March came in like a lion and never let up—a whirlwind of buzzer-beaters, acceptance letters, and policy shifts. As college hopefuls anxiously refreshed portals for admissions decisions, the NCAA’s March Madness delivered its annual excitement, with underdog upsets and last-second heroics making headlines. But the activity wasn’t confined to the court or college campuses. The federal government increased its oversight of elite universities, adjusted federal research funding—prompting hiring freezes and changes to graduate programs—considered new policies on endowment taxation, and expanded its review of student visa holders’ social media activity. Additionally, a federal investigation was launched into admissions policies at Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Irvine in light of the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling on affirmative action.
Today, our focus is on the admissions outcomes and trends, as well as the possible implications of the federal government’s actions for future admissions cycles at elite universities.
MARCH MADNESS: OVERALL ADMISSIONS RESULTS
Let’s start with a run-down of overall admissions results at some of the nation’s most selective universities and liberal arts colleges. One of the first things we see is the impact of reinstating the SAT/ACT requirement (a positive step, in our opinion). Colleges now requiring testing – including Brown, Dartmouth, and Yale saw notable decreases in application volume. Through careful enrollment management, those decreases in application volume meant only slight upticks in the overall admit rate, though:
- Brown experienced a 12.5% decrease in application volume. This year’s overall admit rate was 5.65%, up slightly from the 5.4% admit rate for the Class of 2028.
- Dartmouth saw its applications decrease nearly 11%, resulting in a 6% admit rate, up from 5.3% last year (a record low).
- Applications to Yale also decreased by 12.5%.
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Cornell and Harvard, both schools that currently require standardized testing, declined to release full applicant data at this time, but we’ll keep an eye out for those numbers and report back when they become available. Harvard is under intense scrutiny from the Department of Education and groups like Students for Fair Admissions, so it’s not surprising that they are holding back on publicly releasing data. Interestingly, Cornell reports that in total, 5,824 students were accepted to the next freshman class, which is a 13.3% increase from last year’s 5,139 accepted students.
TEST-OPTIONAL POLICIES BOOST APPLICATION VOLUME
Meanwhile, the vast majority of top universities that continued pandemic-era test optional admissions policies saw their application volume soar. For example:
- Over 72,000 students applied to Penn this year, nearly an 11 percentage point increase from last year’s applicant pool of over 65,000. Note: Penn has announced that testing will be required beginning with applicants for the Class of 2030, so we expect its application volume to decrease.
- Duke received a record-high 59,850 applications (total) for the Class of 2029, up over 10% from last year, leading to a record-low 4.7% overall rate of admission. Duke will continue its test-optional admissions policy for the Class of 2030, so look for application volume to continue to soar.
- Vanderbilt had a 16% jump in applications for its ED 1 and 2 programs, receiving over 6,700 applications and seeing its ED rate drop to 13.2%. No news yet from the Commodores regarding its overall application volume, but with its test-optional admissions policy and surging interest in Southern schools, we’re confident that they’ll announce record volume this year – and in the next few years.
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- NYU received over 120,000 applications this year, a 5.65% increase over last year’s record volume. NYU also had its largest early decision applicant pool in history, with more than 25,000 applications, a 10% increase in early decision applications from last year. NYU doesn’t report overall admit rate across its campuses around the world but does share that just 7.7% of applicants to NYU in NYC were offered admission.
- USC received a record-breaking 83,500 applications for the Class of 2029 and admitted 10.4% of its applicants.
- Northeastern’s undergraduate applications soared to over 100,000, breaking the previous record. We don’t yet know the overall rate of admission this year, but its admit rate hit an all-time low of 5.2% last year, so look for another record to be broken at Northeastern.
- Demand at UT Austin increased dramatically as applications for freshman admission grew by 24% for the Class of 2029 as compared with the number of applications received one year ago. Everything is typically “bigger and better” in Texas, but a key driver of this increase are out-of-state applicants (up 40% over last year) who can now easily apply via the Common Application. But as UT Austin reinstates its admissions testing requirement for the Class of 2030, it’s likely the number of applicants will decrease.
