Most selective LACs by acceptance rate (Class of 2027)

[Anonymous]

Agree re Swarthmore. Friend who chairs a department at Swarthmore insisted his two kids go elsewhere because he didn’t want them to be miserable.

[Neo]

Anonymous wrote:

Neo wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand the Colby thing. I know three kids there now who didn’t get into schools with higher acceptance rates (Middlebury, BC and Brown). But maybe the key is that the kids I know are all full pay?

Colby is need-aware, has no application fee, and no supplemental essay, so lots of kids just tick that box off to apply using the common app.

It’s also one of the few colleges that doesn’t make public its common data set.

They’re playing games—but acceptance rate has a much lower weight in USNews than it used to, so they’re where they belong in the ranking.

But yet Colby’s yield rate is quite high….

Yet, Colby keeps spamming mail box with emails having subject title: "No fees to apply. No supplements to submit. No extra essays to write." TBH, its very tempting for anyone to tick and apply.

Who is getting those emails?

Those whom Colby wants to “recruit to reject” or “recruit to deny”

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Amherst 2027 class was technically 9%, not a big difference from 10% posted by OP but makes me question the data/source listed.

It’s 10%. https://www.amherst.edu/news/news_releases/2023/september/a-snapshot-of-amherst-s-newest-students

It was 9.7% (divide the numbers in the article)

Yes, I think Amherst is more selective and better than Williams too (9.7% has Amherst jump Williams on the list)
For Eastern LACs, Swarthmore has been more attractive than both head to head for a long time though.

I expect Swarthmore and Pomona to continue to regularly be the most attractive of the top LACs. Their locations are so much better than the NESCAC schools. Swarthmore has also done better than most top LACs with CS and eng and at Pomona you can take advanced classes at Harvey Mudd.

Swarthmore is tiny and has a reputation as a pressure cooker. Kids there are intense and many are a bit quirky. Definitely not for everyone, but the perfect fit for kids who like UChicago but want a smaller school in the East.

I'm guessing you went to college in the 90s or 2000s. Those comments about both Swarthmore and Chicago are dated. The Where Fun Goes to Die and Anywhere Else It Would be an A slogan days are gone for them. Both have mellowed though they are still thankfully somewhat quirky. Kids caring less about fit and more about rank now has hurt, in my opinion anyway, the unique nature of UChicago and Swat.
Also, shouldn't kids want at least some serious external pressure at elite colleges? They'll need to be ready for it in most top professional fields and it feels quite a bit different than the pressure kids put on themselves to achieve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Neo wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand the Colby thing. I know three kids there now who didn’t get into schools with higher acceptance rates (Middlebury, BC and Brown). But maybe the key is that the kids I know are all full pay?

Colby is need-aware, has no application fee, and no supplemental essay, so lots of kids just tick that box off to apply using the common app.

It’s also one of the few colleges that doesn’t make public its common data set.

They’re playing games—but acceptance rate has a much lower weight in USNews than it used to, so they’re where they belong in the ranking.

But yet Colby’s yield rate is quite high….

Yet, Colby keeps spamming mail box with emails having subject title: "No fees to apply. No supplements to submit. No extra essays to write." TBH, its very tempting for anyone to tick and apply.

Who is getting those emails? My son didn't even though he met with the visiting admissions rep, visited the school, met with a coach, and asked to meet with a current student. Everything that should have put him on their distribution list. He ED1'd at Colby and is there now.

Colby has one of the wealthiest student bodies in the country. They didn't apply to save on application fees.

They may target kids in expensive zip codes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand the Colby thing. I know three kids there now who didn’t get into schools with higher acceptance rates (Middlebury, BC and Brown). But maybe the key is that the kids I know are all full pay?

Colby is need-aware, has no application fee, and no supplemental essay, so lots of kids just tick that box off to apply using the common app.

It’s also one of the few colleges that doesn’t make public its common data set.

They’re playing games—but acceptance rate has a much lower weight in USNews than it used to, so they’re where they belong in the ranking.

I wonder why some thinks Colby is the only school who plays these “Games”.

No application fee schools : Wellesley, Tulane, Carleton, Grinnell, Colorado, Macalester, Smith, Trinity
Need aware schools: Carleton, Colgate, BU, WL, Wesleyan, Case Western, Bates, Colorado, Haverford, Smith, Pitzer, Oberlin
No Supplement essay : Grinnell, Middlebury, Colgate, Hamilton, Case Western, Oberlin, Bates, NEU, Pitt, wesleyan, Kenyon

To name a few.
Can you just accept the fact that a lot of kids wants to go there?

All this is true, and yet it's a mystery why Colby should have a lower admissions rate than geographically similar schools with historically much higher recognition e.g. Bowdoin. Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Hamilton and even Bates.

[Anonymous]

Colby is also picking up mktg playbook from schools like NEU and also sending new admits abroad for their 1st semester. How these kids are calculated into their final numbers is part of their secret sauce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand the Colby thing. I know three kids there now who didn’t get into schools with higher acceptance rates (Middlebury, BC and Brown). But maybe the key is that the kids I know are all full pay?

Colby is need-aware, has no application fee, and no supplemental essay, so lots of kids just tick that box off to apply using the common app.

It’s also one of the few colleges that doesn’t make public its common data set.

They’re playing games—but acceptance rate has a much lower weight in USNews than it used to, so they’re where they belong in the ranking.

I wonder why some thinks Colby is the only school who plays these “Games”.

No application fee schools : Wellesley, Tulane, Carleton, Grinnell, Colorado, Macalester, Smith, Trinity
Need aware schools: Carleton, Colgate, BU, WL, Wesleyan, Case Western, Bates, Colorado, Haverford, Smith, Pitzer, Oberlin
No Supplement essay : Grinnell, Middlebury, Colgate, Hamilton, Case Western, Oberlin, Bates, NEU, Pitt, wesleyan, Kenyon

To name a few.
Can you just accept the fact that a lot of kids wants to go there?

All this is true, and yet it's a mystery why Colby should have a lower admissions rate than geographically similar schools with historically much higher recognition e.g. Bowdoin. Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Hamilton and even Bates.

My DD toured Wesleyan, Williams, Bates, Bowdion, Vassar and Colby.
I’m sure it’s my kid and my personal taste, but we liked Colby campus the most, including their athletic center and performing art center.
Others might feel that way, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s another thing that affects acceptance rate: my son’s school is need blind and meets full need for domestic students but is need aware (still meets full need) for international students. The school gets a ton of applicants from international students which drives down the overall acceptance rate.

Well, not as many applications from international students if it were need blind.
On an equity note, an international student who is upper middle class — or downright upper class — in many of these countries might have an EFC of 45k. That means an upper middle class student from these countries pays only about 25k of 65k tuition. Meanwhile, a 200k donut hole family in the United States (who comparatively might have less money, with cost of living adjustments) pays everything.

It’s unusual to meet full need of international students.