Understanding College “Yield” Can Have Big Rewards

Virginia Tech, a highly regarded university most popular for its engineering programs, did an amazing job this year of successfully identifying which applicants would enroll if accepted.  It did too good of a job, in fact.  Virginia Tech is experiencing a historically high “yield rate” – which is the percent of accepted students who actually enroll.   About 8,000 students accepted offers to enroll for the fall of 2019 while the university was targeting an enrollment between 6,600 and 6,700 students. 

Virginia Tech addressed the situation by sending an email to the accepted students last week offering financial incentives to those who would agree to postpone their enrollment date.  It offered funding for community college classes, internships, gap years, and summer sessions at Virginia Tech to accepted students who would delay their arrival on campus by a semester or a year.

The lesson to learn from this scenario is that colleges and universities pay very close attention, on students’ applications, to signs of “demonstrated interest.”  These institutions of higher learning are ranked, in part, on their yield, which is widely reported in the highly regarded “Best Colleges” guide by U.S. News and World Report. Colleges look to see which applicants actually visited their school and who expressed credible, specific interest in programs offered at their school.  They also tend to favor “early decision” applicants, who signed an agreement to attend the college/university, if accepted.  All of these criteria help the college admissions officers to successfully identify – and offer acceptance to – those students who are most likely to enroll.

While it’s certainly important for college applicants to get the highest GPA and SAT scores possible, it’s also extremely beneficial for them to personalize each application before submitting.  This can be accomplished even when using the Common Application, which is accepted by some 800 colleges nationwide.  What students can do is change the ending of their application essay, before submitting it online to each separate school, stating why the particular college would be an ideal match for their academic goals.     

The surge in acceptance rate at Virginia Tech is particularly notable in that it comes at a time when, nationwide, enrollment at colleges and universities is in a state of decline.  Some colleges, particularly smaller ones such as Green Mountain College in Vermont, are actually closing down.  Others, such as Rider University in New Jersey, have eliminated a host of majors in an effort to close their deficit.  By carefully researching colleges of interest, and sharing their enthusiasm for each college on their applications, students can greatly increase their chances of getting a “You’re Accepted!” letter or email from their colleges of choice.

Susan Alaimo is the founder of SAT Smart. For the past 25 years, SAT Smart’s Ivy League educated tutors have prepared students for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP courses, and all high school subjects. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.