When evaluating colleges, two important metrics to consider are the acceptance rate and the yield rate. The acceptance rate indicates how selective a college is, while the yield rate reflects how many admitted students choose to enroll. By comparing these two rates, we can gain insights into which colleges are more popular and harder to get into.
In general, colleges with a low acceptance rate and a high yield rate are often considered more prestigious and desirable. A low acceptance rate suggests that the college receives a large number of applications and admits only a small percentage of applicants, making it more competitive. A high yield rate indicates that a significant portion of admitted students choose to enroll, suggesting that the college is highly attractive to prospective students.
Below, we will explore the acceptance and yield rates of various colleges, highlighting those that are more popular and selective based on these metrics.
We introduce "composite score" as a combined metric that takes into account both acceptance and yield rates. The composite score is calculated as (1/acceptance rate) + (yield rate), giving more weight to colleges that are both selective and popular among admitted students.
The acceptance and yield rates can vary significantly between public and private institutions, as well as across different states. We analyzed 146 colleges total (107 public and 39 private institutions) to generate these insights. Those colleges are often called R1-doctoral universities, which offer very high research activity and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.
Key Differences by School Type: Public schools tend to have higher acceptance rates (averaging 67.16%) compared to private institutions (18.64%), making them generally less selective. However, private schools show higher yield rates (averaging 47.6% vs 24.2%), indicating that admitted students are more likely to enroll. This results in private schools having significantly higher composite scores (0.60 vs 0.26), suggesting they are both more selective and more desirable among admitted students.
Overall Statistics: The average acceptance rate is 54.20%, with an average yield rate of 30.4%. The composite score averages 0.35.
Public Schools: Public institutions have an average acceptance rate of 67.16%, yield rate of 24.2%, and composite score of 0.26.
Private Schools: Private institutions show an average acceptance rate of 18.64%, yield rate of 47.6%, and composite score of 0.60.
Average Statistics for Top 25 Colleges: Among the top-performing institutions based on composite score, the average acceptance rate is 6.89%, indicating these are highly selective colleges. The average yield rate is 62.0%, demonstrating that admitted students are quite likely to choose enrollment at these prestigious institutions.
Institutional Composition: Among the top 25 colleges, 23 are private institutions while only 2 are public, highlighting that private colleges dominate the most selective and desirable institutions by composite score.
Notable Institutions
Leading Institution: Harvard University leads the rankings with an acceptance rate of 3.65% and a yield rate of 83.6%.
Lower Acceptance, Lower Yield: California Institute of Technology shows a tight acceptance rate of 2.57% but relatively lower yield of 61.2%.
Higher Acceptance, Strong Yield: University of Notre Dame has a higher acceptance rate of 11.27% but still shows a strong yield rate of 61.7%.
Public Institutions in Top 25: University of California-Los Angeles, University of California-Berkeley.
The table below presents a comprehensive ranking of the top 25 colleges, ordered by their composite score—a metric that synthesizes both acceptance and yield rates into a single measure of institutional selectivity and desirability. A higher composite score reflects colleges that maintain rigorous admissions standards while simultaneously attracting a large proportion of accepted applicants to enroll.
| Rank | Name | Acceptance Rate | Yield Rate | Composite Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University Private | MA | 3.65% | 83.6% | 1.11 |
| 2 | University of Chicago Private | IL | 4.48% | 88.3% | 1.11 |
| 3 | Stanford University Private | CA | 3.61% | 81.9% | 1.10 |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Private | MA | 4.55% | 85.8% | 1.08 |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology Private | CA | 2.57% | 61.2% | 1.00 |
| 6 | Princeton University Private | NJ | 4.62% | 75.5% | 0.97 |
| 7 | Yale University Private | CT | 3.87% | 69.8% | 0.96 |
| 8 | Columbia University in the City of New York Private | NY | 3.99% | 64.9% | 0.90 |
| 9 | Dartmouth College Private | NH | 5.40% | 69.1% | 0.88 |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania Private | PA | 5.40% | 68.0% | 0.86 |
| 11 | Brown University Private | RI | 5.39% | 65.2% | 0.84 |
| 12 | Vanderbilt University Private | TN | 5.86% | 61.2% | 0.78 |
| 13 | Duke University Private | NC | 5.71% | 58.8% | 0.76 |
| 14 | Cornell University Private | NY | 8.76% | 63.9% | 0.75 |
| 15 | Northeastern University Private | MA | 5.22% | 53.8% | 0.73 |
| 16 | University of Notre Dame Private | IN | 11.27% | 61.7% | 0.71 |
| 17 | Northwestern University Private | IL | 7.69% | 55.3% | 0.68 |
| 18 | New York University Private | NY | 9.23% | 55.4% | 0.66 |
| 19 | Johns Hopkins University Private | MD | 6.44% | 47.0% | 0.63 |
| 20 | University of California-Los Angeles Public | CA | 8.97% | 50.4% | 0.62 |
| 21 | Rice University Private | TX | 8.00% | 44.2% | 0.57 |
| 22 | University of California-Berkeley Public | CA | 10.98% | 46.0% | 0.55 |
| 23 | Washington University in St Louis Private | MO | 12.06% | 46.8% | 0.55 |
| 24 | Georgetown University Private | DC | 12.91% | 46.7% | 0.54 |
| 25 | Carnegie Mellon University Private | PA | 11.66% | 45.7% | 0.54 |
The table below displays all 146 colleges ranked by their composite score, providing a complete overview of institutional selectivity and desirability across all R1-doctoral universities in the dataset.
