Trend on Number of Acceptances

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

So, we saw that NU’s acceptance rate dropped to 9% this year, compared to 10.7% last year. What is interesting is that this cannot be entirely explained with increasing number of applications (up around 6%). They admitted 3756 students last year and this year they have accepted 3371 students. Their acceptance rate is now below that of Penn, Duke, and Dartmouth (and Johns Hopkins) – four schools that were ranked higher than them in last USNWR rankings. So, does anyone really have an idea what is happening? For example,

  1. They accepted even more in ED? I believe they did not realize a precise number for ED acceptances this year and said something like close to 50%?
  2. They have figured out a way of admitting RD applicants that are more likely to come and thus are expecting a higher yield (Probably with acceptance rates being so low across the board, all schools are looking at less competition for cross-admits).
  3. They expect to take more out of wait-list this year.
  4. Class size is further being reduced.
2

They also accepted 500 less between '19 and '20. Probably a combination of multiple of the reasons you stated.

3

Northwestern hardly takes any kids off the waitlist though, right? Because most accepted students actually attend.

4

About half the kids offered admission attend (and ED and RD are combined in that #.). Last year, only 9 came off a huge WL.

If I were the enrollment manager there (and I am not, so take this for what it is), I might want to accept fewer in the RD round and rely on WL to finish up just to be sure the school wasn’t overenrolled this year. While I may have seemed clairvoyant with last year’s results, I would be pretty spooked thinking about what might have happened had 75 more kids decided to come…

And of course, that will depend on the options each kid has, and as enrollment management (admissions ) the only one I can control is the one for my school.

5

@gardenstategal: Yep, I would go to the WL and transfers to fill in whatever gaps there may be.