepted students like resilience and selflessness.
BEYOND THE ACCEPTANCE RATE: THE VALUE OF A DIVERSE COMMUNITY
In May 2020, Yale joined 14 other universities in a joint statement asserting that “a diverse student body provides “irreplaceable value” to the quality of their students’ educational experience.” The statement goes on to state, “Diversity encourages students to question their own assumptions, to test received truths, and to appreciate the complexity of the modern world,” they state. “This larger understanding prepares [our] graduates to pursue innovation in every field, to be active and engaged citizens equipped to wrestle with the great questions of the day, and to expand humanity’s learning and accomplishment.” These important sentiments continue to resonate strongly with today’s admissions leaders at top universities around the country.
A sampling of articles on the newly admitted students underscores the continued emphasis on assembling a diverse student body:
- At UPenn, admitted students collectively represent the most diverse group of admitted students in Penn’s history in terms of racial and ethnic background, socioeconomic diversity (including those who are eligible for Pell grants), and those who are the first generation in their family to attend a four-year college or university.
- Fifty-two percent of admits to UVA are students of color, as compared to 41 percent last year.
- At Tufts, over 56 percent of admitted U.S. students are students of color and international students comprise 11 percent of the admitted cohort. In a first for their School of Engineering, women account for 55 percent of admitted engineering students.
- At Georgetown, 48 percent of admitted students identified as Black, Hispanic, Latinx, Asian, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, while 11 percent of applicants are first-generation prospective college students.
- Dartmouth reports that 53 percent of the admitted U.S. citizens and permanent residents are students of color, and 17 percent are first-generation college applicants.
- Although the details about who was admitted to Columbia are vague, official statements continue to highlight increasing diversity. “Reflecting the growing diversity of Columbia’s student body, the number of admitted students who identified as students of color increased by 4 percent over last year; first-generation college students increased by 3 percent; Pell-grant-eligible students increased by 2 percent; and the representation of international students also increased by 2 percent.”
- Colby notes that approximately 14 percent of admitted students are non-U.S. citizens. Among U.S. students, nearly 40 percent identify as a person of color.
BEYOND THE ACCEPTANCE RATE: DYNAMIC SCHOLARS
Here at Top Tier Admissions, one of our core advising tenets is that top colleges want more than just students who work hard and get good grades. Top schools seek scholars: students who willingly go above and beyond what’s required of them in their classes because they have a love of learning and boundless curiosity. Admissions officers look for a student’s academic niche: an interesting field or two; supported by courses, independent research, or projects that reflect an authentic curiosity.
We encourage our students to experiment, tinker, create, explore, and build. Their notable admissions successes each year underscore the importance of deep intellectual engagement. Interviewed by the Notre Dame Observer, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Don Bishop described an admissions approach that “goes after the most intellectually driven, academically talented students, [really looking] at their creativity and motivation for learning, not just their ability to create academic results.”
Of those admitted to UPenn this year, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Whitney Soule notes that nearly one-third of the admitted students engaged in academic research during their time in high school, many earning national and international accolades for research that is already pushing the boundaries of academic discovery. Admitted students worked alongside leading faculty and researchers in their fields of interest, co-authoring publications included in leading journals.
Among those admitted to Johns Hopkins this year are students who are “probing important questions of history and engaging with the future generation of scholars—one student created and taught a course on models of imperialism, while another conducted an eight-week workshop to teach elementary-aged students about unconventional careers in STEM. And already, they’re contributing to research advancements—an admitted students holds two patents for the first multi-probe injection EpiPen in the world, and another published research on using computational medicine to predict ovarian cancer.”
Beyond just a strong foundation in math, physics, and chemistry, Caltech sought students who demonstrated motivation, curiosity, resilience, and an eagerness to do hard work and to collaborate in an intense STEM academic environment.
BEYOND THE ACCEPTANCE RATE: COMMUNITY-MINDED ACTIVISTS
At UPenn, over 80 percent of the admitted students engaged in community service activities that have already made a significant impact locally, nationally, and globally. The students who impressed the admissions committee gave their time to help others on an individual level and facilitated large-scale initiatives and undertakings that made a wide and lasting impact in their communities. UPenn notes that more applicants showed an interest in sustainability and environmental studies this year. These students channeled their passion into tangible action. “We read about students who organized efforts to adopt more sustainable practices and policies, both at a local and national level. Students worked at the cutting-edge of sustainability and energy research and pursued and advocated for environmental equity to address one of the most challenging issues of our time.” Duke, too, noticed a particular commitment among admitted students to their communities and the environment.
Students admitted to Johns Hopkins have pursued things that mattered to them, whether pioneering a school program for suicide prevention efforts or researching contact-tracing methods during the height of the pandemic, many while balancing incredible responsibilities at home or working full-time at a family business.
NYU’s admitted cohort includes a student who created a 501(c)3 to address global racial change and has grown this initiative to reach 9 countries with over 200 members. Another student established a home-food delivery program to help support his family who had lost their source of income due to the pandemic.
BEYOND THE ACCEPTANCE RATE: THE VALUE OF WORK
Almost 40 percent of students admitted to UPenn worked during their time in high school, earning money to support themselves and their families. Additionally, many students took on significant responsibility at home by caring for younger siblings, grandparents or elderly neighbors. Johns Hopkins notes that 91 percent of those admitted held part-time jobs, internships, or summer jobs during high school.
BEYOND THE ACCEPTANCE RATE: TO SUBMIT OR NOT TO SUBMIT
One of the most vexing questions for many seniors has revolved around the nearly ubiquitous test-optional shift. Students rightly wonder if those policies are applied evenly across the entire applicant pool. Anecdotal evidence from our seniors suggests that this may not always be the case. Now that availability to testing is more widespread, the test-optional admissions policies primarily benefit students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds. Greg Roberts, UVA’s dean of admissions, essentially confirms that, noting patterns in who submits test scores, “with first generation students submitting test scores at a lower rate than legacy students.”
Some interesting tidbits are emerging about the percent of admitted students who did not submit scores. At Tufts, Wesleyan, and Vanderbilt, for instance, nearly 40 percent of admitted students did not submit SAT/ACT scores. At Barnard, 47 percent of admitted students did not submit scores. At BU, only 44 percent of applicants even chose to submit scores. Thirty-three percent of those admitted to Notre Dame did not provide test scores and 26 percent of students admitted to UVA did not submit scores.
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NEXT UP: THE CLASS OF 2027
At Top Tier Admissions, we believe that knowledge is power, and we strive to empower our students and families with expert analysis and thoughtful, ethical guidance to help make the selective college admissions process more transparent.
*This post is a continuation or ‘Part 2’ of our original post from April 5, 2022: Regular Decision Acceptance Rates: Part I.
In addition, Maria is proud of her long-term volunteer work with Opera North (Lebanon, NH) in fundraising, marketing and audience engagement. She is an avid masters rower with the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation (Hanover, NH) and also serves as a member of its board of directors.
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