| Rank | Name | Acceptance Rate | Yield Rate | Composite Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University Private | MA | 3.65% | 83.6% | 1.11 |
| 2 | University of Chicago Private | IL | 4.48% | 88.3% | 1.11 |
| 3 | Stanford University Private | CA | 3.61% | 81.9% | 1.10 |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Private | MA | 4.55% | 85.8% | 1.08 |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology Private | CA | 2.57% | 61.2% | 1.00 |
| 6 | Princeton University Private | NJ | 4.62% | 75.5% | 0.97 |
| 7 | Yale University Private | CT | 3.87% | 69.8% | 0.96 |
| 8 | Columbia University in the City of New York Private | NY | 3.99% | 64.9% | 0.90 |
| 9 | Dartmouth College Private | NH | 5.40% | 69.1% | 0.88 |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania Private | PA | 5.40% | 68.0% | 0.86 |
| 11 | Brown University Private | RI | 5.39% | 65.2% | 0.84 |
| 12 | Vanderbilt University Private | TN | 5.86% | 61.2% | 0.78 |
| 13 | Duke University Private | NC | 5.71% | 58.8% | 0.76 |
| 14 | Cornell University Private | NY | 8.76% | 63.9% | 0.75 |
| 15 | Northeastern University Private | MA | 5.22% | 53.8% | 0.73 |
| 16 | University of Notre Dame Private | IN | 11.27% | 61.7% | 0.71 |
| 17 | Northwestern University Private | IL | 7.69% | 55.3% | 0.68 |
| 18 | New York University Private | NY | 9.23% | 55.4% | 0.66 |
| 19 | Johns Hopkins University Private | MD | 6.44% | 47.0% | 0.63 |
| 20 | University of California-Los Angeles Public | CA | 8.97% | 50.4% | 0.62 |
| 21 | Rice University Private | TX | 8.00% | 44.2% | 0.57 |
| 22 | University of California-Berkeley Public | CA | 10.98% | 46.0% | 0.55 |
| 23 | Washington University in St Louis Private | MO | 12.06% | 46.8% | 0.55 |
| 24 | Georgetown University Private | DC | 12.91% | 46.7% | 0.54 |
| 25 | Carnegie Mellon University Private | PA | 11.66% | 45.7% | 0.54 |
| 26 | Tufts University Private | MA | 11.49% | 45.5% | 0.54 |
| 27 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Public | MI | 15.64% | 47.3% | 0.54 |
| 28 | University of Southern California Private | CA | 9.81% | 43.3% | 0.54 |
| 29 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Public | GA | 14.07% | 45.6% | 0.53 |
| 30 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public | NC | 15.34% | 45.5% | 0.52 |
| 31 | The University of Texas at Austin Public | TX | 26.64% | 47.4% | 0.51 |
| 32 | Emory University Private | GA | 10.65% | 40.4% | 0.50 |
| 33 | Boston College Private | MA | 16.43% | 43.5% | 0.50 |
| 34 | Tulane University of Louisiana Private | LA | 13.98% | 40.3% | 0.47 |
| 35 | Boston University Private | MA | 11.11% | 37.4% | 0.46 |
| 36 | University of Florida Public | FL | 24.20% | 42.2% | 0.46 |
| 37 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Public | VA | 16.81% | 40.0% | 0.46 |
| 38 | Texas A&M University-College Station Public | TX | 57.43% | 39.9% | 0.42 |
| 39 | University of Georgia Public | GA | 37.70% | 38.3% | 0.41 |
| 40 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas Public | NV | 96.17% | 36.2% | 0.37 |
| 41 | University of Central Florida Public | FL | 40.11% | 33.5% | 0.36 |
| 42 | Florida State University Public | FL | 24.22% | 30.9% | 0.35 |
| 43 | The University of Texas at El Paso Public | TX | 99.92% | 33.5% | 0.35 |
| 44 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Public | NC | 41.74% | 31.8% | 0.34 |
| 45 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus Public | ND | 94.96% | 32.0% | 0.33 |
| 46 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette Public | LA | 87.01% | 31.7% | 0.33 |
| 47 | University of Missouri-Columbia Public | MO | 78.47% | 31.0% | 0.32 |
| 48 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus Public | NM | 95.18% | 31.2% | 0.32 |
| 49 | Purdue University-Main Campus Public | IN | 49.87% | 29.2% | 0.31 |
