Every year is said to be the toughest application season for U.S. undergrad, only to be outdone by the next?
This year, the number of U.S. undergrad applicants continues to rise, while the overall acceptance rate is trending downward, making the competition even fiercer. Based on the 2023 Fall application data released by various universities so far, many schools have recorded historic lows in their early application acceptance rates.
Schools we've already covered for early decision/action release include:
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Harvard: Early acceptance rate of 7.56%, the second lowest in history
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Yale: Early acceptance rate of 10%, the lowest in 20 years
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Brown: Early acceptance rate of 13%, the lowest in 5 years
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Dartmouth: Early acceptance rate of 19%, a new low
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MIT: Early acceptance rate of just 5.74%
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Why are early acceptance rates dropping as low as 5%? Wasn't early application supposed to be more advantageous?
Recently, several more schools have released their application data for this year, including UVA, NYU, Tufts, and USC. CheersYou（清柚教育） will now bring you the latest application figures and an analysis of this year's U.S. undergrad admissions trends.
Latest 2023 Fall U.S. undergrad Application Data
University of Virginia
UVA received 55,845 applications this year, a record high, marking a 10% increase over last year’s total.
Of these, 27% were Regular Decision (RD), 65% were Early Action (EA), and 8% were Early Decision (ED). The overall applicant pool composition is largely consistent with last year, though the share of EA applications has slightly increased (up from 61% last year).
Additionally, international student applications rose from 6,000 to 6,421, a 7% year-over-year increase.
New York University
NYU has been flooded with applications once again! The university received roughly 120,000 applications, a 13% surge from last year and another all-time high.
Among them, about 22,000 were ED applications, a 14% increase over the previous year. This also marks the 16th consecutive year that NYU has set a historic admissions record.
Moreover, the sharp rise in international applicants is linked to NYU's global campus presence. NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi are key components of NYU's global education strategy.
Tufts University
Tufts received more than 34,000 applications in total, across ED1, ED2, and RD.
The university stated that this year’s applicant pool is the most diverse in its history, with the proportion of underrepresented minorities rising by 15%.
University of Southern California
USC received over 40,600 EA applications this year and offered admission to 2,400 students, resulting in an early acceptance rate of just 5.9%.
The university noted that 70% of offers will be made during the Regular Decision round and will be communicated by April 1. Applicants not admitted in the EA round may still be considered in the RD pool.
2023 Fall U.S. Undergrad Application Landscape
According to the Common App's "2022-23 Application Season Trends," both the number of applicants and total applications have surged this year.
As of mid-January, the Common App platform saw over 1.07 million unique applicants, up around 20% from pre-pandemic levels. The total number of applications exceeded 5.34 million, a 24% jump from pre-pandemic, with each applicant submitting an average of 5 applications.
Among them, international applicant numbers have risen for four consecutive years. For the first time, international applicants surpassed 100,000, a 45% surge from pre-pandemic levels. The top five sources of international applicants are: China, India, Nigeria, Ghana, and Canada.
Additionally, private university applications exceeded 2.89 million, surpassing public institutions, likely due to the wider availability of early application options at private schools.
However, public universities are also gaining popularity. Over the past four years, applications to public institutions have surged by 39%, far outpacing the growth at private ones. Well-ranked, affordable public universities are likely to become even more sought-after.
Yet, as we've mentioned before, competition at highly selective top universities has intensified in the post-pandemic era. These elite institutions received over 1.06 million applications this year, a 10% increase from before.
Regarding standardized tests, the test-optional policy continues, so the submission rate remains below historical levels, though it has rebounded from the first year of the pandemic. With the College Board switching to the SAT Digital this year, the submission rate for SAT scores is expected to rise further.
In today's application season, more applicants are gravitating toward top-tier universities, and competition at these schools will only intensify. Application numbers break records year after year.
Furthermore, standardized testing may see a comeback. This is not necessarily bad news for strong test-takers, as high scores can remain a competitive edge.
ED2 results are coming soon, and CheersYou（清柚教育） will continue to monitor the situation.
Students applying in the new cycle need to continuously enhance their competitiveness—polishing essays, pushing for high test scores, and pursuing meaningful background improvement. Only by being fully prepared can they have a better chance at landing an offer from their dream school.
