<p>Just got a newsletter from the Admissions office. Jim Bock says that Swarthmore got 302 applications for fall ED, and admitted 125 of them (41.4%). Also, the newsletter mentioned that 1145 applicants have requested alumni interviews, and that alumni interviewer matches for 967 have been lined up.</p>
<p>Wow, that is an awfully high acceptance rate. Wasn't it like 34% last year? Did less people apply early decision this year or something?</p>
<p>According to the Common Data Set, last year there were 480 ED applications (both fall and winter rounds), out of which 162 were admitted (33.8%).</p>
<p>Right. So, how come it went up so much this year? Does that mean that the winter ED will probably be much more competitive, or did less people simply apply?</p>
<p>Educated guess might be the state of the economy has made people step back from ED in order to consider financial aid packages.</p>
<p>It isn't possible to say yet whether it went up, is it? The figure for 2012 is for both ED1 and ED2; the figure dadx3 has for 2013 is just for ED1, so far.</p>
<p>ED</a> Applications Way Up :: The Daily Gazette</p>
<p>For last fall's first year class (Class of 2012), Swarthmore had a record 302 fall early decision applications, up 10% from the previous record the prior year (Class of 2011) with 273 fall early decision applications.</p>
<p>So it looks like fall early decision apps this year equalled last year's record.</p>
<p>As for the number accepted, I don't think I've ever seen a breakout of acceptance rates in fall versus winter (or overall) Early Decision, so I can't think of any way to compare to prior year numbers. Last year, Swarthmore went heavy on ED and overall acceptances expecting a decline in yield with the end of early programs at the top Ivies. The yield didn't decline. There are many new factors this year (the economy) and trying to guess how that is impacting admissions at this point is imposslble.</p>
<p>BTW, that acceptance rate is not unusually high. Overall ED acceptance rates have been as high as 50% in recent years. They typically fall somewhere in the 40% to 50% range. Early decision applicants to Swarthmore are heavily self-selected. Not too many apply bindng ED to Swarthmore on a whim without considering fit.</p>
<p>Hmm... I've been pondering this news for a while, and I still haven't quite decided whether this news makes me feel better or worse about having been rejected EDI. Oh well. In the end, those that were accepted are most certainly qualified to be there, and obviously in love with the school, which makes that rejection easier for any rejectee. What's done is done, and all that :)</p>
<p>Infinity:</p>
<p>You'll drive yourself batty trying to do post-mortems on college apps.</p>