- We are offering an Early Action application option.
- WashU has begun considering demonstrated interest. See what it means to us below.
- One less optional essay to worry about!
- No change to our test optional policy.
- A priority deadline for students who want to be considered for a Signature Scholar Program or the Nemerov Writing Scholars Program.
Not sure if the Forbes article is paywalled. If so, some of this readable.
Applications To Washington University In St. Louis Are About To Surge
Make it easy to apply.
Get lots more applications (At least they are honest about it).
Take 60% ED because of poor yield in RD.
Encourage EA moves to ED2.
Get an extra low acceptance rate.
Convince prestige seekers you are an ivy alternative.
Short-term success.
Race to the bottom.
Props though for an early action decision date of Dec 23…so, prior to RD deadlines. I wish more selective schools that offer EA would jump on that bandwagon!
Surprised to hear, though, that Wustl’s yield is below what they want. It’s 47% which is good. It has traditionally been a desired school. It used to get a lot of flack for the number of trees it killed (ie the amount of marketing literature it mailed out) but haven’t seen that comment in a while.
They seem to be yielding approximately 22% in RD. That is assuming they took 61% of their class between the two ED rounds and yield 99% there. I like the school as well, but the $100k privates seem to be losing more and more in RD. Although I am a fan of Wash U, I am not a fan of the strategy to show a manipulated admit rate in the single digits to fool the average family that the are the next Penn. Vanderbilt did it masterfully, and now people are looking under the hood and seeing it is more of a mirage. Another good school, but why?
Budget planning
reacting positively to your smile… think of Georgia Tech yield, 100% real and similar to Wash U’s manipulated one.
It just makes me think these schools are elite wannabes instead of being truly elite.
I wonder what the separate in-state versus out-of-state yield is for Georgia Tech. Back in the day Georgia Tech was a safety school for many (including my s), It sure has managed in its own way to improve It’s status and perception.
Historically the yield at publics has always been lower than comparably ranked privates.
I agree that it would be interesting to see the yield rate for in state vs out of state. AI says it’s much higher for instate but I don’t see the numbers directly from GT.
As for Wash U I think they are in good company with some of their changes. U of Chicago is the one that springs to mind immediately but schools like JHU and Northwestern also fill the majority of their class in ED. Heck, we are now even seeing public flagships offering ED.
IMO it’s a yield management tool and the institutional response to kids applying to more and more schools via the common app.
For the record, I don’t love it either and said in another thread that it only serves the institutions, and high income families that can afford to not compare offers.
I would expect the Instate yield rate to be high, given the Hope and Zell Miller scholarships, but it would be helpful to see real numbers. The scholarships have done a lot to meet Georgia’s goal of trying to keep many of its best and brightest in state, especially when they removed the income cap from the scholarship many years ago.
The point is, schools are doing many things to improve their status.
In my opinion, them offering EA that gives decisions before RD apps are due is fantastic. For a student who really likes Wash U but does not want to ED to be able to get in early means they can significantly reduce their application list. I get that people are cynical, but heavy ED reliance, which they already had, is the crux of the problem. This seems like a potential improvement for students who like the school to me.
That is exaclty where I have gotten. It is annoying because I do not feel the better schools doing it truly need to do it. Does it truly matter if they are ranked 26 or 19? Not one bit to me.
I am pretty sure all the top state schools yield better in-state - but will research. On other other hand, getting in from OOS is no joke. I am very much caught up on yield vs. true yield. MIT for example has the best true yield in the world. It makes sense as more and more schools are doing things that feel irrational, but like you said “budget planning” AKA “just business.”
Naive question from a ‘28 family. Isn’t this a potential for actually increasing yield? Maybe I’m thinking of families like mine who don’t trust the NPC for our particular finances so DC wouldn’t apply ED even if WashU is one of her top two or three choices. Getting a result EA including a financial aid or merit package might let her accept earlier than she would in RD. Helps their yield and planning. Or maybe not?
Agreed. Chicago is a great school! But when it resorts to playing games my respect for the school drops. Which holds true for all schools. Though I give far less grace to a school like Chicago vs a school like Northeastern, who had to figure out a path to navigate the landscape where it was a regional school – and many students’ back up – and student numbers were going down.
We think VERY similarly. And maybe not a surprise, the ivies that manipulate still do amazingly well without the manipulation. And I am not an ivy fan btw. So why do it?
I think it is, but if people realize that “forced yield” of ED is not yield - then it all goes out the window.
Regarding the EA, I think TBD, but if they are playing the game I think they are playing… closer to RD stats and if you get in EA, you probably got into “name your ivy.” EA will more likely be a way to filter people into ED2.
