Falling Admission Rates

Parents Forum
1

<p>Which colleges and universities have become much more selective over the past three years? Willamette U. in Salem Oregon's freshman admission rate has fallen from 59 percent to 40 percent this year:</p>

<p>From the President’s 2009-2010 State of the University Address:
Applications for admission to the [College of Liberal Arts] for fall 2010 will reach 8,000, a record high and a 34 percent increase over 2009. In fact, applications have increased by four and a half times over the last decade. The primary driver for this application explosion is our investment in strategic marketing, including engaging the services of a company that helps us identify, contact and recruit promising applicants, with extraordinary, positive results. Here are some interesting details:
• CLA admitted 40 percent of its applicants, compared to 59 percent in 2009, putting Willamette in the elite group of colleges nationwide that admit fewer than 50 percent of applicants.
• CLA's admitted students' academic credentials are strong, with an average combined SAT score of 1830; composite ACT score of 29; GPA of 3.79 and class rank of 89 percent.
• Twenty-three percent of CLA's admitted students come from historically under-represented groups.
Source:
Presidential</a> Remarks - 2009-10 State of the University - Willamette University</p>

2

<p>If the issue is selectivity, I think CR+M SAT scores are a better indicator than Admission Rate. The latter is affected by both a greater percentage of HS students applying to college, and more applications per student.</p>

3

<p>^^^^^^^^^^^^</p>

<p>Agreed. A college can seem more selective simply by accepting fewer students. For example, they could decline admissions to candidates that appear to be using the school as as safety school. However, as selectivity is a two-way street, it does not necessarily mean that the applicant pool they did accept is stronger than it used to be.</p>