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Penn Receives Far Fewer Early Decision Applications in 2019

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Penn’s Early Decision acceptance rate rose to 19.7% in 2019

The University of Pennsylvania only received 6,088 Early Decision (ED) applications for its Class of 2024 — down from 7,109 just last fall — a more than 14% drop from last year’s number of ED applications. This news was first reported in The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn’s student newspaper, on November 13, 2019; yet, adjusted numbers were released from Penn’s admissions office on December 16, 2019 (see below). Before the sudden drop this year, the number of ED applicants to Penn had been rising for years.

While some may argue that an uptick in fires in California or the lack of a recent SAT score re-centering are to blame, one actual reason for the sudden drop in Penn’s ED application numbers is likely Penn’s choice to break its long-time one 650-word supplemental essay question into two shorter essays (still totaling 650 words in all) this application cycle. Enough students make application choices based on perceived effort to complete Common App supplements alone; therefore, seeing two distinct essay prompts scared off up to 1,000 high school seniors – who clearly were not all that invested in applying to Penn to begin with – from applying to Penn Early Decision this fall.

Just goes to show, many students are not as focused on perceived college fit as they are on perceived college application fit.

Penn’s Former Supplemental Essay Question:

How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words)

Penn’s Current Supplemental Essay Questions:

How did you discover your intellectual and academic interests, and how will you explore them at the University of Pennsylvania? Please respond considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected. (300-450 words)

At Penn, learning and growth happen outside of the classrooms, too. How will you explore the community at Penn? Consider how this community will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape this community. (150-200 words)

As one can see above, the change in Penn’s supplemental writing requirement was implemented in such a way as to provide two direct – and more specific – leading questions to Penn applicants in order to give Penn’s admissions team members the information that they really always wanted but were clearly not getting enough of by using Penn’s old 650-word essay prompt alone. Sadly, too few students must have been capable of organizing their thoughts clearly and articulately in the old 650-word responses. But even fewer were even willing to try answering two questions on Penn’s supplement this admissions cycle. Thus, by creating more concrete language in two prompts, Penn upset the equilibrium of its apple cart.

December 16, 2019 Update: Tonight, Penn put out the following information:

On Monday, December 16th at 7:00 p.m. ET, the University of Pennsylvania will announce admission decisions for Early Decision applicants to the Class of 2024, the institution’s 268th class.

The University of Pennsylvania received 6,453 applications under the first-choice Early Decision Program for the entering class of 2024. From this group of highly talented and compelling students from around the globe, 1,269 students were offered admission, approximately 53% of the expected enrolling class in the fall of 2020.

Nationally, 46 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico are represented in the class with the highest concentration of admitted students from Pennsylvania (189), New York (162), California (136), New Jersey (132), Florida (51) and Texas (45). Fifty-nine students reside in the city of Philadelphia.

13% of the class are international students based on their citizenship, hailing from 50 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

54% percent of the admitted students are female, 52% of the U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents self-reported as a member of a minority group, and 10% are first-generation college students. 24% of the admitted students had a parent or grandparent attend Penn in prior generations. 13% are estimated to qualify for a Federal Pell Grant.

Admitted students have pursued a most demanding secondary school curriculum in a range of educational settings. Their middle 50% testing ranges are 1450-1550 on the SAT and 33-35 on the ACT.

So, either Penn’s student newspaper was completely in error in what it reported (only 6,088 ED applicants) or Penn somehow found 365 additional ED applications after November 13 (twelve days after its ED deadline). Were all of them QuestBridge students? If not, where did the other applications come from?

Even taking Penn’s latest news release at face value, Penn experienced at minimum a nine percent drop in ED applications in 2019 compared to 2018. Accepting Penn’s latest numbers also means that Penn’s ED acceptance rate for Fall 2019 rose to 19.7% after hitting 18.5% in 2018 when Penn accepted 1,279 ED applicants. Penn has now accepted over half of its Class of 2024, which Penn expects to total 2,400 students, via Early Decision.

Penn’s higher ED acceptance rate this fall tracks with softer demand at various Ivies. For more information on that, click here.

Dickinson College updates value of scholarships and more

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Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Dickinson College’s merit scholarships are designed to recognize exemplary academic performance without regard to financial need, and the Carlisle, Pennsylvania-based college recently restructured the amount each scholarship is worth. Prospective applicants should sit up and take notice!

