@classOF2017 I think you’ve got it wrong. You state (above) “A lower acceptance rate doesn’t mean it is harder to get into if the average stats are still the same.”
How does that work? If average applicant stats remain the same, fewer slots (admission offers) means that at the margin some - those with the minimum standards for acceptance - won’t get in. Doesn’t that describes a school that is more difficult to get into?
That doesn’t apply, of course, to individuals with superior stats. But number of applicants describes demand and admission offers represents supply. When supply shrinks and demand stays the same or goes up…you get it! Average stats will increase.