It’s “simple”: More students are applying to Ivy League schools who have not added capacity so the percentage of those accepted is dropping.
But looking beyond the “simple” is the fact that Ivy League schools and other tier one schools with financial aid policies that promise to pay 100% of need are ALL attracting more applications. The current recession has made financial aid a key factor in selecting schools for parents at all economic levels. And if one is fortunate enough to not have to worry about financial aid, then be aware that more generous financial aid policies will make a college/university more competitive than a comparable college/university with less generous financial aid policy.
ACCEPTANCE RATES AT SOME TOP U.S. COLLEGES
Acceptance rates at some top U.S. colleges for the class of 2014:
School Applied Accepted Rate
Harvard 30,489 2,110 6.9%
Stanford 32,022 2,300 7.2%
Yale 25,869 1,940 7.5%
Princeton 26,247 2,148 8.2%
Columbia 26,178 2,397 9.2%
Brown 30,136 2,804 9.3%
MIT 16,632 1,611 9.7%
Dartmouth 18,778 2,165 11.5%
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research