<p>There is a common misperception that "Stanford takes a significantly smaller portion of its class SCEA than its peers." I've seen this declaration made here on the Stanford page. </p>
<p>Not true.</p>
<p>For the Class of 2009, Stanford admitted 867 SCEA applicants for a class of about 1,625, compared to Princeton, for example, where 593 were admitted early for a class that may end up at about 1,220.</p>
<p>Based on this little factoid, I decided to get out the calculator.</p>
<p>Assuming a 90% yield rate on the SCEA admits, Stanford will be filling about 48% of its freshman class via SCEA.</p>
<p>Note also that an unknown number of SCEA deferees will also be admitted from the RD pool.</p>
<p>Strikingly, Harvard, Stanford and Yale each admitted enough early applicants to fill almost precisely the same 53% of the class - if each admit were to matriculate!</p>
<p>Assuming a 90% yield on SCEA applicants, what fraction of the class will have been filled from the early pool?</p>
<p>At Harvard: 48%</p>
<p>At Stanford: 48%</p>
<p>At Yale: 48%</p>
<p>And Princeton? Assuming a 98.5% yield on its ED admits, what fraction of the class will be filled from the early pool? Why, 48%!</p>
<p>How about Penn ... Columbia? Well, I'll be damned! Looks to be about 48% also!!</p>
<p>An accident? I don't think so. Each of these "elites" will have managed to fill the class with as many high-yield early admits as possible, while staying slightly under the "magic 50%" level.</p>
<p>single choice early action is not binding...you can choose to apply to different schools under regular decision if you get in under early action...</p>
<p>early decision, on the other hand, is binding.</p>
<p>That is a good point Byerly. I remeber someone else telling me on this board that Stanford SCEA admissions was different to universities such as Harvard, Princeton and Yale because Stanford fills a smaller proportion of its class. </p>
<p>You have shown that this is, in reality, incorrect and all elite universities have pretty much the same attitude towards early admissions. Thank you for correcting this common misconception. </p>
<p>Also, do you feel that these 4 universities are colluding in some way, since their early admissions numbers are virtually identical?</p>
<p>They don't have to "collude." They are all subject to the same market forces, and are all in possession of the same "common wisdom" extracted from the reports and recommendations of "enrollment management" consultants.</p>
<p>"Assuming a 90% yield rate on the SCEA admits, Stanford will be filling about 48% of its freshman class via SCEA."</p>
<p>What do you base this assumption on? I thought the yield was quite a bit less since SCEA is non-binding. Can't recall where I saw that stat tho.</p>
<p>For the Class of 2008, the yield on SCEA admits was 88% at Stanford, 88% at Yale, and 91% at Harvard. I have a notion it may creep up a bit at each school in this the second year of the program.</p>
<p>It was a brilliant move by HYS to move to SCEA. They double the number of early applicants and matriculation drops from 99% to 90%. That's a huge windfall for these schools. Plus they can accept more deferreds RD.</p>