Only the presidential scholarship requires a separate application; therefore, all Dickinson applicants are considered for the other merit awards by submitting a compelling Common Application.

  • Presidential Scholarship $35,000/year
  • Provost Scholarship $30,000/year
  • 1783 Scholarship $25,000/year
  • John Dickinson Scholarship $20,000/year
  • Benjamin Rush Scholarship $15,000/year

Those are some major awards that would lead to serious reductions in a student’s cost of attendance.

In other Dickinson College news, the college no longer offers Early Action admission. Dickinson will maintain two rounds of Early Decision (with November 15 and January 15 deadlines) and Regular Decision (a January 15 deadline).

In addition, Dickinson has partnered with MyinTuition, which is a quick college cost estimator. It’s a simple and straightforward way for families to anticipate their out-of-pocket cost and get a sense of their eligibility for need-based aid.

Finally, and in many ways most important, Dickinson’s recent development of a Center for Advising, Internships & Lifelong Career Development has strengthened the college’s emphasis on student success by strategically combining Dickinson’s Career Center, Office of Academic Advising, internship/externship programming and alumni career services. The college is already seeing the fruits of this new organizational structure:

  • 98% of Dickinsonians are employed, completing an internship, attending graduate school or pursuing a fellowship one year after graduation.
  • 94% of the class of 2019 completed an internship, research, externship, service-learning or field experience course.
  • Dickinson’s acceptance rates for the class of 2019 are 94% for law school (compared to the 75% national average, according to the Law School Admissions Council) and 95% for medical school (compared to the 39% national average, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges).
  • 100% of the class of 2023 connected with faculty and Center for Advising, Internships & Lifelong Career Development advisors to select classes.

Those members of the Class of 2020 or 2021 interested in Dickinson should consider attending either Dickinson’s October 14 or November 9, 2019 Fall Open Houses, which offer an wonderful opportunity to get to know Dickinson up close.

Bryn Mawr announces new fly-in program

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Bryn Mawr College’s admissions team members know that visiting campus is a huge benefit for students navigating the college search process. Yet, they also recognize that the cost of visiting campus can be a barrier to many students. As a result, Bryn Mawr, a women’s liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania with roughly 1,300 undergraduates, wants to make the campus visit possible for more students, which is why it is launching a new fly-in program – Bryn Mawr Road Scholars – starting Fall 2019.

Bryn Mawr will fund Road Scholars’ travel to campus for one of three selected Senior Stay programs throughout the fall. During the Senior Stay, Road Scholars will have opportunities to connect with Bryn Mawr’s admissions team, attend a class, sleep in Bryn Mawr dorms, and explore all that the Bryn Mawr community has to offer.

Bryn Mawr’s Road Scholar program is designed to support high school seniors who come from “historically underrepresented backgrounds,” which Bryn Mawr defines as “African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, and First-Generation students.”

To learn more about the Road Scholar program, click here. If you are a high school counselor and know a student who is a good fit for this program, you are invited to fill out Bryn Mawr’s nomination form by clicking here.

September 2019 Updates from the University of Arizona

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University of Arizona’s admissions team has sent a September update to college counselors that is chock-full of news from the Tucson-based public university.

In terms of “need to know” information,” Arizona is sharing news that its “admission decision letters are starting to hit mailboxes all across the country.” As with other rolling admission college, the sooner a student applies to University of Arizona  the better because Arizona will roll out admissions decisions in only a matter of weeks after a student’s application file becoming complete. Students interested in University of Arizona can apply here.

Meanwhile, The Arizona Tuition Award,University of Arizona’s merit scholarship opportunity for non-resident students, is also worth noting. As long as students apply and submit their official SAT and/or ACT scores directly from the testing agency by May 1, 2020, they will be reviewed for Arizona’s highest merit scholarships. The Arizona Tuition Award looks at unweighted, 6th semester GPA in the 16 core courses and official SAT or ACT scores. Check out Arizona’s transparent scholarship grid below to see what seniors can qualify for. See other scholarships students may be able to receive here. 

In terms of “good to know information,” Arizona’s admissions team encourages students and their families to visit UA’s storied campus and it “pleased to offer an assortment of events that showcase why the University of Arizona is unlike any other university in the world!” Arizona’s campus Ambassador tours are a great start to get a true Wildcat experience and are offered Monday through Saturday throughout the year. Students will have the opportunity to learn more about the University of Arizona’s curriculum, campus life, and the admissions process with an insightful tour hosted by a current Wildcat.

