Understanding Yield Rates: Expert Insights for Your Admissions Strategy
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Class of 2028 Overall Acceptance Rate
Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Get Accepted to Cornell
Cornell has withheld the number of applicants for the Class of 2028 for the time being, only announcing the number of admitted applicants.
While the full numbers haven’t been released, the application numbers and acceptance rates for both regular and early decision admissions have seen noticeable trends in recent years, indicating the increasing competitiveness of Cornell’s admissions process. Using a series of projections based on past trends, our strategists estimate Cornell has accepted ~7.5% of applicants to its Class of 2028.
Cornell University announced that it admitted 5,139 students to the class of 2028, a 4% increase from last year’s 4,994.
The university has not yet disclosed how many total applications it received, or how many of the admitted students were Early Decision applicants. But based on past figures and trends, our strategists have made some estimates of the overall, Early Decision, and Regular Decision acceptance rates for Cornell's Class of 2028.
With Cornell admitting 5,139 students this year (for the Fall of 2024), and based on an estimated ~68,000 applicants, our strategists are projecting a ~7.5% overall acceptance rate for Cornell's Clas of 2028, similar to last year's 7.36% rate.
Number of First-Year Applications | Accepted Students | Acceptance Rate | |
---|---|---|---|
Class of 2024 | 51,485 | 5,496 | 10.67% |
Class of 2025 | 67,380 | 5,852 | 8.69% |
Class of 2026 | 71,164 | 4,908 | 6.90% |
Class of 2027 | 67,846 | 4,994 | 7.36% |
Class of 2028 | 68,000* | 5,139 | 7.5%* |
*Estimated
A look at the overall acceptance rate spotlights an increasingly competitive admissions landscape at Cornell, similar to trends seen at other top schools during the past several years.
The overall acceptance rate at Cornell is down from 10.5% five years ago, to 6.9% two years ago, and to an estimated 7.5% for the Class of 2028.
However, it's important to remember that the overall acceptance rate tells only part of the story...
If you apply to Cornell during the Regular Decision round, you'll be contending with an admission rate closer to 5%, while students who apply Early Decision can benefit from an acceptance rate closer to 17% or higher!
Students aspiring to get into Cornell will want to think about these differences as they decide on a strategy that best fits their personal goals and circumstances.
For Cornell's Class of 2028, our strategists estimate total RD round applications of ~58,500 (up just slightly from 58,331 last year), and total RD admits of ~3,400 (up 2% from last year).
Using these projections, we estimate an RD acceptance rate of 5.8% at Cornell this year, compared to last year's 5.7%.
This makes the RD acceptance about 30% lower than the estimated overall rate of 7.5%, providing a more accurate reflection of the real level of competition you face when applying RD.
For the past three years, the RD acceptance rate has hovered between 5% and 7%.
Class of | RD Applicants | RD Accepted | RD Acceptance Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2028 | 58,480* | 3,403* | 5.8%* |
2027 | 58,331 | 3,324 | 5.70% |
2026 | 61,609 | 3,077 | 4.99% |
2025 | 58,363 | 3,922 | 6.72% |
2024 | 44,870 | 3,920 | 8.74% |
*Estimated
Cornell’s Early Decision acceptance rate has consistently declined every year over the past 4 years.
During the same four years, the number of ED applicants has risen from ~1,500 to a range between 1,900 and 1,700, a roughly 20% increase.
For Cornell's Class of 2028, our strategists project about 9,520 ED applications (compared to last year's 9,515 ED applicants) and 1,736 admits (slightly higher than last year's 1,670 ED admits, but lower than the number admitted two and three years ago).
With these estimates in mind, the estimated ED acceptance rate for Cornell's Class of 2028 is 18%, compared to last year's 17.55%.
Compared to the estimated 5.8% RD acceptance rate, students applying to Cornell in the ED round enjoyed an acceptance rate ~3x higher.
Class of | ED Applicants | ED Accepted | ED Acceptance Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2028 | 9,520* | 1,736* | 18.2%* |
2027 | 9,515 | 1,670 | 17.55% |
2026 | 9,555 | 1,831 | 19.16% |
2025 | 9,017 | 1,930 | 21.40% |
2024 | 6,615 | 1,576 | 23.82% |
*Estimated
Clearly, applying to Cornell in the early round offers you a chance to compete in a much smaller applicant pool and benefit from a higher acceptance rate, compared to RD round applicants.
That said, applying ED entails a considerable commitment to attending Cornell, to the exclusion of other offers you might receive, along with the challenges of applying early. Therefore, it's important to consider all of your larger goals and circumstances before deciding on the best strategy, including whether to apply to Cornell Regular Decision vs. Early Decision.
It's clear that to gain admission to Cornell, students need to present a truly exceptional profile that extends beyond standardized test scores and academic records.
Cornell’s decreasing acceptance rates and the broader trends in elite admissions highlight how challenging it has become to gain entry into top universities. In this highly competitive landscape, seeking guidance from experienced college admissions advisors can be a significant advantage. Advisors offer personalized support throughout the complex application process, helping you:
Crimson Education has a track record of helping students achieve their admissions goals. Our personalized approach and expertise in selective admissions have led to impressive results. This year alone, over 200 Crimson students were accepted to top US universities in the early round. Here's a breakdown of our early-round numbers: