The college admissions process evolves with each passing year, and the early data from the 2024 application cycle provides new data to analyze. At Marks Education, we’re committed to keeping you informed about trends in higher education and how they might impact your college planning strategy.
Early Action and Decision Trends
In recent admissions cycles at top schools, application pools continue to rise. Schools like Auburn, Marquette, James Madison, and more all saw a continued increase in applicants. Such trends indicate an escalating competition for spots at top schools, and encourage students to consider what they can do to stand out amidst growing applicant pools.
The question of whether students apply with or without test scores is also continuing to rear its head in college admissions. For some time now, reliance on standardized test scores for college admissions has been shifting as schools consider test optional policies. Read on to learn more about the role testing had to play in the latest admitted classes to top institutions.
Auburn University: Auburn had a 14% increase in applications, reaching a record 55,000. The early action admit rate stands at 39%, with 34% of admits coming from Alabama and 25% from underrepresented backgrounds. The average ACT® score among admits was 29 and only 10% were admitted without standardized test scores.
Bowdoin College: Bowdoin reported 13,200 applicants, up 20%, of which 2,005 were EDI or EDII applicants. With 270 EDI or EDII admits, Bowdoin’s admit rate is down from 17.5% in 2023 to 13.5% in 2024.
Brown University: Brown admitted 14.4% of its 6,244 early decision applicants, the largest cohort in its history. The PLME program admitted 22 students, a 3% admit rate. Brown also noted a 5% decrease in total applications, numbering 48,881. Brown recently announced that it will reinstate its requirement that applicants submit ACT® or SAT scores.
Georgetown University: Georgetown reported a 10% admit rate for its 8,584 early action applicants. The middle 50% of SAT scores ranged from 730-790 in math and 730-780 in verbal, with ACT® scores between 32-35.
James Madison University: JMU’s total applications rose by 7% to 40,232, with a 12% increase in early action applications.
Johns Hopkins University: Hopkins admitted 809 students through both rounds of early decision, with 23% being the first in their family to attend college, and 51% speaking a language other than English at home. A whopping 34% of these students will enroll in the Whiting School of Engineering.
Marquette University: Marquette saw a 20% increase in total applications, reaching 18,000.
MIT: MIT’s early action applications totaled 12,563, admitting 661 students (5.26% admit rate).
University of Notre Dame: Notre Dame’s Restrictive Early Action applications increased by 3% to 11,498 with a 15% admit rate. Notably, 56% of applicants did not submit test scores.
Purdue University: Purdue received over 55,000 early action applications, with 97.2% of admits submitting test scores.
Rice University: Rice’s early decision applications reached a record high of 2,886, up 5%, admitting 442 students.
Tufts University: Tufts received 34,400 applications, a 1% increase, and about 45% submitted test scores. International applications rose by 12%, and the School of Engineering received a record 7,500 applications.
University of Richmond: The University of Richmond saw over 16,000 applicants this season, up 6% from 2023, and up 40% from 2019. Of the 16,000 applicants, 1,200 were early decision. That’s up 14% from last year.
University of Southern California: USC’s early action applicants totaled 41,000 and they admitted 2,950 students, producing a 7.2% admit rate. The total expected admit rate for 2024 is projected to be 9.2%.
Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech’s total applications rose by 11% to 52,365, with significant increases across various demographics. VT received 5,059 international applications, up 40.8% from last year, and in-state applications were up 12%.
Conclusion
When applying to college, it’s helpful to understand trends in higher education. This can help maximize your chances of acceptance and award offers at top schools!
Wondering how to make your application stand out at some of these elite schools? Talk to a Marks Education college advisor for advice on application strategies or insights into specific schools. We offer both virtual and in-person consultations to support your journey and look forward to a chance to speak with you.