Yield protection is all about admitting students that are very likely to enroll. The theory is that very high stats applicants will turn down Lehigh, and, yes, some – not all – high stats kids are using Lehigh as a safety school. The higher the yield, the more “selective” the school can appear–even Harvard does not have a 100% yield; schools like Notre Dame are high 60s–
All the data can be found in the schools “Common Data Set” by year as @collegemomjam notes upstream. Common Data Set also demonstrates ED vs RD applicant pools and like many top 50 schools, essentially half the class is established through the ED pool.
Demonstrated interest is paramount – you visit, but don’t interview – not good. Too far away? Ask for a Skype interview.
I am a Lehigh parent; my student is a admissions tour guide and says only 19% of RD applicants admitted the year.
Applications up to about 15,700 this year, about a 13% increase over class of 21 applicants.
Waitlisted. 800m/690v 20 essay 800 math 2/690 physics 4.17/4.50 Tons of extracurriculars. No demonstrated interest. And - it is true - I added this application as an extra at the end. I won’t take the wait list spot. Good luck to all. So sorry for those who got waitlisted or rejected who were counting on this as being their number one school. It’s a tough year to predict the outcomes.
@higheredmom Showing my ignorance / unfounded faith in an open and honest system, but how does one interview when they have not been asked for one by the school?
@mesmes No applicants are asked to interview; all the info on admission visits, admissions interviews, regional contacts, Lehigh View Days, etc. are on the Lehigh website and related social media like the Admissions-specific blogs.
I’m confused about financial aid. Is more information supposed to come in the mail? I found on the portal that newly accepted students receive their information in the mail, while only returning students get their FA info in the portal. Could this explain the bad aid that everyone is getting?
@studentofsorts I assume you were hitting a candidate pool criteria that was especially valued by Lehigh. Generally, applicants are not asked to interview. Hope you are enjoying your experience there.
@AnthonyZ I’m hoping that what’s on the portal isn’t all of it. The acceptance message said that letters with more info would be mailed out next week, so maybe those will include more aid? As of right now my financial aid award only shows the federal loans and pell grant, nothing from Lehigh.
@higheredmom Honestly, my daughter could NOT have added another (non-traditional / unexpected relative to other schools’ processes and expectations) dimension to her college search/application/scholarship process, in addition to her challenging life outside of it (acing a magnet program in a top public high school/full load of APs/interning 15-20 hours a week at NIH/volunteering/having a LIFE). She would have been excited and happy to have accepted a competitive offer at Lehigh! I don’t think Lehigh should be in a position to second guess/be a mind-reader of what is in the heart / mind of applicants.
You may have hit the nail on the head when you said @studentofsorts was asked for an interview because they hit a candidate pool criteria that was highly valued.
@MESMES I don’t think it’s mind-reading; I thinks it’s all very data driven and based on your daughter’s excellent stats and ECs, etc., Lehigh “knows” that based on the data of probably thousands of applicants that “look” like your daughter there is a high probability that a greater percentage of applicants in that pool if admitted, will not enroll.
The lack of the interview isn’t make or break, but can only enhance an applicant’s demonstrated interest.
@higheredmom So, to bluntly rephrase your message, they are deliberately accepting lower quality applicants to increase (or maintain) their yield rate rather than accepting dozens more of top applicants and have them potentially turn them down. Personally, I find it simply ridiculous for a school to turn down nearly 2/3s (!!) of the applicants that got a 1500 or higher and had strong academic curricula & performance, exceptional experiences & recommendations some of which may have been just because they didn’t kiss up to the university with so-called “strong demonstrated interest” - a single visit and a solid “Why Lehigh” answer just not good enough for them.
Lots of talk about interviews. I live in Oregon and contacted admissions for an interview which they provided here in my state with a Lehigh rep, not an alumni interview. I did get accepted, but sure wish their FA offer was better. $19,300 from Lehigh, a Pell grant $5570 and then other loans with a EFC around $25,000. It’s just not a great offer because they don’t guarantee the Lehigh money for 4 years like BU did for me. Kind of a bummer but would be such a risk to not know if they will give me that money for the rest of the years.