Meanwhile, Arizona Experience dates are also now available for sign ups. Arizona Experience is a full day, conference style event where students can learn more about the University of Arizona academic and extracurricular opportunities, connect with student services and organizations, enjoy a free lunch in one of many Student Union dining locations, tour a residence hall and more. Arizona Experience is a very popular event and fills up rather quickly. Advanced reservations are required in order to attend Arizona Experience. This event is free for all prospective students and guests are $20 each.

Denison’s Overall Acceptance Rate Drops to 29%

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Beautiful Granville, Ohio, home to Denison University

Alison Slater, Senior Assistant Director of Admission at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, about a half hour outside of Columbus, is shedding light on the first-year class that Denison will be welcoming to campus in Fall 2019.

Denison experienced “another record number of applications this year,” which resulted in an all-time low admission rate of 29 percent, according to Slater. Particularly notable is the fact that Denison will be meeting full demonstrated financial need for all members of its Class of 2023 – including admitted international students.

Slater added that Denison’s “Class of 2023 is extremely diverse and enhances a student body that is now 18% first-generation, 22% domestic multicultural, and 14% international. Our student body represents all 50 U.S. states and 56 countries, and the incoming class boasts middle 50% test score ranges of 27-31 (ACT) and 1200-1410 (SAT).”

Meanwhile, on Denison’s campus, the brand-new, 108,000-square-foot Michael D. Eisner (former Disney CEO) Center for the Performing Arts is now open. Denison’s dance, music, and theatre departments moved into their new home recently and look forward to putting the center’s new technology to good use.

While Denison’s name and location may not be as well known as its peer institutions further north and east, it’s certainly worth a visit for students interested in a strong liberal arts education. Clearly, an increasing number of students are getting this message.

University of Florida to Finally Accept Common Application

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Gainesville, Florida is home to University of Florida.

Charles Murphy, University of Florida’s Director of Freshman and International Admissions has made news that is sure to boost University of Florida’s first-year application numbers, make UF more selective for first-year applicants, bring smiles to the faces of high school counselors across the country, and keep high school seniors on edge later into this upcoming year’s admissions cycle.

“Starting with the 2019-20 application cycle, the University of Florida will accept both the Common Application and the Coalition Application. As you likely know, we have exclusively taken the Coalition Application the last few years, and look forward to continued partnerships with Coalition for applications and programming aimed at promoting access and student success. We are still finalizing some internal logistics with the Common Application, so you will not yet see this information updated on our admissions website or the Common Application’s website. However, that information will be updated as soon as possible once everything is finalized.” Murphy shared.

Murphy went on to add that starting during the 2019-2020 admissions cycle, UF’s admissions notification date will move back to the last Friday of February, which for the upcoming admissions cycle is February 28, 2020. In recent years, UF has notified applicants of their admissions decisions in early February. According to Murphy, UF already enjoys “consistent year to year increases in application volume,” and with the acceptance of the Common App, UF will certainly need the extra weeks in February to review what will surely be the biggest increase in applications UF has experienced yet based on how other colleges’ first-year application numbers have increased after joining the Common App.

UF’s one first-year application deadline of November 1 will remain the same as in past years. High school counselors have not so much enjoyed having their students apply to UF in recent years, as the university has most recently been a Coalition Application exclusive college, which means it accepted no application other than the Coalition Application. The Coalition Application, while a good idea in theory (it was created to promote equity and access and to serve as a strong and more user-friendly counter balance to the Common App), turns out to be an increasingly wretched application in practice, as its functionality and usability has taken a nose dive with each passing admissions cycle. This is saying a lot because the application was never as user-friendly as behemoth competitor Common App (approaching 1,000 members) or the small but seamless Universal College App (in an inexplicable funk with only ten members). In fact, the Coalition Application is so horrible to use from the perspective of applicants (I had one student fly into an uncontrollable rage this past year when trying to navigate her Coalition Application, while another student I was working with at one point pushed his chair back from the computer where he was working on the Coalition Application and proceeded to just look out into the distance in what seemed like a catatonic state for at least four minutes after becoming completely stupefied by the application’s interface) that I purposely won’t link to it in this article for fear that doing so would encourage students to use it. High school counselors have been increasingly befuddled by how to advise students to navigate the Coalition Application, which seems filled with trap doors, dead ends, and missing links.

