UChicago remains an outlier

wealthofnations
Sun, 06 Aug 2023 00:09:53 +0000

Findings in this study are easy to explain. We’re talking about a period where UChicago was undergoing rapid transformation. Its undergrad acceptance rate was plummeting from nearly 30% to ~10% during that period. Its ranking was rising from #10 to #3, tying with Yale. UChicago’s desirability among the uber rich probably lagged behind these drastic changes.

As someone from abroad and aware of the college admissions landscape at our local international schools, I can tell you that USC and NYU were more popular than UChicago around that time for the uber rich, who didn’t even bother applying for the latter. Things are totally different now; UChicago is considered a super hot commodity in the past few cycles at these schools.

If you were to repeat this study for the 2018-2023 cohorts, the results would be totally different.

In terms of anecdotal evidence, I was at UChicago around the time this study pertains to, and I didn’t know anyone I’d consider uber rich in my social circle. Wealthy and not requiring financial aid, yes. But uber rich, no.