| 50 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Public | IL | 42.37% | 28.8% | 0.31 |
| 51 | Florida International University Public | FL | 54.66% | 29.2% | 0.31 |
| 52 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Public | NE | 87.49% | 29.8% | 0.31 |
| 53 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Public | WI | 45.20% | 28.6% | 0.31 |
| 54 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Public | OK | 76.60% | 29.3% | 0.31 |
| 55 | University of Arkansas Public | AR | 74.30% | 29.2% | 0.30 |
| 56 | Iowa State University Public | IA | 88.66% | 28.8% | 0.30 |
| 57 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Public | TN | 41.60% | 27.4% | 0.30 |
| 58 | University of Miami Private | FL | 18.90% | 24.3% | 0.30 |
| 59 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Public | WA | 39.15% | 26.6% | 0.29 |
| 60 | Kansas State University Public | KS | 81.69% | 27.5% | 0.29 |
| 61 | Texas Tech University Public | TX | 72.65% | 27.1% | 0.29 |
| 62 | The University of Texas at San Antonio Public | TX | 86.79% | 27.1% | 0.28 |
| 63 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Public | OK | 75.04% | 26.9% | 0.28 |
| 64 | University of Houston Public | TX | 73.92% | 26.5% | 0.28 |
| 65 | University of Nevada-Reno Public | NV | 73.71% | 26.5% | 0.28 |
| 66 | The University of Texas at Arlington Public | TX | 79.90% | 26.4% | 0.28 |
| 67 | University of Utah Public | UT | 85.98% | 26.0% | 0.27 |
| 68 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Public | VA | 54.78% | 25.4% | 0.27 |
| 69 | University of Kansas Public | KS | 93.48% | 25.5% | 0.27 |
| 70 | University of Louisville Public | KY | 79.41% | 25.1% | 0.26 |
| 71 | Auburn University Public | AL | 45.92% | 24.1% | 0.26 |
| 72 | University of Southern Mississippi Public | MS | 99.12% | 25.0% | 0.26 |
| 73 | West Virginia University Public | WV | 89.00% | 24.8% | 0.26 |
| 74 | University of South Florida Public | FL | 43.19% | 23.3% | 0.26 |
| 75 | University of North Texas Public | TX | 72.23% | 24.2% | 0.26 |
| 76 | Utah State University Public | UT | 92.47% | 23.8% | 0.25 |
| 77 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Public | WI | 90.68% | 23.8% | 0.25 |
| 78 | Colorado School of Mines Public | CO | 60.69% | 23.1% | 0.25 |
| 79 | University of Alabama in Huntsville Public | AL | 68.57% | 23.2% | 0.25 |
| 80 | University of South Carolina-Columbia Public | SC | 60.15% | 22.9% | 0.25 |
| 81 | Georgia State University Public | GA | 55.44% | 22.7% | 0.24 |
| 82 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Public | LA | 73.33% | 23.0% | 0.24 |
| 83 | University of California-San Diego Public | CA | 26.71% | 20.4% | 0.24 |
| 84 | University of Maryland-College Park Public | MD | 44.79% | 21.6% | 0.24 |
| 85 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Public | OH | 85.29% | 22.5% | 0.24 |
| 86 | University of Iowa Public | IA | 83.62% | 22.4% | 0.24 |
| 87 | Wayne State University Public | MI | 81.16% | 22.4% | 0.24 |
| 88 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Public | MN | 79.75% | 22.3% | 0.24 |
| 89 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Public | OH | 60.57% | 21.8% | 0.23 |
| 90 | University of Kentucky Public | KY | 92.94% | 22.2% | 0.23 |
| 91 | Clemson University Public | SC | 38.34% | 20.7% | 0.23 |
| 92 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Public | AZ | 89.89% | 22.1% | 0.23 |
| 93 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County Public | MD | 72.43% | 21.6% | 0.23 |
| 94 | University of California-Irvine Public | CA | 28.57% | 19.2% | 0.23 |
| 95 | Virginia Commonwealth University Public | VA | 92.62% | 21.6% | 0.23 |
| 96 | University of Hawaii at Manoa Public | HI | 86.60% | 21.4% | 0.23 |
| 97 | University of Illinois Chicago Public | IL | 77.35% | 21.1% | 0.22 |
