Anonymous wrote:It's never been hard to attend some college...even a bunch of top 100 ranked colleges like Michigan State have 90%+ acceptance rates. Then you have schools like Ole Miss at 99% (which is top 200).

Of course...it's not really clickbait to write an article about schools like that vs. writing an article about how MIT now has a 4% acceptance rate.

In theory, if fewer kids overall apply, MIT will still get a ton of applications and remain at 4%, but now Michigan State will go from 90% to 91%, or countless regional schools will go from 90% to 95%.

The increase from call it 2900 non-selective colleges will drive up the overall acceptance rate of all colleges.

Michigan State had an 84% admit rate for 2025.

The problem isn't getting in; the problem is the cost.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like some of the changes I've seen lately - more "free" applications, fewer supplemental essays and optional or no interviews, more colleges agreeing to join the common app, increased # of colleges visiting high schools in person to "sell" their school to our kids.

This is a nice change!

Fewer supplemental essays is due to the Trump administration's war on DEI and higher education. Not because it is hard to fill the seats at desirable colleges. Sure no name, crappy schools are going out of business. But acceptance rates for desirable colleges remain in the 30% to less than 5% range. These schools are still highly selective and there are plenty of kids to fill those seats.

But I have a senior this year, so I'll report back on your so called theory.

No. Fewer supplemental essays is due to AI.

Not directly relevant to most people on this board but still interesting data. I work with a first gen high school senior who is a strong but but not extraordinarily exceptional (top 5%,
test-optional) student.

At last count, she has received direct admissions offers in the Common App to 92 schools. Quite a large percentage of them are schools I have literally never heard of, but there are a handful that might be interesting. But it’s just crazy.

Anonymous wrote:Dropping test score requirements or remaining test optional is what makes it easy.

It’s still tough at the top.

This year is no exception.

This makes it easier for students with lower test scores. It makes it harder for students with strong test scores simply because there is more competition.

Anyway, I think some of you are probably overly focusing on your kids' particular experiences. It will not be easier at highly selective colleges in an way we will perceive.

OP might not know about the list that goes out in May with all the colleges still accepting applications because they still have open seats.

Anonymous wrote:It also helps that enrollments from international students are down. Although there are still too many from certain countries.

In 2025, India was #1 at 370,000 and China#2 with 270,000, a combined total of 640,000 seats at US colleges.

Are these numbers for undergrad? That is a lot.

It also helps that enrollments from international students are down. Although there are still too many from certain countries.

In 2025, India was #1 at 370,000 and China#2 with 270,000, a combined total of 640,000 seats at US colleges.

^^ agree. And the people quoted are trying to sell services and products. The real truth is that struggling LACs fill the seats just fine with full pay international students. They don’t give a squat about demographics. And before you say “but Trump!”, nothing has changed at my LAC or the university where I went to law school where 27% of the students are international. This will continue to be the future unless something changes

Poorly written article. The Cal State direct admission excludes Cal Poly SLO, Pomona, San Jose State, Long Beach, SDSU and Fullerton. These schools are actually difficult to get into depending on your major and regional area. The other CSUs have never and still aren’t difficult to get into..at all.

30 years ago C students outside the region easily got into SDSU. Today, they would need 3.7-4.0 depending on major outside the service area. The same is true for the UC schools. I can’t tell you how many GenX parents in the Bay Area are shocked when their UW4.0 took every AP got a 5 kid gets rejected from Davis and Irvine. 30-40 years ago these were sure safeties for every A/B student.

Anonymous wrote:Tl/dr

Here is the summary. This is my senior.

3.74 gpa. No honors classes. No SATs, skipped the PSATs. We are wealthy, I’ll just say it. He’s not seeking out schools so don’t know how’s he’s on lists.

He’s bombarded with fee waiver emails and somehow I even get them and sometimes calls. Some are really good schools.

He’s already applied and accepted the school he wants to go to and has no idea how these others got his info. He thinks his HS sold all of their info.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's getting easier to get into college with the demographic shift, but it has always been that the T25 and some state schools are competitive, and the rest of the American universities struggle to get butts in seats.

This is it. My son is a legit average student and has, for the most part, applied accordingly. The only school he didn't get into so far is our state school. This wasn't a surprise. He also applied to a top 50 SLAC. This one is interesting because he isn't a lock for acceptance. He is a male, the school is 60/40 female to male, so that should help. They also need bodies. Their freshman class was down 10% this year.

Anonymous wrote:Getting into college is in fact becoming easier, with admissions offices trying to lure more applicants from a declining pool of 18-year-olds. They’re creating one-click applications, waiving application fees, offering admission to high school seniors who haven’t even applied and recruiting students after the traditional May 1 cutoff.

You must be new here. This has been going on for a long, long time.

Oh stop. There have always been colleges that are basically open enrollment. It's not like it was impossible to get into college "before."

The bottom is falling out of the college market, not the top