Stanford Hopefuls May Be Reassured by The University's Latest Admissions Stats

17/11/20204 minute read
Stanford Hopefuls May Be Reassured by The University's Latest Admissions Stats

For the first time since 2004, Stanford’s acceptance rate increased from the previous year for the Class of 2024

It’s no secret that the Ivy League and other top US schools are among the most selective in the world, with average Ivy acceptance rates resting around 8% and other schools like Stanford, Duke and the University of Chicago recording similar numbers.

For the past year especially, there has been a lot of interest around Stanford’s admissions rate, as unlike most of their highly-selective counterparts, Stanford did not release their statistics earlier in the admissions round year.

However, statistics released by the university in the past week finally confirmed just how competitive its admissions process is — and while Stanford is certainly very competitive, a slight rise in the admission rate can be seen as a positive for hopeful Stanford applicants this year.

In the 2019/20 admissions round, Stanford received 45,227 applications — of which 2,349, or 5.19%, were offered admission. That’s a slight increase from the 4.34% reported two years ago.

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Stanford announced in 2018 that it would no longer share admissions statistics independently and would withhold information on acceptance rates until the end of the admissions cycle each year, when they’re required to report it to the US government. Their intentions in doing so are pure: in a press release, the university said their aim is to de-emphasize the focus on admissions rates to avoid deterring students from applying.

However, many students use this information to make important decisions about where to apply — and especially where to submit early decision and early action applications.

There’s no telling what this year’s numbers indicate about Stanford’s acceptance trends. Perhaps with COVID-19 circumstances to consider, the university anticipated more deferrals from accepted students compared to previous years (378 of the class of 2024 deferred enrollment). Perhaps last year’s record-low acceptance rate provided more leeway for the class of 2024. Or, perhaps there was simply a greater number of outstanding applications during the last admissions cycle and Stanford’s Board of Admissions couldn’t possibly turn away such talent — even if it meant exceeding a 5% acceptance rate.

Whatever the case, there’s at least one thing worth taking to heart from Stanford’s rationale for delaying the announcement of admissions figures. In the words of the university’s Provost Persis Drell, “By focusing on the admit rate, talented students who would thrive at Stanford may opt not to apply because they think Stanford seems out of reach. And that would be a shame.”

Even with a streak-breakingly high acceptance rate this year, Stanford is still an elite institution requiring the strongest and most well-rounded applications from their prospective students. But with the right tools, any top US university can come within reach.

At Crimson we have celebrated with scores of students each year who have received that highly anticipated “Congratulations” letter from Stanford — which proves anything is possible if you dream big, work hard and have the support of skilled tutors and mentors dedicated to your success behind you.

To learn more about what it takes to get accepted to Stanford and other top US colleges, and how Crimson can help you get there, click on the link below to schedule a free one hour consultation with one of our Academic Advisors.

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