| 98 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick Public | NJ | 58.15% | 20.5% | 0.22 |
| 99 | The University of Texas at Dallas Public | TX | 65.13% | 20.3% | 0.22 |
| 100 | Oregon State University Public | OR | 77.30% | 20.4% | 0.22 |
| 101 | Montana State University Public | MT | 82.14% | 20.3% | 0.22 |
| 102 | George Washington University Private | DC | 47.09% | 19.3% | 0.21 |
| 103 | Kent State University at Kent Public | OH | 86.34% | 20.3% | 0.21 |
| 104 | George Mason University Public | VA | 87.48% | 20.2% | 0.21 |
| 105 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Public | AL | 88.18% | 20.1% | 0.21 |
| 106 | Mississippi State University Public | MS | 77.64% | 19.8% | 0.21 |
| 107 | Old Dominion University Public | VA | 90.36% | 19.9% | 0.21 |
| 108 | Syracuse University Private | NY | 45.92% | 18.8% | 0.21 |
| 109 | Washington State University Public | WA | 86.64% | 19.7% | 0.21 |
| 110 | Ohio University-Main Campus Public | OH | 84.99% | 19.2% | 0.20 |
| 111 | The University of Montana Public | MT | 95.86% | 19.3% | 0.20 |
| 112 | Brandeis University Private | MA | 40.50% | 17.4% | 0.20 |
| 113 | The University of Alabama Public | AL | 76.65% | 18.5% | 0.20 |
| 114 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Public | MA | 59.73% | 18.0% | 0.20 |
| 115 | University of Mississippi Public | MS | 96.58% | 18.5% | 0.20 |
| 116 | University of Arizona Public | AZ | 86.14% | 18.4% | 0.20 |
| 117 | Michigan State University Public | MI | 84.80% | 18.3% | 0.19 |
| 118 | University of Memphis Public | TN | 72.03% | 18.1% | 0.19 |
| 119 | Indiana University-Bloomington Public | IN | 78.21% | 18.2% | 0.19 |
| 120 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Public | PA | 60.56% | 17.1% | 0.19 |
| 121 | University of California-Davis Public | CA | 41.83% | 16.4% | 0.19 |
| 122 | New Jersey Institute of Technology Public | NJ | 65.07% | 17.2% | 0.19 |
| 123 | Binghamton University Public | NY | 38.61% | 15.9% | 0.18 |
| 124 | University of Rochester Private | NY | 40.08% | 15.4% | 0.18 |
| 125 | University of Connecticut Public | CT | 52.39% | 15.4% | 0.17 |
| 126 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins Public | CO | 88.54% | 16.1% | 0.17 |
| 127 | University of Delaware Public | DE | 70.60% | 15.7% | 0.17 |
| 128 | University of California-Santa Barbara Public | CA | 32.97% | 13.8% | 0.17 |
| 129 | Stony Brook University Public | NY | 49.04% | 14.8% | 0.17 |
| 130 | University of Maine Public | ME | 96.64% | 15.4% | 0.16 |
| 131 | Temple University Public | PA | 80.41% | 15.2% | 0.16 |
| 132 | Baylor University Private | TX | 51.28% | 14.2% | 0.16 |
| 133 | University of Oregon Public | OR | 88.30% | 14.4% | 0.16 |
| 134 | University of Colorado Boulder Public | CO | 78.08% | 14.2% | 0.15 |
| 135 | University at Buffalo Public | NY | 74.18% | 14.1% | 0.15 |
| 136 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Public | NH | 88.16% | 14.0% | 0.15 |
| 137 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Public | PA | 58.08% | 13.0% | 0.15 |
| 138 | Case Western Reserve University Private | OH | 36.54% | 12.0% | 0.15 |
| 139 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Public | CO | 74.68% | 13.1% | 0.14 |
| 140 | University at Albany Public | NY | 69.10% | 12.6% | 0.14 |
| 141 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Private | NY | 63.47% | 12.1% | 0.14 |
| 142 | University of California-Riverside Public | CA | 76.39% | 12.2% | 0.14 |
| 143 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center Public | NY | 68.49% | 12.0% | 0.13 |
| 144 | University of California-Santa Cruz Public | CA | 65.79% | 9.3% | 0.11 |
| 145 | University of Denver Private | CO | 77.81% | 9.2% | 0.10 |
| 146 | Drexel University Private | PA | 79.44% | 8.1% | 0.09 |