Yale sees 14% drop in early applications, admits 10.8% for class of 2029 – Times of India

Yale College announced that it admitted 728 students from a pool of 6,729 early applicants to the Class of 2029, marking an early acceptance rate of 10.8 percent. This figure represents one of the lowest early acceptance rates in the university’s history, as reported by Yale Daily News. Last year, the early acceptance rate was slightly higher at 9.02 percent, the lowest in over two decades.
Early Application Trends
The early action pool saw a 14 percent decrease in the number of applicants compared to the previous year.Despite this dip, Yale’s admissions office found a notable increase in the applicant pool compared to the 2019-2020 admissions cycle, when the university last required standardized test scores for all applicants. This year’s early applicants must submit test results from one or more options, including the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.
Yale’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, Jeremiah Quinlan, attributed the decrease in applicants to the university’s return to requiring standardized testing for the Class of 2029. However, he noted that the early application pool saw an increase of 17 percent when compared to the pre-test-optional era, which shows that the overall applicant interest remains strong despite the change in testing policy.
Deferred and Denied Applicants
Of the remaining early applications, 17 percent were deferred to the regular decision round, 71 percent were denied admission, and 1 percent were either withdrawn or incomplete. Deferred applicants will receive their final decision on March 27, 2025, alongside regular decision applicants.
Impact of Race-Blind Admissions
This year’s early admissions process is also the second to be conducted under Yale’s race-blind admissions policy, following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down race-conscious college admissions. While this change has not drastically affected the diversity of the incoming class, it continues to impact the university’s approach to admissions, with a slightly lower percentage of Asian American applicants in the early pool.
Yale’s decision to increase early rejections and decrease deferrals is part of a broader trend aimed at providing applicants with final decisions sooner. Quinlan noted that the increased number of applications has pushed the admissions committee to make more final calls early in the process rather than deferring applications for reconsideration in the spring.
As Yale looks to the regular decision round, Quinlan expressed optimism about the diverse and talented pool of applicants, noting that many outstanding candidates would still be considered in the months ahead.