SCEA vs National Match

LoremIpsum
Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:06:45 +0000

I think your odds are better applying to Harvard SCEA than to 4 non-binding Questbridge colleges. From what I read on CC, Princeton only took 14 QB match-round applicants last year, just over one-half percent of the 2748 finalists. Yale, according to this link, has taken 75 match-round applicants over the last 4 years, about 19 a year, for an acceptance rate under 0.7%. I would assume the other two schools would also be in this ballpark:
[Frequently Asked Questions - QuestBridge Program | Yale College Admissions](QuestBridge Program | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)

The acceptance rates in RD are much higher (at Yale, 240 vs 75 over 4 years). QB schools have to pay the program a fee for every match acceptance (I read around $30,000) PLUS give those students free tuition. Naturally, these schools are inclined to mainly cherry-pick those students they need most during the initial round: URMs and 1st generation college students and those who might have a particular talent in sports or music which needs to be filled.