Got admitted to WashU and my letter noted that only 1650 of 29,000+ got in this year. Their acceptance rate is usually between 15-17% but the statistics that the letter stated gave a number closer to 5-6%. Anyone know how to verify this??
I’m guessing the letter said that out of 29,000 there are 1,650 spots in their freshman class. However, depending on what their typical yield rate is, they definitely admitted more than that. They admit more people than they have room for because they know not everyone will come to WashU 
Classic marketing (and not surprised to hear WashU would say something like this).
The letter probably said something like “You and your classmates were selected for the 1,650 spots from an applicant pool of over 29,000.”
Right – all schools have to admit more than they actually have slots available. It’s completely realistic that WU admitted 4,400 kids, expecting that number to yield 1,650 actual matriculants. Colleges spend lots of time analyzing trends and numbers to try to get that number right. That’s why waitlists also exist in case more decline the offer than expected.