Yield Rate

Hello, so I see some schools like Caltech only have 8% initial acceptance but 40% enroll yield rate, so do they automatically pick from the wait list to get the other 60% of students they want on campus? So technically, would getting into college be easier that way? Cuz then it would be like 12% acceptance in the end?
Idk if this makes sense but thanks!

I can’t speak to Caltech specifically but generally, all schools accept more students than the total amount they expect to attend, to make up for the ones that then go elsewhere.

Lol, it doesn’t work that way.

They are aware of the yield rate, and will accept more students than they have room for as a result. AKA, if they have room for 100 people, then they know that if they take 100 people, only 40 will come, so they will accept 240 people, only 96 people will commit, and they will take 4 more off the waitlist.

It’s really hard to get off the waitlist. It’s just gonna suck if you’re there.

^ for top schools it is MUCH harder to get in off the waitlist because they anticipate how many will enroll

Okay thanks, I didn’t know before

If you are thinking that maybe getting off a WL can be another strategy to get into a very selective school, it isn’t. Some students get off WL’s of course, but it can vary wildly from year to year and there truly is no way to predict.