College Admissions Becoming Increasingly Competitive: How Are Top Students Getting Rejected? | By Eva Zheng

Over the years, college admissions have become an increasingly daunting process marked by intense pressure and unpredictability. With acceptance rates at Ivy League and top-tier universities plummeting to historic lows, students with perfect GPAs, top SAT scores, and extensive extracurriculars are finding themselves rejected. There is so much that happens in the college admissions process that is out of the hands of the applicant.

Harvard University’s acceptance rate dropped from 6.2% in 2015 to 3.6% for the Class of 2028. Overall, the average acceptance rate across Ivy League institutions decreased from 8.9% in 2015 to 5.1% in 2024. This downward trend is attributed to factors such as an increase in the number of applications and more competitive applications leading to higher expectations from colleges.

As more students take Advanced Placement classes, the academic bar is being pushed higher. Between 2008 and 2018, the number of students taking AP exams rose by 65%, and more than 1.2 million high school students in the U.S took an AP course in 2019, marking a 57% increase over the past decade. As a result, what was once considered a rigorous high school curriculum is now expected of every applicant from top-tier high schools.

In addition, legacy admissions and donor influence play a role at many top schools. Harvard accepted legacy applicants at a rate of 33%, which is more than five times its overall acceptance rate during that period. Applicants connected to wealthy donors have their chances of admission boosted by a factor of nine. This preference thereby decreases college access for low-income students.