<p>Most schools accept far more applicants than will matriculate (the “yield”), and they want those accepted more than they want those rejected. Within the group accepted, they want some more than others, and those “most wanted” may get early notice in an effort entice them to matriculate at a higher rate than others.</p>
<p>The best/only way to know if standards have actually increased is after the fact by checking published acceptance statistics. In many cases, including NYU’s, the Common Data Set is a good source, where yearly changes can be tracked. Start at [NYU</a> > Office of Institutional Research and Program Evaluation > Factbook > View Tables](<a href=“Factbook and Common Data Sets”>Factbook and Common Data Sets), “First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission”. It can be a bit tedious (which is why I’m not doing it 
).</p>