Sadly, University of Maryland, College Park and University of Washington will remain Coalition-exclusive colleges for the upcoming admissions cycle. Meanwhile, University of Virginia and Dartmouth College have quietly made clear that they will stop accepting the hot mess that is the Coalition Application for the 2019-2020 application cycle, though both institutions did not use those words – or any words, actually – in making the change.

With so many colleges now accepting the Common App for first-year college entry admissions, UF can expect a lot more unserious apps coming its way, which, trust me, is just fine with UF because it will allow UF to increase its selectivity (UF will get to reject a higher percentage of students than ever before) and perceived prestige (though prestige, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder). It will also allow UF to turn away more Florida residents who often get to attend the institution for little out-of-poket money because of Florida’s generous Bright Futures scholarships, which are funded by players and addicts alike of the Florida Lottery.

Claremont McKenna ‘Preview’ gives some free and full access to campus

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Claremont McKenna College’s 2019 fall fly-in program, known as Preview, takes place from October 12 through 15, 2019 and is designed for rising high school seniors who would be first-generation college students and rising high school seniors from “diverse backgrounds,” who Claremont McKenna describes as being, “traditionally underrepresented in higher education.” All transportation costs, housing accommodations, and meals during the program are covered by the college.

The application for Preview, which requires completion of six short essays and submission of a high school transcript and list of senior year courses, is available through August 15, 2019

Applicants and their high school counselors will be notified of the college’s final selection by Tuesday, August 23. 2019. During the program students will have the opportunity to attend classes, explore Claremont McKenna’s eleven research institutes, attend a presentation at the Athenaeum, connect with current students and professors, and generally experience life on and around campus.

Southern California’s Claremont McKenna College (often referred to colloquially as CMC), which has approximately 1,300 students, practices need-blind admissions – students are admitted without regard to their family’s financial resources, pledges to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need of those applicants admitted.

Rising high school seniors with questions about Claremont McKenna College generally or Preview specifically are encouraged to contact [email protected] or 909-621-8088.

It’s a good time to be interested in Williams College

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The dean of admission and financial aid at Williams College, a small (approximately 2,000 undergraduates) and selective (approximately 12.4% overall acceptance rate for fall 2019 first-year entry) private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, wants to make sure students know about important opportunities and updates for students interested in applying for 2020.

Liz Creighton, Williams’ Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, has informed high school counselors that interested students should apply for the 2019 Windows on Williams (WOW) program by either the July 1 or August 1 deadline. The amazing WOW program gives more than 200 stellar rising high school seniors the opportunity to spend three all-expenses-paid days on the Williams campus. While diverse rising seniors are encouraged to applying, Creighton notes that, “preference will be given to students who couldn’t otherwise afford to visit.”

Those rising seniors who want to hear from Williams about their WOW decision by July 20 should apply by the July 1 deadline, and those who want to hear about their WOW decision by August 20 should apply by August 1. Rising seniors with questions should contact Williams with any questions.

Creighton also underscored Williams’ longstanding commitment to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need and providing free textbooks and course materials to all financial aid recipients; yet, she also shared that moving forward there are additional opportunities to support students with financial need. Of particular note are the following four initiatives:

  • Williams’ new “Free Summer” initiative gives students the opportunity to select up to two summers during their Williams career when their summer earnings contribution will be replaced by additional grant funding from the college. The powers that be at Williams hope this new policy will allow students to consider educationally valuable but unpaid or low-paid summer opportunities that they otherwise couldn’t.
  • The Williams Health Insurance Grant now covers the full cost of health insurance for all aid recipients who don’t have insurance that meets the college’s requirements. Students also have access to an Emergency Medical Fund to cover the cost of unanticipated medical expenses like new eyeglasses and emergency dental care.
  • All financial aid recipients now get free storage for their personal belongings during summers and study abroad.
  • Through the First Yard Fund, incoming first-year students with the greatest financial need will receive a $300 startup grant in mid-July to help them buy personal items they need for college, like a winter coat and boots, dorm room supplies, etc.

MyinTuition gives prospects more of an idea of how affordable Williams can be for those accepted.

Williams also offers travel stipends to high schools and community-based organizations who serve low-income students. Counselors interested in learning about how they and their students can connect with Williams in their local areas, are invited by Creighton to contact their regional admission officer.

