Early Application Trends: Class of 2026

With the November 1st early admissions deadlines behind us, Jenny Rickard, President and CEO of the Common Application, offered preliminary insight into this year’s application trends. Additionally, Yale University has just released their early application numbers for the Class of 2026. Here’s a sneak peek at these trends and insight into what they likely indicate. EARLY APPLICATION TRENDS: CLASS OF 2026 • The number of applications submitted by first-gen students has risen by 23 percent since 2019. • Over 90 percent of Common App member schools are test-optional, but the Common App is seeing a slight increase in test score submissions this cycle. Reporting rates have increased relative to 2020-21 but are still far below 2019-20 rate. • First gen students and students from underrepresented minority groups are still far less likely to submit test scores. • After decreasing last year, the number of US applicants has risen again this cycle. International applicants have risen steadily, however. YALE’S EARLY APPLICATION NUMBERS The Yale Daily News also recently shared insights on its early action applicants for the Class of 2026. This fall, 7,313 students submitted early action applications to Yale, an 8 percent decrease from last year’s record volume but 27 percent larger than 2019, making it the second largest EA pool in Yale’s history. The article notes that first generation college students, international students and underrepresented racial or ethnic groups bucked this trend, rising in both 2020 and 2021. EARLY SNAPSHOTS It’s too soon to draw any final conclusions about the overall volume of applications submitted this cycle or the volume that any one college or university has or will receive for the Class of 2026. But these early snapshots tell us a few things: • Total application volume for all Common Application schools with a November 1 deadline looks to be running about 20 percent ahead of last year. • Those who applied by the November 1 early deadline are a more diverse group, with greater numbers of first-generation students, under-represented minority students, and international students. • More students are choosing to self-report test scores this round, likely the result of more test centers coming back online as high schools reopened. As more data become available on applications for the Class of 2026, we’ll share that with you along with our expert analysis! PS. Still churning out essays for Early Decision II and the regular round? Work with our sharp and talented counselors in our Essay Guidance Program and let them guide you across the finish line!