There was once a time when Harvard University was the undisputed champion of elite undergraduate admissions. But times have changed, and a new challenger has approached: Stanford University. Today, it is much more of a toss up for those lucky students choosing between both renowned institutions. We at Ivy Coach have noticed the siren call that Stanford sings out to admits, as our cross-admitted clients have taken much longer to deliberate between the schools in recent years than in admission cycles past, and many go with the underdog!

Yield Rate: The Best Barometer for the Relative Prestige of Harvard and Stanford

Yield rate, or the proportion of students admitted to a school who end up matriculating, is the best data point out there for gauging who is winning the war for the higher education throne. A difference of a few percentage points can indicate a vast divide in an elite university’s draw relative to another university. Historically, Harvard has maintained the highest yield across all undergraduate admissions, but as the chart below indicates, the data point now is at a crossroads.

Stanford first usurped Harvard’s matriculation crown in 2020, when the West Coast’s answer to the Ivy League recorded an 82% yield to Harvard’s 80%. Since then, the rates at the two schools have been relatively neck-and-neck, with the exception of the 2020 admissions cycle, in which students who deferred their education for the pandemic seemingly chose to do so at a much greater rate at Stanford than at Harvard, accounting for the 13% disparity in yield during that year. It would appear that in 2024, Harvard still has an edge over Stanford, but this could change very soon. In other words, the yield rate indicates that the (above!) average student admitted to both Harvard and Stanford is probably more likely to choose Harvard, but not quite as likely as they would have been five years ago.

Parchment backs up this assertion: the admissions data processing website currently reports that among cross-admits to both Harvard and Stanford, 61% choose Harvard and 39% choose Stanford. But Harvard’s edge should not be taken for granted. In fact, the data suggest that cross-admits choose Stanford at a higher rate than almost any other school. According to Parchment, when a Harvard acceptance letter is on the line, only 28% choose to attend Yale University, and 26% choose to attend Princeton University. 

How to Decide Between Harvard and Stanford

If you or your child was admitted to both Stanford and Harvard, you should be incredibly proud. For admission to the Class of 2027, both schools recorded acceptance rates below 4%. No matter where you end up, your school will furnish you with incredible academic opportunities, unparalleled resources, and access to the world’s most prestigious social networks. Colloquial knowledge would tell you that STEM and entrepreneurially inclined students should matriculate to Stanford, while future scholars of the humanities and social sciences should matriculate to Harvard, but we at Ivy Coach would simply recommend that cross-admits follow their gut feeling. 

Did you feel more at home in Cambridge or in Silicon Valley? Does Harvard have a fellowship or research consortium that excites you? These are the sorts of questions to ask if you find yourself in the fortunate position of choosing between two of the greatest schools in the world.

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Get Into Harvard and Stanford

Ivy Coach’s clients are no stranger to making seemingly impossible choices between elite institutions. 93% of Ivy Coach’s package clients earned admission in Harvard’s Early Action round over the past five years, and 78% earned admission in Stanford’s Early Action round over the past five years.

If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s assistance in optimizing your child’s case for admission to Harvard or Stanford, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.