Told ‘ya: As the supply of applicants declines, college admissions gets kinder and gentler
It’s that getting into college is in fact becoming easier, with admissions offices trying to lure more applicants from a declining pool of 18-year-olds. They’re creating one-click applications, waiving application fees, offering admission to high school seniors who haven’t even applied and recruiting students after the traditional May 1 cutoff.
The most dramatic change is in the odds of being admitted. Elite universities such as Harvard and CalTech take as few as 1 applicant in 33, but they are the exception. Colleges overall now accept about 6 in 10 students who apply, federal data show. That’s up from about 5 out of 10 a decade ago, the American Enterprise Institute calculates.
Plus, many name-brand universities have begun offering “free tuition” to students whose household family income is up to $200,000.
Another example of the huge changes occurring due to the fertility rate collapse. The public university that two of our kids graduated from – WSU Pullman – has seen a shocking 25% enrollment drop. Young people today have an incredible world of opportunities ahead of them – if they make the right choices.
