Does Applying Early Boost Your Acceptance Odds at Elite Colleges?
Read now/f/64062/900x500/ae533a70b4/universities-2.png)
March 30 was Ivy Day 2023! It was a day full of excitement and emotions and students around the world learned if they were accepted into their dream Ivy League school. Those who are accepted will remember this day for the rest of their lives, but unfortunately, most applicants will face the disappointing news they were not admitted (given Ivy admissions rates are as low as 4.5%).
Whatever this day held, it’s important to remember the schools in the Ivy League are some of the most selective schools in the world. Tens of thousands of students apply every year, and a tiny percentage actually get accepted. Let’s take a look at the new Class of 2027 acceptance statistics and how they compare with the numbers over the last 10 years.
The results are in! The Ivy League schools accepted a record low number of students into their Class of 2027. While a few reported numbers similar to last year’s Class of 2026, many of the universities saw numbers slowly start to normalize towards the pre-Covid figures. Harvard only accepted 3.4% of its 56,937 applicants and Penn only reported 4.1% of its applicants received admittance letters! Check out the full list of the Ivy League Class of 2027 results below.
Ivies | Acceptance Rate |
---|---|
Harvard | 3.4% |
Columbia | 3.9% |
Yale | 4.35% |
Brown | 5.1% |
Penn | 4.1% |
Dartmouth | 6% |
Princeton | ~4% |
Cornell | ~8% |
This year has proven again to be one of the most competitive in the history of the Ivy League. Acceptance rates are holding steady at record-low rates across all Ivy League schools. This ongoing trend is likely due in part to the following:
The numbers in the chart below show it’s getting even more difficult to get into the Ivy League. In general, more students applied to the Ivies than ever before. The University of Pennsylvania and Yale University saw a slight increase in acceptance rates, but minimal in the overall admittance picture. All the universities saw record high numbers of early applications as well.
Class of: | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harvard | 5.2% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.4% |
Columbia | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.1% | 6.1% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.9% |
Yale | 6.9% | 6.3% | 5.9% | 6.5% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.35% |
Brown | 8.3% | 7.2% | 6.6% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 5.0% | 5.1% |
UPenn | 9.2% | 8.4% | 7.4% | 8.1% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 4.1% |
Dartmouth | 10.4% | 8.7% | 7.9% | 8.8% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6% |
Princeton | 6.1% | 5.5% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 4.0% | ~4.0% | ~4.% |
Cornell | 12.5% | 10.3% | 10.6% | 10.7% | 8.7% | ~8.0% | ~8% |
Scroll for more
The Ivy League school with the highest acceptance rate is Cornell University. However, the university does not release admissions data so we can just estimate based on past figures. With an average acceptance rate of about 12% (based on the numbers over the last ten years), Cornell is the easiest Ivy League to get into.
The Ivy League school is the lowest acceptance rate is Harvard. With an average acceptance rate of around 3% (based on numbers over the last ten years), Harvard is the hardest Ivy League to get into.
The chart above highlights the average acceptance rates, including the most recent class of 2027 numbers, of all eight Ivy League schools over the last ten years.
Hundreds of thousands of high-achieving students apply to the Ivy League each year, and the numbers are growing! The Ivy League received 311,948 applications for the class of 2023 and a record 400,750 applications for the class of 2025. The incoming class of 2027 will likely beat that record with about 410,500 applications!
Cornell University is the Ivy League school that receives the most applications each year, and it’s not surprising since they also have the highest acceptance rate. They received 67,380 applications for their class of 2025.
Dartmouth University is the Ivy League school that receives the least amount of applications. On average, they receive nearly 23,000 applications each year, and this year they received 28,841 applications.
The chart below highlights the trend in the number of applications to all eight Ivy League schools over the last ten years.
While exceptional credentials won’t hurt your application, it might come as a surprise that Ivy League universities are not looking for perfect students. They’re also not looking for well-rounded students. The application pile is filled with students who participate in everything but don’t shine at anything.
Ivy League schools are looking for people who stick out from the crowd, experts in their area of interest. Ivy League colleges want world-changers who are making positive marks on society with the resources available to them.
Ivy League universities are also looking for world-changers who can positively contribute to their community. They’re looking for humble leaders who will bring accomplishment and recognition to the school and those willing to share their knowledge to help fellow students accomplish their goals.
Read more on How to get into an Ivy League School!
It’s no mystery. Getting into an Ivy League school is nearly impossible, yet hundreds of Crimson Education students get accepted to one (and sometimes more than one) Ivy League school each year.
Our students have smashed early and regular round records for the Class of 2027!
Despite the decrease in acceptance rates, the number of Crimson students who have received offers to schools like Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and Yale has increased. We attribute this unprecedented success to our teamwork mentality. Students, their families, and Crimson tutors and mentors work together to create stellar admissions-worthy applications.
Here are just some statistics on our class of 2027 early-round results.
We are so excited for Crimson’s Class of 2027 and can’t wait to share their success stories with you! Keep an eye on our blog and website for more regular round admission results.
More than 600 Crimson students have been admitted to the Ivy League! Here is a breakdown of Crimson’s Class of 2027 top university admit numbers.
We are so excited for Crimson’s Class of 2027 and can’t wait to share their success stories with you! Keep an eye on our blog and website for more regular round admission results.
With Ivy League acceptance rates at their lowest and application numbers at their highest, it is extremely difficult to get into an Ivy League school. If you want to increase your chances of getting into an Ivy League, consider applying for early admission/early decision.
Working with a Crimson academic advisor will also increase your chances of getting into an Ivy League school.
If you want to get into an Ivy League school or another top university, contact one of our admissions counselors for a free one-hour, highly personalized consultation by clicking on the link below.
Congratulations, Students! From Crimson Strategists