Breaking Tradition in US Ivy League... Nearly Half Keep Acceptance Rates Confidential

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The Ivy League, a group of eight prestigious universities on the U.S. East Coast, notified applicants of their admissions decisions on the 31st of last month (local time). A notable point this year is that nearly half of the schools did not disclose their acceptance rates.

For example, the University of Pennsylvania only revealed the total number of applicants and the expected number of incoming students. The school stated that acceptance rates no longer hold significance. Whitney Sul, Director of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, said, "We are focusing not on how difficult it was for students to gain admission, but on who they are."

Princeton University and Cornell University also only informed applicants whether they were accepted this year, without releasing the usual related statistics. Princeton explained on its website, "We understand that such information increases anxiety among prospective students and may discourage them from applying."

The background behind these universities' decision to withhold previously published numbers of applicants and admitted students is the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic, major U.S. prestigious universities have not required SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) and ACT (American College Testing) scores. Judging that it was difficult for students to take these exams, they instead asked applicants to submit materials demonstrating their qualities or potential for growth, such as high school activities.

With no need to take exams, applicants rushed to apply to prestigious universities, making admissions competition even fiercer. Among the five Ivy League schools that disclosed acceptance rates this year, Harvard University (3.2%), Yale University (4.5%), and Brown University (5.0%) recorded their lowest acceptance rates ever. Columbia University and Dartmouth College also remained in the single digits at 3.7% and 6.2%, respectively. The Wall Street Journal reported, "Following an unprecedented volume of applications last year, the Ivy League recorded a near-record number of early decision applicants (similar to Korea's early admission process) this year."

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has decided to reinstate the mandatory submission of test scores starting next year. Although test scores were optional for the past two years, as the U.S. moves toward endemic status, MIT has decided to return to pre-pandemic policies. An MIT official told The New York Times, "Standardized test scores are necessary to better assess applicants' academic preparedness." MIT's acceptance rate this year was 3.9%, slightly lower than last year's 4.1%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.