As this year’s college admission season comes to an end, you've likely heard the rumors, seen the headlines, and maybe even felt a few butterflies fluttering in your stomach. The world of college admissions is dynamic, ever-changing, and sometimes downright unpredictable. Let's take a dive into this year’s trends and what they mean for you.
The Yield Game
One of the key metrics that colleges pay attention to is their yield rate, which measures the percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll. Colleges want a high yield and low acceptance rate combination for several reasons, one being that it ensures financial stability for the college. With solid enrollment management techniques, colleges can more accurately project their incoming revenue and budget accordingly.
Schools with high yield rates are also viewed favorably from a marketing perspective. It can enhance a college's reputation, leading to increased applications in subsequent years and further elevating its status.
Colleges playing the yield game led to some unexpected results this year. You may have heard about students with perfect test scores and perfect GPAs who didn’t get into their “safety.” That’s likely because the college didn’t expect them to actually attend if they were admitted, which would lower their yield rate.
The best way to respond to this game? Play it yourself by using demonstrated interest.
The Acceptance Rate Shuffle
While acceptance rates tend to grab headlines, they only tell part of the story. Yes, it's true that some highly selective colleges are reporting record-low acceptance rates, making the admissions process feel even more daunting. However, it's essential to remember that these numbers don't necessarily reflect an increase in competition or represent every college out there. Many high-quality colleges, such as American University, saw their acceptance rate increase over the past few years!
What's driving these changes? Enrollment management techniques and overall uncertainty are the two big reasons. EM techniques such as waitlists and spring semester offers are being used more than ever before. That allows colleges to keep a low acceptance rate while still hitting their enrollment goals. Remember that the numbers you see in the media don’t tell the entire story.
The FAFSA Factor
Additionally, the FAFSA delays are likely related to why waitlists are being used so much this year. This year, students are just receiving their financial aid packages now (with many students still struggling to even submit the FAFSA). Colleges can’t use historical models to predicate how close they are to meeting their enrollment goals, which is why they’re relying on the waitlist as a stop-gap.
Overall, we’ve been thrilled to see our students have successful admission seasons at Cardinal College Planning and are excited to help our younger students adapt to the current admissions landscape.