Yield (college admissions)

This article is about the college admissions statistic. For other uses, see Yield.

Yield in college admissions is the percent of students who choose to enroll in a particular college or university after having been offered admission. It is calculated by dividing the number of students(#) who choose to enroll at a school, which is often based on their decision to pay a deposit, by the number of offers of acceptance and multiplying by one hundred. A higher yield indicates greater interest in enrolling at a particular school of higher education. The yield rate is usually calculated once per year based on admissions statistics. As a statistical measure, it has been used by college ratings services as a measure of selectivity, such that a higher yield rate is a sign of a more selective college. For example, the yield rate for Harvard University was 76% in 2010, while the yield rate for Dartmouth was 55%, and the yield rate for Colorado College was 37%. The yield rate has been sometimes criticized for being subject to manipulation by college admissions staffs; in 2001, a report in the Wall Street Journal by reporter Daniel Golden suggested that some college admissions departments reject or wait list well-qualified applicants on the assumption that they will not enroll, as a way to boost the college's overall yield rate; according to the report, these actions are part of an effort to improve a college's scores on the US News college ranking.