Most top colleges, like Yale and Princeton, pay close attention to how many admitted students actually enrol. This is called the yield rate, which shows the percentage of accepted students who decide to attend college.
Some of the most prestigious universities aim to enrol about half of the students they accept. However, others, like Yale and Princeton, want to get an even higher proportion of admitted students to attend. On the other hand, Harvard doesn’t worry much about this because they know most accepted students will choose to go there.
In short, Harvard is known for being Harvard.
What Is Harvard’s Yield Rate?
Here’s a look at how many students accepted offers to attend Harvard over the past 12 years, from the Class of 2027 to the Class of 2016. Harvard usually gets more than 80% of the students it offers admission to, which is really high for top schools. Only twice in the last 12 years did Harvard get fewer than 80% of the students it accepted, and one of those times was during a global epidemic.
| Harvard Class Year | Harvard’s Yield Rate |
| Class of 2028 | Not Yet Determined |
| Class of 2027 | “Slightly over 84%.” |
| Class of 2026 | 83% |
| Class of 2025 | 84.2% |
| Class of 2024 | 69.8% * |
| Class of 2023 | 82.1% |
| Class of 2022 | 81.7% |
| Class of 2021 | 82.8% |
| Class of 2020 | 78.8% |
| Class of 2019 | 80% |
| Class of 2018 | 82% |
| Class of 2017 | 81% |
| Class of 2016 | 80.2% |
* The epidemic had a big impact on how many students from the Class of 2024 ended up going to Harvard. A lot of students decided to delay starting college and take a gap year instead.
The Yield Rates Across America’s Top 25 Universities
The list below shows how many students actually enrol at the top 25 universities in the US. It’s based on the 2024 rankings from US News & World Report.
| College/University | 2024 US News Rank | Yield Rate for the Class of 2027 |
| Princeton University | #1 | 76.66% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | #2 | 84.59% |
| Harvard University | #3 | Slightly Over 84% |
| Stanford University | #3 | Not Yet Published |
| Yale University | #5 | 69.97% |
| University of Pennsylvania | #6 | 69.66% |
| California Institute of Technology | #7 | 63.83% |
| Duke University | #7 | 55.92% |
| Brown University | #9 | 63.25% |
| Johns Hopkins University | #9 | 54.35% |
| Northwestern University | #9 | 56% |
| Columbia University | #12 | 64.07% |
| Cornell University | #12 | 66.46% |
| University of Chicago | #12 | 87.94% |
| University of California, Berkeley | #15 | 45.58% |
| University of California, Los Angeles | #15 | 51.7% |
| Rice University | #17 | 45.97% |
| Dartmouth College | #18 | 67.13% |
| Vanderbilt University | #18 | 57.03% |
| University of Notre Dame | #20 | 60% |
| University of Michigan | #21 | 47.49% |
| Georgetown University | #22 | 49.92% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | #22 | 43.32% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | #24 | 45% |
| Emory University | #24 | Emory College: 40.53% | Oxford College: 14.36% |
| University of Virginia | #24 | 41.6% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | #24 | 47.59% |
The Remarkable Yield of Harvard
For the Class of 2027, which is the most recent year we have data for because the admissions process for the Class of 2028 is still happening, only Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Chicago had more than 80% of admitted students actually attend. Harvard says their rate is just over 84%, while MIT’s rate is 84.59%, and the University of Chicago’s is 87.94%.
Looking at the numbers, Princeton University (76.66%), Yale University (69.97%), the University of Pennsylvania (69.66%), Dartmouth College (67.13%), and Cornell University (66.46%) all have high rates of students who decide to attend, with over 65% of admitted students enrolling. Stanford University hasn’t shared its Class of 2027 results yet.
When it comes to picking schools, those who get into UChicago often prefer it over Harvard or Stanford. That’s why UChicago’s Class of 2027 had a high enrollment rate of 87.94% (1,626 out of 1,849 admits). On the other hand, students at Stanford and MIT sometimes switch to Harvard. Some choose Harvard, while others stick with Stanford or MIT. Compared to this, Harvard’s usual enrollment rate of around 85% stands out.
In simple terms, Harvard stands at the top, with other schools trailing behind.
