selectivity

Colleges and Universities A-Z Haverford College
1

<p>Does anybody know if Haverford became more/less selective now than it was 10/20/30 years ago?
Just curious...
Where can I find such sort of information?</p>

2

<p>I mean selectivity in admission.
I know there is much more minority students now, as well as students from other states.
But how about academic caliber of currently enrolled students compare with the past?</p>

3

<p>It’s probably about the same. In 1980, Barron’s had it in the “most selective” category. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/687742-1980-barrons-selectivity-index.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/687742-1980-barrons-selectivity-index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Last year, U.S. News had it tied with Amherst in terms of selectivity at LACs, I think.</p>

4

<p>Acceptance rates for most top LACs have fallen significantly in the past 10-20 years, as there are now more kids applying to college, and with the Common Application it is much easier to submit many applications. So in that sense most top LACs, Haverford included, are more selective. But the median SAT score have not gone up that much, I don’t think.</p>

5

<p>Thank you.
Where can I find the median SAT scores for the past 5-20 years?</p>

6

<p>For old SAT scores you can look at old college guides… However, the SAT was renormed (AKA recentered or rescaled) in the late 1990s.</p>

7

<p>Some data for classes 2003 - 2012 are here:
<a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/institutionalresearch/pdf/p16_Admission.pdf[/url]”>http://www.haverford.edu/institutionalresearch/pdf/p16_Admission.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
and here:
<a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/institutionalresearch/pdf/p17_%20CharacteristicsofEnteringClass.pdf[/url]”>http://www.haverford.edu/institutionalresearch/pdf/p17_%20CharacteristicsofEnteringClass.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
In ten years time the admit rate fell from 33% to 27%, and the 25-75% SAT ranges went from 640-740 to 650-740 (CR) and 630-720 to 650-740 (M).</p>

8

<p>By way of comparison, Swarthmore’s admit rate fell from almost 50% in the late 1970s to 16% last year.
<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/ir/AdmitYieldRatesChart.pdf[/url]”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/ir/AdmitYieldRatesChart.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
From 1995 to 2008 Swarthmore’s 25%-75% ranges went from 670-760 to 680-760 (CR) and 650-740 to 670-760 (M).
<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/ir/SAT.pdf[/url]”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/ir/SAT.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
Prior to 1995 the data aren’t quite comparable, but it looks to me like the SAT ranges didn’t change much between 1990 and 1995, the earliest year (1990) Swarthmore reports a 25%-75% range. From 1975 to 1990 the median CR and M scores were exactly the same.</p>

<p>So in a statistical sense, Swarthmore (and presumably Haverford) appear to have gotten much more selective, with dramatically lower admit rates. But in another narrow sense, SAT scores alone, their selectivity has not gone up much.</p>

9

<p>Thank you for information.</p>

10

<p>If it helps to know, I was talking to an Admissions counselor just a couple weeks ago on campus and he said the incoming class had the highest numbers and was essentially the most “selected” batch yet.</p>

11

<p>Does any one know the percentage of applicants who were accepted for the class of 2013?</p>

12

<p>^^</p>

<p>According to a letter I got in the mail, Haverford sent out 715 offers of admissions. Haverford received 3,400 applications.</p>

<p>That makes 21% acceptance rate this year.</p>

13

<p>Sligh:
Is 21% the overall acceptance rate or the RD acceptance rate. Does anyone know what the ED acceptance rate was?</p>

14

<p>The letter did not specify, although I’m assuming that it is total 715 acceptances out of a total of 3,400 applications.</p>

15

<p>21% would be Haverford’s lowest acceptance rate ever, is that right?</p>

16

<p>It sure would! Might bump us up in the rankings a bit (if they matter any at all).</p>

17

<p>Here are the U.S. News LAC rankings, by selectivity. Why is Haverford only #10 in the overall rankings? Where does it get dinged? (Yes, I know the rankings are stupid.)</p>

<ol>
<li>HMC</li>
<li>Swarthmore; Pomona; Haverford</li>
<li>Williams</li>
<li>Middlebury; CMC; Washington and Lee</li>
<li>Amherst; Bowdoin</li>
<li>Davidson</li>
<li>Carleton</li>
<li>Wellesley</li>
<li>Vassar; Barnard</li>
<li>Wesleyan; Oberlin</li>
<li>Colgate; Hamilton; Bucknell</li>
</ol>