Vanderbilt Class of 2023 Early Decision Stats Released

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John O. Gaines, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Vanderbilt University, announced some interesting tidbits of information that should be of interest to students and others who want to learn more about the selectivity of Vanderbilt’s overall Early Decision first-year student admissions process for its Class of 2023. The highlights include:

  • The middle fifty percent of students accepted into Vanderbilt’s Class of 2023 via ED I and ED II who reported their SAT scores had SAT Evidence Based Reading and Writing scores of between 710 and 760.
  • Meanwhile, The middle fifty percent of students accepted into Vanderbilt’s Class of 2023 via ED I and ED II who reported their SAT scores had SAT Math scores of between 770 and 800.
  • Of those students accepted to Vanderbilt’s Class of 2023 ED I or ED II who reported their ACT scores, the middle fifty percent had ACT composite scores of between 33 and 35.
  • No statistics were given regarding GPA averages of accepted students, which is not surprising because GPA scales different from school to school and some schools are ditching GPAs all together. A significant percentage of high schools also do not rank students, and an even greater percentage of high school counselors severely guesstimate students’ ranks in their counselor evaluation reports to colleges; yet, that didn’t stop Vanderbilt from reporting that of those students accepted ED I or ED II this admissions cycle who attend high schools willing to give a decile rankings for their students, ninety-seven percent of accepted students were in the top ten percent of their graduating classes.
  • Overall, Vanderbilt’s average ED acceptance rate for its Class of 2023 was 19.8 percent.

In recent years, Vanderbilt has filled more than fifty percent of its first-year classes with students accepted Early Decision. Also in recent years, Vanderbilt has become a college that has an ED acceptance rate that is at least twice as high as its Regular Decision acceptance rate. With that in mind, it would not be surprising to see Vanderbilt announce later this spring that its Regular Decision acceptance rate has fallen to seven percent or below. We’ll keep you updated.

In closing, we know we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all, but what’s up with colleges combining their Early Decision I and Early Decision II admissions statistics for public dissemination? What we didn’t learn today is how students accepted to Vanderbilt ED I compared to students accepted to Vanderbilt ED II. If Mr. Gaines would like to fill us in on how Vandy’s ED I admits compared to Vandy’s ED II admits, he is respectfully invited to contact us here, and we will happily and thankfully share his response with our loyal audience.

In the interim, congratulations to Vanderbilt and to those students accepted to Vanderbilt ED I and ED II during this admissions cycle.

Washington University in St. Louis sees 70 percent increase in applications

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December 14, 2019 Note: The below article is about the 2018-2019 admissions cycle. The only information yet published out of St. Louis about the 2019-2020 admissions cycle is that Wash U. has accepted 708 students Early Decision I (EDI). Check this space for more information about the Wash U. 2019-2020 admissions cycle as we have it. If Wash U. follows trends from the Ivies, and if its lack of any major press release to date is any indication, it’s very possible that Wash U. saw a decrease in the number of students applying this fall. 

Ronné P. Turner, Washington University in St. Louis’ Vice Provost of Admissions & Financial Aid, informed counselors on Thursday, February 13, 2019 that inclusive of the university’s two Early Decision rounds and its QuestBridge rounds during this admissions cycle, the selective private Missouri university, “reviewed over 3,000 applications – a 70 percent increase from years past.”

For more clarity and context, last year during its one Early Decision round of admission, Wash U. reviewed 1,850 applications.

Wash U. has been selective for a long time, but this was the first year that Wash U. offered ED II. With the university accepting 250 students on Thursday when its ED II decisions were released, Wash U. anticipates that 60 percent of its first-year class – the Class of 2023 – will be populated by students who were accepted before Regular Decision. Last year only 40 percent of students enrolling in the university’s Class of 2022 were accepted ED. Turner did not provide any specific breakout information regarding Questbridge applications or acceptances.

This year, as in past years, students who applied Regular Decision will get their decisions by April 1, 2019.

Interestingly, despite being a hyper-selective university with an overall acceptance rate in the mid teens, some of those students accepted to Wash U. so far in this year’s admissions cycle will be required to attend the university’s First-Year Summer Academic Program from June 8, 2019 through July 13, 2019. According to Turner, “this is solely to help with the transition from high school to college. Their admission is contingent upon attendance/successful completion of this five-week program.” The First-Year Summer Academic Program “gives a select group of students the opportunity to ensure their readiness for STEM and pre-med coursework as well as to improve their critical reading, writing, and study skills. Students attending FSAP may be among the first in their family to attend college or coming from high schools with limited AP/IB offerings,” according to the university.