Over the last several days, many of America’s highly selective universities have released admissions notifications for the Regular Decision round for the Class of 2027. So what are the trends? Is this the most competitive year ever in elite college admissions?

Class of 2027 Elite College Admissions Trends

Class of 2027 Admission Rates Are So Far on Par with Class of 2026

While it’s still too early to discern definitive overall trends in application figures and acceptance rates at America’s elite colleges for the Class of 2027 as we await word on the data from the remaining elite schools, it seems as though overall acceptance rates and application figures are on par with last year’s numbers with some schools slightly up and some schools slightly down. And while some schools have set new application benchmarks and all-time low admission rates, most are not earth shattering.

Few Application Surges Like for Class of 2025

For the Class of 2025, applications soared at many of America’s top colleges. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as an example, applications spiked by nearly 66%. But we’re not seeing that sort of data this year for the Class of 2027 thus far. Instead, we’re seeing slight variations (with exceptions, like the University of Southern California, where applications were up 17%). After all, applications can’t soar by 66% every year!

“The Most Competitive Year Ever” is Malarkey

And as to the parents who believe it’s “the most competitive year ever,” well, every applicant pool thinks it’s the most competitive year ever. Feeling as much is food for the soul, especially after students don’t get their desired results. Besides, that distinction belongs to the Class of 2025 since, beyond the soaring applications that year, gap year students from the Class of 2024 filled many of the available seats due to the pandemic.

Finally, even when applications rise at a school and the admission rate drops, it doesn’t mean getting in that particular year is more competitive. For example, more C students applying to Harvard University doesn’t make the Harvard applicant pool more competitive.

Potential Major Changes to Admissions Process Loom with Supreme Court Decision

As we await the final admission rates, we can confidently say that significant changes to the admissions process loom if the United States Supreme Court outlaws Affirmative Action later this year. So while the admissions statistics for the Class of 2027 seem more or less on par with the Class of 2026, change is in the air for the Class of 2028.

Class of 2027 Admission Rates at Elite Universities

Top National University Admissions Statistics

Below are the number of students who applied, the number of students accepted, and the overall admission rate for each of the respective top 25 national universities, as ranked by US News & World Report.

While some top schools, like Princeton University and Washington University in St. Louis, have already released decisions for the Class of 2027, the admission figures are not yet available. The below chart will be updated as the numbers come out. All figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.

College/University	2023 US News Rank (“Best National Universities”)	Class of 2027 Total Applications	Class of 2027 Total  Admitted	Class of 2027 Overall Admission Rate	Class of 2026 Overall Admission Rate
Princeton University	#1	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	4%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	#2	26,914	1,259	5%	4%
Harvard University	#3	56,937	1,942	3.41%	3%
Stanford University	#3	56,378	2,075	3.91%	4%
Yale University	#3	52,250	2,275	4.35%	4%
University of Chicago	#6	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	7%
Johns Hopkins University	#7	38,200	2,403	6.29%	6%
University of Pennsylvania	#7	59,000+	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	6%
California Institute of Technology	#9	Not Yet Released	412	Not Yet Released	4%
Duke University	#10	49,469	2,948	6%	6%
Northwestern University	#10	52,225	~3,656	7%	7%
Dartmouth College	#12	28,841	1,751	6%	6%
Brown University	#13	51,302	2,569	5%	5%
Vanderbilt University	#13	47,120	2,645	6%	6%
Rice University	#15	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	8%	9%
Washington University in St. Louis	#15	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	Not Yet Released	10%
Cornell University	#17	71,164	5,168	7.9%	9%
Columbia University	#18	57,129	2,246	4%	4%
University of Notre Dame	#18	28,351	3,399	12%	13%
University of California, Berkeley	#20	125,130	14,220	9%	11%
University of California, Los Angeles	#20	145,882	12,429	11.36%	9%
Carnegie Mellon University	#22	34,261	3,873	11.3%	11%
Emory University	#22	33,534	5,445	16%	11%
Georgetown University	#22	26,638	3,257	12.22%	12%
New York University	#25	120,000+	9,600	8%	12%
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor	#25	84,289	14,914	17.69%	18%
University of Southern California	#25	81,000	8,000	10%	12%
University of Virginia	#25	56,439	9,184	16%	19%

Top Liberal Arts College Admission Statistics

Below are the number of students who applied, the number of students accepted, and the overall admission rate for each of the respective top 25 liberal arts colleges, as ranked by US News & World Report.

While some top liberal arts schools, like Vassar College, have already released decisions for the Class of 2027, the admission figures are not yet available. The below chart will be updated as the numbers come out. All figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.

College/University	2023 US News Rank (“Best Liberal Arts Colleges”)	Class of 2027 Total Applications	Class of 2027 Total  Admitted	Class of 2027 Overall Admission Rate	Class of 2026 Overall Admission Rate
Williams College	#1	11,462	1,144	10%	9%
Amherst College	#2	12,700	1,143	9%	7%
Pomona College	#3	12,121	819	6.75%	7%
Swarthmore College	#4	14,287	969	7%	7%
Wellesley College	#5	8,400	1,092	13%	13%
Bowdoin College	#6	10,966	850	8%	9%
Carleton College	#6	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	22%	17%
Claremont McKenna College	#9	5,638	627	11.12%	10%
Middlebury College	#11	13,297	Not Yet Published	11%	15%
Washington and Lee University	#11	6,820	1,184	17.36%	19%
Smith College	#13	9,868	~1,875	19%	23%
Vassar College	#13	12,145	2,153	17.73%	19%
Davidson College	#15	7,347	1,064	14.48%	17%
Grinnell College	#15	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	9%
Hamilton College	#15	9,643	1,135	11.77%	12%
Barnard College	#18	11,803	~767	7%	8%
Colgate University	#18	21,114	Not Yet Published	12%	12%
Haverford College	#18	6,391	825	12.91%	14%
University of Richmond	#18	15,757	3,467	22%	24%
Wesleyan University	#18	14,500	2,479	17.1%	14%
Colby College	#24	~17,800	1,142	6%	7%
Bates College	#25	9,076	1,185	13.06%	13%

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