If somebody applied to, say MIT and Stanford, would those two schools share their applicant lists before making an admissions decision? This question goes for both EA and RD.
Are you asking if Stanford admissions sends a spreadsheet of 40,000 applicants to MIT and somebody at MIT admissions then spends time during the busy application season pouring over that list?
No. I don’t think so.
They should not know where else you applied if that is what you mean.
No, colleges do NOT share applicant info (which includes applications, acceptances, deferrals and rejections) with any other college, as it’s called collusion and it’s illegal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collusion
@gibby someone on quora told me that the top 20 colleges agree to share info for restricted early applicants to make sure they’re following the rules and whatnot. You’re saying this is illegal?
^^ Well, that’s completely FALSE as it is indeed illegal and the federal government (which gives many universities money for research grants) would come down heavily on any university that did so, as it’s considered collusion.
In fact, about 15 years, to avoid prosecution from the federal government, Princeton fired it’s entire Admissions staff for “accidentally spying” on Yale’s Admissions records:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/26/nyregion/princeton-pries-into-web-site-for-yale-applicants.html
http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2002/07/25/princeton-officials-broke-into-yale-online-admissions-decisions/
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-08-02/news/0208020195_1_princeton-officials-yale-web-site-princeton-and-yale
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/chatterbox/2002/08/hack_me.html
If you filed FAFSA with codes of these schools, the list of all schools you applied (in FAFSA) is available to any school who receives the copy of your FAFSA. So, they know what other schools have you applied via FAFSA codes.
^^ Actually that situation – which did exist – was changed about 4 years ago.
Hers’s the original article relating to that matter: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/28/colleges-use-fafsa-information-reject-students-and-potentially-lower-financial-aid
And the change: “https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/08/14/education-department-will-stop-giving-colleges-information-about-students’-choices”
^^ Not sure why the link is not coming through, but copy-and-paste between the quotes and it will come up.
@gibby The department of education plans to stop sharing the “FAFSA position” information with colleges starting with the forms that are processed this coming January for aid that will be awarded during the 2016-17 school year.
So it has changed only in 2016-2017 NOT about 4 years ago.
^^ Thank you for the correction!
Ok someone told me that they do collude lists and that if you apply to both ea, then mit will automatically defer you and the other school will probably reject you. Is this legal?
^^ No, it’s NOT legal and therefore it’s not done. The person who told you doesn’t understand the legal consequences of collusion. The FBI would immediately shut an Admissions Office down if they found out. Once again, the definition . . .
I agree they don’t do it. I don’t know why you think it is collusion. Do you have an applicable law or case that you think applies?
If you believe everything that other highs school students tell you then you stand a slim chance of being admitted to any elite school.
@collegedad13: This blog provides some back-story with links to relevant articles: The Overlap Group, collusion, price-fixing, violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act etc: http://isteve.blogspot.com/2014/04/do-ivy-league-schools-collude-on.html.
Are you wondering if someone who applied to Stanford early, as well as MIT early, would get caught? (Stanford’s EA policy prohibits this.)
@suzy100 well kind of. I know that colleges share lists of admitted students so you would definitely get caught once you were admitted to one. What I am really wondering is if a school like MIT would actually defer an applicant to RD because a school like stanford tells them “hey mit, this applicant broke the rules. Can you defer him/her?”
^^ What MORE likely to happen: If you are found out (after the fact, or during the process) your guidance counselor will be penalized and your high school will be blacklisted by both colleges as your GC knowingly broke the rules and allowed you to apply to both MIT and Stanford in the early round. I would definitely have a conversation with your GC, as this situation goes way beyond you and could effect future applicants from your HS!
@gibby so then it is in fact possible for someone who did this to be found out by both schools before either school makes an admission decision?
Theoretically yes, see: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/000219/
Were you accepted early to Stanford?