<p>When colleges post their average test scores and GPAs, are they using numbers for accepted students or matriculated students? Is every college different in this regard? If so, should I go to individual websites for "class profiles?" I ask, because certain universities post surprisingly high stats, and I suspect that they are popular "safety" or "fallback" schools. They are schools that accept 3-5 times as many students as they actually enroll, also, and so I suspect they "jack" their numbers by using statistics from students who were also accepted at more selective colleges.</p>
<p>If you are talking about the Common Data sets, it is enrolled students. </p>
<p>From CDS form:
</p>
<p>For any published numbers assume they are for matriculants unless there is a statement indicating otherwise. There are some schools that publish numbers for applicants, admits, and matriculants. It’s interesting to see how they differ. Dartmouth is one such school.
For the class of 2014
Median SAT CR
675 Applicants
733 Admits
718 Matriculants
Median SAT Math
703 Applicants
741 Admits
729 Matriculants</p>
<p>The reason schools like to use numbers for matriculants rather than admits is that the lower numbers help to attract more applicants. More people apply if they feel they have a chance to be admitted. The 25% percent number in the 25%-75% ranges lures in a lot of people to apply that in reality have very little chance of being admitted.</p>
<p>Academically, the best students are the most likely to be admitted and the least likely to matriculate because they have other equally or more attractive options to attend other schools.
Meanwhile, the weaker students are the least likely to be admitted and the most likely to enroll because it is far more likely to be their best offer.</p>