The statistics that colleges report on admission and retention rates are variable and easy to manipulate. Colleges have a strong interest in reporting the “best” data they can, to increase their rankings and selectivity, no matter how strong their academic programs are. As a result, many campuses employ tactics to make their selectivity statistics appear stronger than they actually are. The following methods are all designed to increase the number of applications without improving the quality of the school’s education:
- Recruiting applicants to whom the college has no intention of offering admission (recruiting to reject);
- Waiving the application fee;
- Reducing the number of essays required;
- Adjusting the proportion of students admitted through Early Decision;
- Admitting larger or smaller numbers of athletes, donors, legacies, and students in the catchment area, in order to optimize overall admission rates.
Graduation rates, in particular, are also not a reliable predictor of the quality of a college. Reported rates vary widely among public schools and between public and private schools. Private colleges report higher rates because they select in part for students who have a high likelihood of graduating within four years. Public colleges—even elite ones—are responsible for the education of a broader student population of greater diversity. They also sometimes recruit from local catchment areas where students are more likely to commute to campus and work full or part time jobs, which draws out the time required to complete a degree.
Single-digit admission rates are generally a meaningful indication of selectivity, but those campuses are not a good fit for all students.
In short, it is important not to judge a campus based on highly variable admissions and retention statistics, but rather to consider your own educational and career goals and to consider factors such as size, campus setting, distance from home, the social environment, and how well you fit into the student body at the schools you are considering.
Capstone uses a broad and inclusive analysis of the colleges on our students’ lists to determine the likelihood of their acceptance to each one, based on several admissions data points and direct experience working with applicants.