Hoping to be deciding between several LACs and Georgetown/Notre Dame/Lehigh. According to class profiles 2026 (common data set is over a year old) - below are acceptance rates
BC - 16.4%
Colgate - 12.34%
Georgetown - 12.1%
Hamilton - 11.8%
Middlebury - 11.5%
Lehigh - 37%
Notre Dame - 12.87%
Wake Forest - 25%
Plan on majoring in economics or international relations/business with hopes of getting into investment banking or consulting. Took a look at some career outcomes for Georgetown and Notre Dame do place well but that may be from the business school whereas LACs donât have business schools. Middlebury, Colgate and Hamilton also seem to place well when adjusted for size. Looking for some input, experience.
Finally why are these acceptance rates so low for Hamilton, Colgate, Middlebury almost same at Notre Dame/Georgetown. Just more applicants with test optional? Or have they become very desirable schools.
This is a parlor game until you have acceptances. From your other posts you are a parent, so the theory is that it is your student- not you!- who will be deciding, and the odds that your student will be having to choose from that full set are pretty small.
Your student will be able to get into IB or consulting from any of those schools, and the more they hustle in college the better the odds. Except Lehigh I know people who have gone from all of those schools to IB or MC (not Lehigh b/c I donât know any recent(ish) Lehigh grads- no reflection on the school).
and b/c I am in the mood I am I will also say that when I see somebody say they are âaiming for IB or MCâ - as if they were similar paths and suit similar people!- I read it as saying âI think IB & MC = Big Bucks and Status pdqâ, and I roll my eyes and hope they grow out of it.
ps, is your student really interested in IR / Business / Econ as subjects in themselves, or b/c they think they are good prep for IB/MC? you can go into MC from almost any major (esp if you keep some numeracy in your profile, but even that is pretty minimal), and there are better majors for IB.
Hamilton has very strong investment banking connections due to a well-recognized alumni network. Some of the schools on your list do not (e.g., Lehigh), so you should dig into this a bit.
With regard to how the LACs are about as selective as ND and Georgetown, well, all three are considered elite LACs â top-20 in most rankings. Middlebury, Hamilton, and Colgate are big names in the LAC community, and attractive small-school destinations.
TO has probably increased applications to a great many schools. Pre-Covid (recentlyâŠ), someone with a 1300 probably wasnât going to apply to the Ivies. Now, with TO, they stand a chance⊠so they apply.
Middlebury just announced their application numbers for the Class of 2027.
They received 13,297 applicationsâa new recordâand admitted a whopping 516 students via ED I and II. They expect a class size of 735, with 650 students beginning in the fall and 105 in February.
That means of the 12,000 who applied regular decision, theyâre looking to enroll an additional 219 students. Even accounting for those who back out or defer, the math suggests that it will be a competitive year for admissions at Middlebury.
The same probably goes for the other schools on your kidâs list. I hope your child has a choice to make among these highly selective schools, but admission to just one would be a huge win for many outstanding students.
More and more, it seems like LACs are playing the ED game. I guess if students/families are willing to play, then it is what it is. But I am not a fan.