Some other colleges we’re keeping an eye on:
- Princeton, which has historically kept its admissions data closely guarded, has opted to maintain its test-optional admissions policy for the Class of 2030. Princeton’s overall volume of applications trails its closest elite school peers – Harvard, Yale, and Stanford – as well as Brown, Cornell, Columbia and Penn, so we suspect the decision to not require testing is a strategic one, driven in part by these admissions metrics.
- Columbia, which has maintained its test-optional admission policy for the Class of 2029, saw its applications decrease over 1% this year, from 61,428 applicants last year to 59,616 this year. The decrease in application volume coupled meant that this year’s admit rate was 4.3% up from 3.9% last year. The headwinds for Columbia are especially tough right now, and so we’ll be curious to see how those impact applicants for the Class of 2030, particularly in the early decision round.
- Georgetown recently announced that it will join the ranks of the Common Application next year. Watch for Georgetown to post a notable increase in application volume as its adherence to a stand-alone application and its strict testing policies have no doubt depressed its application volume relative to peer schools.
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WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR ADMISSIONS FOR THE CLASS OF 2030?
As reported by the AP in March, more than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end DEI programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students. The Education Department announced the new investigations March 14th, one month after issuing a memo warning America’s schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life. We wonder if, in response, colleges and universities practicing holistic admissions may make further adjustments to their supplemental essays and selection processes.
The deportations of international students with visas to study in the U.S. is likely going to send a message around the globe that international students may no longer be welcome in the U.S. As Inside Higher Ed reported, “even before immigration officials raided dorm rooms, international students, recruiters and the institutions that serve them were anxious about President Trump’s second term. Last fall, colleges urged international students who had left for winter break to return to the U.S. before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, fearing a possible travel ban or student visa suspension.” If international students stop attending U.S. colleges, universities could face significant financial losses.
The cuts in federal research funding may also lead to changes in admissions. An AP analysis looked at federal funding for nearly 100 colleges currently under investigation for programs the administration has deemed as illegally pushing DEI initiatives, or for not doing enough to combat antisemitism. Those schools took in over $33 billion in federal revenue in the 2022-2023 academic year. That’s before taking into account federal student aid, which represents billions more in tuition and room-and-board payments. For most of the schools, around 10% to 13% of their revenue came from federal contracts or research funding, according to the analysis.
Highly selective schools have been the public focus of these cuts. Johns Hopkins University lost $800 million in USAID grants, representing nearly half of their revenue. Columbia was stripped of $400 million in federal funding, following an announcement of “ongoing investigations for potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.” (Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs receiving federal subsidies.) On March 31, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration said it was reviewing roughly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, claiming that the university had allowed antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus. On April 1, the Trump administration moved to suspend several federal grants to Princeton.
As budgets are squeezed by the loss of funding, colleges will tighten their belts – including potentially scaling back need-blind admissions programs and subtly shaping their classes with more students whose families can pay the full cost of the education. Although well-endowed schools like Harvard and Princeton will likely have the resources to preserve need-blind admissions, other schools may not have the luxury of doing so.
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In a year of shifting policies, record-breaking application numbers, and heightened federal scrutiny, one thing remains clear—navigating the college admissions process has never been more complex. As universities adjust their testing requirements, financial aid strategies, and selection criteria, staying ahead of the curve is essential. That’s where we come in. At Top Tier Admissions, our expert team helps students and families cut through the noise, offering strategic, data-driven guidance tailored to an ever-evolving landscape. From crafting standout applications to making informed decisions in an uncertain admissions climate, we ensure that students are not just prepared but positioned for success. This admissions season, we’re thrilled to celebrate the many successes of Top Tier’s Class of 2029 and are excited to see them soar as they head off to college next fall!
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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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