During certain periods when students apply early for college, the number of applications goes up, but the chances of getting admitted early to Ivy League schools decrease to the lowest they’ve ever been. Some years, there aren’t many new records set across these schools. In other years, it’s a mix, with some schools breaking records while others don’t.
For the Class of 2028, the early application rounds had mixed outcomes. Out of the six schools that have provided enough data about their early admission cycles for 2023-2024, Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania broke their previous admission records. However, Brown University, Columbia University, Harvard University, and Yale University did not set any new records. Cornell University and Princeton University haven’t shared their numbers yet.
Mitigating Factors Behind the Class of 2028 Ivy League Admissions Statistics
So, why are the Ivy League’s Early Action/Decision admissions figures for the Class of 2028 so mixed? This cycle’s figures were most likely influenced by several causes, including:
- The shocking testimony of the former presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as their administrations’ failure to prevent terrible acts of antisemitism on their campuses, cast a shadow over this year’s Early Round of admissions. However, despite what The New York Post reported, it did not lead to students choosing “second-tier universities” over the Ivy League, and in fact, applications to Penn increased compared to the previous year. Similar issues were also seen at Cornell University, another Ivy League school in the news this fall for its poor response to rising antisemitism on campus. Harvard’s numbers were also not unusual; historical data shows that applications to Harvard often decrease after high numbers in previous years.
- The excitement about test-optional policies is fading. During the pandemic, all Ivy League colleges made tests optional, and they have stayed that way ever since. However, as we at Ivy Coach have been saying in Ivy League admissions since the pandemic began, students with high test scores will always have an advantage over those who do not submit scores. At the peak of the pandemic, Ivy League schools set benchmarks for applications, mainly because of candidates we called “Squeakers” – students who thought they could get in without scores. While there are always Squeakers who aim for the impossible, students who apply without test scores are realising the challenges in recent years. Sure, some people can get in without scores — but they’re not helping themselves.
- The repeal of Affirmative Action in June 2023 meant that the 2023-2024 admission cycle would be the first in which schools that gave preferential treatment to applicants based on race would be considered illegal. However, all eight Ivies found a way around the Supreme Court’s decision by relying on Chief Justice John Roberts‘ statement, which said, “Nothing in this opinion should be seen as stopping universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, whether through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.” They took advantage of this loophole by including “community” essay questions that indirectly asked students about their life experiences, community involvement, viewpoints, and so on.
Ivy League Class of 2028 Early Action/Decision Acceptance Rates
| Ivy League School | Class of 2028 Early Action/Decision Applications | Class of 2028 Early Action/Decision Acceptances | Class of 2028 Early Action/Decision Acceptance Rate |
| Brown University | 6,244 | 898 | 14.38% |
| Columbia University | 6,009 | Not Yet Released | Not Yet Released |
| Cornell University | Not Yet Released | Not Yet Released | Not Yet Released |
| Dartmouth College | 3,550 | 606 | 17.07% |
| Harvard University | 7,921 | 692 | 8.74% |
| Princeton University | Not Yet Released | Not Yet Released | Not Yet Released |
| University of Pennsylvania | Over 8,500 | Not Yet Released | Not Yet Released |
| Yale University | 7,856 | 709 | 9.02% |
Ivy League Early Admission Statistics by College
Brown University
Brown University got 6,244 applications from students applying early for the Class of 2028. Out of these, 898 students were accepted, making the early acceptance rate 14.38%. Most students who didn’t get accepted early were either denied outright (67.6%) or were put into the regular admission pool for further consideration (16.8%). This shows a trend of fewer students being deferred and more being denied over time.
Though Brown didn’t break any records in terms of early applicants or acceptance rate, it did have its second-highest number of early applicants and the second-lowest acceptance rate ever. Last year, for the Class of 2027, Brown saw its largest early applicant pool and lowest acceptance rate.
Columbia University
Columbia University got 6,009 applications in the Early Decision round for the Class of 2028, covering both Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Even though Columbia hasn’t shared its acceptance rate for Early Decision this time, the 6,009 applications received are more than last year’s 5,738. However, it’s still less than the 6,435 applications received for the Class of 2025.
Columbia’s ranking in the US News & World Report went down last year because they provided incorrect data to the newspaper. This year, the university’s ranking improved, but it’s still not as high as it was before the scandal.
Cornell University
Cornell University hasn’t shared how many students got in early for the Class of 2028 yet, just like in past years. But Ivy Coach hears that more students applied early compared to last year. We’ll share the numbers once they’re out.
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College got a lot of early applications for the Class of 2028 – a total of 3,550, which is 18% more than last year’s 3,009.
Out of these, 606 students got accepted early, making the early admission rate 17.07% for Dartmouth’s Class of 2028. This is the lowest it’s been and more than 2% lower than last year’s record.
Harvard University
Harvard University got 7,921 applications for its Class of 2028 through Early Action and accepted 692 students, making the acceptance rate 8.74%. This is the highest acceptance rate for Early Action since the Class of 2024, but it’s still the fourth-lowest in Harvard’s history.
Out of the students who didn’t get accepted in the Early Action round for Harvard’s Class of 2028, 83% were put on hold, while only 7.7% were outright rejected.
Princeton University
Princeton University hasn’t shared Early Action admissions data for the Class of 2028 yet. We’ll update these numbers once they’re available.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania got a lot of applications – a whopping 8,500 – from students wanting to join the Class of 2028 early. This number is more than the 8,000 students who applied early for the Class of 2027, the 7,795 who applied early for the Class of 2026, and the 7,962 who applied early for the Class of 2025.
We don’t know yet how many of these early applicants Penn will accept for the Class of 2028, but we’ll share that info when we have it.
Yale University
Yale University got 7,856 applications for early admission for the 2028 class, which is the second-highest number of early applicants in the university’s history. Out of these, 709 students were accepted, which makes the early admission acceptance rate 9.02%, the lowest it has ever been at Yale.
For those who didn’t get early admission to Yale’s 2028 class, 1,531 (around 20%) were moved to the regular admission pool, while 5,537 (around 70%) were not accepted at all. It’s worth noting that there’s a difference between being deferred from Harvard and Yale.
Ivy Coach’s Forecast for the Ivy League Class of 2028 Regular Decision Cycle
At Ivy Coach, we have a very accurate tool for predicting outcomes, which has been mentioned in The Dartmouth, the oldest newspaper at American colleges.
Our tool predicts that the Ivy League’s regular application process for the 2023-2024 academic year will be similar to the early application process for the Class of 2028. We think that most of the eight Ivy League schools won’t receive more applications than usual this year, although a few might.
Will our prediction be correct? We’ll find out in early April.