@fingerscrossed40
I called the FA counselor, and she told me that the FA you get would stay the same as long as your parents’ income and assets stay relatively the same.
Regarding yield, yes, it is surprising that nearly 2/3s of kids with >1500 SAT were not accepted. I do believe that yield management is one factor at play there. But, even more astounding to me is to see that a similar number of kids with 1400-1500 SAT were not accepted. Surely the 1400-1500 SAT students would have a higher yield as this group is not likely using Lehigh as a safety school.
@Spiraszyx yeah my parents are self-employed so things can change, making it more risky. I had two other schools guarantee the aid regardless so it’s hard to go with Lehigh even though I would like to go there.
@mesmes “Personally, I find it simply ridiculous for a school to turn down nearly 2/3s (!!) of the applicants that got a 1500 or higher and had strong academic curricula & performance, exceptional experiences & recommendations some of which may have been just because they didn’t kiss up to the university with so-called “strong demonstrated interest” - a single visit and a solid “Why Lehigh” answer just not good enough for them.”
Yes, it is. However, it is not a Lehigh thing, many schools do it. Yield protection used to be called “Tufts Syndrome.” Tufts discovered it was being used as a backup for the Ivies. Tufts wanted to admit students who were interested in attending Tufts, not students who were applying to 8 ivies and wanted a backup.
Often it is data-driven. Schools have a lot of history and data to evaluate candidates. They want to choose best candidates that create the characteristics of the targeted class and will enroll. For any given profile, schools have a reasonable estimate of the percent of similar students who would attend if accepted. It is essential to understand that it is not personal, and it isn’t about kissing-up (but it can appear to be if you are new to it).
In a way, it is a compliment. It suggests that they think that on March 28th, she will be admitted to say, Harvard or Penn and decide to attend there. If she wants to enroll at Lehigh after Ivy Day, then continue the process and make that clear.
@fingerscrossed40 Yes, Lehigh does not guarantee your aid for 4 years. However, they do guarantee to meet 100% of demonstrated need. To me, that is much better.
Yes, this means that if your family status changes and your family earns a million dollars next year, you will lose your aid. However, if there are layoffs or illness in your family and your demonstrated need increases, then they are committed to meet that new higher level of need.
Very few schools are committed to meet 100% of its students demonstrated need like Lehigh. Instead of promising support for 4 years, they promise to support you if you need it.
@Much2learn I get that. Sadly their offer was just so much lower than other schools and without a guarantee it’s just not enough for my needs. I just have to move on.
Ivies are not in our future because they do not give merit scholarships - they appeal to the very rich, the poor, or the middle class who are willing to take a second mortgage on their homes.
We are very practical people and, beyond the first job or a super elite grad/professsional program (“Harvard Law”), we cannot see the return on investment of over $260,000 paying off in a significant way compared to an opportunity for a full ride at an excellent state school with ample research opportunities. Take that $260K right now (even if I did have that liquid for each of my kids), invest it and with decent yield, it’d be a million before retirement (@5%, would double in 14.4 years (rule of 72) and double again in another 14.4 - so by the time an 18-year today is 47, they’d be a millionaire - and by 62 it would double again) - I do not think the discretionary income difference they’d have to invest over a lifetime for what my daughter wants to do would return that yield if she graduated from Cornell over the Marylands or Virginias or North Carolinas and then on to a solid graduate program somewhere.
@Much2Learn I know that Lehigh claims meets 100% of demonstrated need, but would you know why they didn’t give me any institutional aid at all? It’s definitely not representative of the need my parents demonstrated. I haven’t gotten the message that others have received about missing documents, but a few forms WERE turned in late. Just very worried since I love Lehigh and want to go very badly.