Most Popular Colleges: National Universities
So which colleges do students really want to go to? One way to find out is to look at a school’s yield, the percentage of applicants accepted by a university who end up enrolling at that institution in the fall. The figures in this table are from the fall 2006 entering class and show the admit yield and overall acceptance rate. If a school has a high yield (a large proportion of those admitted enroll), it means that the school is most likely very popular with a top reputation and that the students are highly motivated to go there. A very low yield means that the school could be a “safety” or second choice for many of those who apply. Colleges use yield as a key factor in determining how many students they need to admit each year.
| U.S. News Rank | School | Acceptance Rate | Yield |
| 79 | Brigham Young University—Provo (UT) | 70% | 79% |
| 2 | Harvard University (MA) | 9% | 79% |
| 1 | Princeton University (NJ) | 10% | 69% |
| 4 | Stanford University (CA) | 11% | 67% |
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 13% | 66% |
| 91 | University of Nebraska—Lincoln* | 73% | 66% |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | 18% | 66% |
| 52 | Yeshiva University (NY) | 79% | 66% |
| 49 | University of Florida* | 48% | 63% |
| 62 | Texas A&M University—College Station* | 77% | 59% |
| 14 | Brown University (RI) | 14% | 58% |
| 9 | Columbia University (NY) | 12% | 58% |
| 19 | University of Notre Dame (IN) | 27% | 58% |
| 28 | University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill* | 37% | 57% |
| 44 | University of Texas—Austin* | 49% | 56% |
| 59 | University of Georgia* | 58% | 55% |
| 85 | University of Kansas* | 77% | 53% |
| 57 | Ohio State University—Columbus* | 68% | 51% |
| 23 | University of Virginia* | 37% | 51% |
| 91 | University of Alabama* | 70% | 50% |
| 11 | Dartmouth College (NH) | 16% | 50% |
| 38 | University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign* | 65% | 50% |
| 85 | North Carolina State University—Raleigh* | 61% | 48% |
| 42 | University of Washington* | 68% | 48% |
| 12 | Cornell University (NY) | 25% | 47% |
| 23 | Georgetown University (DC) | 22% | 47% |
| 91 | University of Missouri—Columbia* | 78% | 47% |
| 96 | University of Tennessee* | 74% | 47% |
| 85 | Iowa State University* | 90% | 46% |
| 35 | Georgia Institute of Technology* | 69% | 44% |
| 71 | Michigan State University* | 73% | 44% |
| 25 | University of Michigan—Ann Arbor* | 47% | 44% |
| 96 | University of Arizona* | 86% | 42% |
| 21 | University of California—Berkeley* | 24% | 42% |
| 38 | University of Wisconsin—Madison* | 58% | 42% |
| 8 | Duke University (NC) | 23% | 41% |
| 67 | Clemson University* (SC) | 55% | 40% |
| 48 | Pennsylvania State University—University Park* | 58% | 40% |
| 75 | Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) | 54% | 40% |
| 25 | University of California—Los Angeles* | 26% | 40% |
| 71 | Virginia Tech* | 68% | 40% |
| 33 | College of William and Mary* (VA) | 32% | 39% |
| 85 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry* (VA) | 58% | 39% |
| 19 | Vanderbilt University (TN) | 34% | 39% |
| 75 | Indiana University—Bloomington* | 80% | 38% |
| 14 | Northwestern University (IL) | 30% | 38% |
| 54 | University of Maryland—College Park* | 44% | 38% |
| 71 | University of Minnesota—Twin Cities* | 57% | 38% |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology | 17% | 37% |
| 96 | Howard University (DC) | 48% | 37% |
| 37 | New York University | 36% | 37% |
| 96 | Auburn University* (AL) | 72% | 36% |
| 79 | University of Colorado—Boulder* | 88% | 36% |
| 64 | University of Iowa* | 83% | 36% |
| 30 | Wake Forest University (NC) | 43% | 36% |
| 64 | Purdue University—West Lafayette* (IN) | 85% | 35% |
| 54 | George Washington University (DC) | 38% | 34% |
| 54 | Pepperdine University (CA) | 28% | 34% |
| 17 | Rice University (TX) | 24% | 34% |
| 9 | University of Chicago | 38% | 34% |
| 85 | University of Denver | 73% | 34% |
| 59 | University of Pittsburgh* | 56% | 34% |
| 59 | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick* (NJ) | 58% | 33% |
| 67 | Southern Methodist University (TX) | 54% | 33% |
| 14 | Johns Hopkins University (MD) | 27% | 32% |
| 64 | University of Connecticut* | 51% | 32% |
| 27 | University of Southern California | 25% | 32% |
| 91 | University of Tulsa (OK) | 76% | 32% |
| 12 | Washington University in St. Louis | 21% | 32% |
| 75 | Baylor University (TX) | 43% | 31% |
| 28 | Tufts University (MA) | 27% | 31% |
| 71 | University of Delaware* | 47% | 31% |
| 35 | Boston College | 29% | 30% |
| 75 | Colorado School of Mines* | 84% | 30% |
| 17 | Emory University (GA) | 32% | 30% |
| 67 | Miami University—Oxford* (OH) | 78% | 30% |
| 50 | Syracuse University (NY) | 51% | 30% |
| 31 | Lehigh University (PA) | 39% | 29% |
| 31 | Brandeis University (MA) | 36% | 28% |
| 44 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY) | 67% | 28% |
| 96 | SUNY—Stony Brook* | 47% | 27% |
| 52 | University of Miami (FL) | 40% | 27% |
| 96 | University of Massachusetts—Amherst* | 71% | 26% |
| 96 | University of the Pacific (CA) | 69% | 26% |
| 82 | SUNY—Binghamton* | 43% | 25% |
| 42 | University of California—Davis* | 68% | 25% |
| 96 | Northeastern University (MA) | 45% | 24% |
| 62 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) | 45% | 24% |
| 62 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) | 67% | 24% |
| 22 | Carnegie Mellon University (PA) | 34% | 23% |
| 82 | Marquette University (WI) | 70% | 23% |
| 57 | row Boston University | 58% | 22% |
| 96 | University of California—Riverside* | 83% | 22% |
| 38 | University of California—San Diego* | 49% | 22% |
| 35 | University of Rochester (NY) | 45% | 22% |
| 44 | University of California—Irvine* | 60% | 21% |
| 41 | Case Western Reserve University (OH) | 67% | 20% |
| 91 | Clark University (MA) | 60% | 20% |
| 67 | Fordham University (NY) | 47% | 20% |
| 82 | St. Louis University | 67% | 19% |
| 44 | University of California—Santa Barbara* | 53% | 19% |
| 96 | University of Vermont* | 65% | 19% |
| 96 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 54% | 18% |
| 85 | American University (DC) | 53% | 17% |
| 79 | University of California—Santa Cruz* | 80% | 17% |
| 50 | Tulane University (LA) | 38% | 17% |
Note: These are the Top 100 ranked schools in this category, sorted in descending order by their yield. * denotes a public school.
Source: U.S. News Rank
