Bucknell University is an exception to a significant trend in higher education, and we’re here to tell you all about it. At this point, it’s almost colloquial knowledge that getting into an elite college today is harder than it was ten years ago, much less twenty or thirty years ago. Parents are often at a loss to help their children get into the same schools they once got into with ease. But you wouldn’t get a sense of this prevailing trend by looking at the recent changes in acceptance rate at this Lewisburg, Pennsylvania-based private liberal arts college. Let’s take a look:

Bucknell University Acceptance Rate Over 12 Years

Bucknell University Class Year	Overall Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	Not Yet Released
Class of 2028	32.01%
Class of 2027	32.55%
Class of 2026	35.00%
Class of 2025	37.53%
Class of 2024	34.23%
Class of 2023	33.04%
Class of 2022	31.08%
Class of 2021	29.92%
Class of 2020	24.78%
Class of 2019	30.72%
Class of 2018	29.51%
Class of 2017	26.99%
Class of 2016	27.56%

If you were to look at Bucknell’s acceptance rate over the 2011-2016 admissions cycles, you wouldn’t be remiss to believe that it’s a moderately selective school that routinely rejects around three out of every four applicants. If Bucknell’s acceptance rate were in line with most elite schools in the United States, this rate would have dwindled to the low 20% mark by 2025 and would continue to do so going into the future. However, this isn’t what’s happening.

Instead, since the 2016 admissions cycle, Bucknell has experienced an unexpected increase in its acceptance rate. As of the most recent available data, 32.01% gained admission to Bucknell for the Class of 2028. This unexpected increase is a hopeful sign for prospective students. It’s also worth noting that during the 2019-20 academic year, Bucknell instated a test-optional admissions policy. Typically when schools make this change, as so many did during the start of the pandemic, the subsequent applicant pools are flooded with “squeakers.”

The Future of Bucknell’s Acceptance Rate

“Squeakers” is Ivy Coach’s term for the under-qualified students who attempt to “squeak” into test-optional schools out of their academic league by withholding standardized test scores. Bucknell’s decision to go test-optional was not followed by lower acceptance rates for the Class of 2024 and onward, even though going test-optional likely inflated their applicant pools with squeakers. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that Bucknell must be facing declining interest from prospective students. Why else would going test-optional backfire?

Ivy Coach’s famously accurate crystal ball predicts that Bucknell’s acceptance rate will continue to hover in the 30% range — not so great news for Bucknell’s admissions officers but great news for those who have dreams of becoming bonafide Bison. But these Bucknell-bound students shouldn’t celebrate prematurely — there are no guarantees in the elite college admissions process!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With Bucknell Acceptance

Make no mistake: a 35% or so acceptance rate is still incredibly competitive, no matter the context. Fortunately, Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers is here to help optimize your child’s odds of admission to Bucknell with the help of a strategic singular hook. Your child’s singular hook is the often small, highly unique, and wonderfully weird way they will make the most of their time at Bucknell by pursuing a specific cause, passion, or discipline. Admissions officers at Bucknell value unique applicant profiles, and your child’s singular hook could be the key to their success. On the other hand, well-rounded students do the opposite: they dilly and dally without committing to anything, raising a big red flag for admissions officers nationwide.

A lot has changed since the 1980s. Don’t rely on your own knowledge of the college admissions process in the face of new, unprecedented competitiveness. Fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services to help your child make their dreams of sporting Bucknell’s characteristic blue and orange a reality.