While prospective students are often anxious about receiving an acceptance letter this time of year, most colleges are concerned about meeting their enrollment targets.
The yield — part of recruitment — is the percentage of students who enroll at the school after being admitted.
A higher yield typically indicates a school’s popularity and desirability in a student’s eyes and is often associated with a “first-choice school,” experts say.
Stanford University, known for a competitive college acceptance rate, had the highest yield among any National University for fall 2015, according to the data that 295 ranked National Universities submitted to U.S. News in an annual survey. The California institution boasted a yield of 80.4 percent, while Harvard University came within striking distance at 79.8 percent.
[Find out the 10 most and least expensive private colleges.]
Among National Liberal Arts Colleges, the United States Naval Academy reported the highest yield for fall 2015 at 86.7 percent. That’s according to the data reported to U.S. News in an annual survey from 216 ranked National Liberal Arts Colleges.
A National Liberal Arts College is a school that places emphasis on undergraduate education and awards at least 50 percent of its degrees in the liberal arts, whereas a National University offers a wider range of undergraduate majors as well master’s and doctoral degrees.
The Annapolis, Maryland-based military academy isn’t the only tuition-free National Liberal Arts College with a high yield. The United States Military Academy in New York had a yield of 83.2 percent, followed by the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado at 79.7 percent and Berea College in Kentucky at 72.4 percent.
But not all schools have a high yield. In recent years, studies show that yields have declined at many schools as students submit more college applications to various schools — reducing the probability that they’ll attend a particular school.
[See which colleges and universities claim to meet full financial need.]
The average yield among National Universities was 32.9 percent, slightly lower than the average of 33.6 percent for fall 2014. That number is even lower among National Liberal Arts Colleges, which had an average yield rate of 27.5 percent for fall 2015 — down by less than 1 percentage point compared with the previous year.
The tables below show the ranked schools with a yield of 50 percent or higher for fall 2015. The rate can be affected by a student’s early decision or early action options, since some of those programs bind students to attend if accepted. These data reflect first-time, first-year, degree-seeking students only.
Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
National Universities With High Yields
| School (state) | Students accepted | Students who enrolled in fall 2015 | Yield |
| Stanford University (CA) | 2,140 | 1,720 | 80.4% |
| Harvard University (MA) | 2,080 | 1,660 | 79.8% |
| Brigham Young University–Provo (UT) | 6,427 | 5,127 | 79.8% |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1,519 | 1,106 | 72.8% |
| University of Alaska–Fairbanks | 1,136 | 798 | 70.2% |
| Princeton University (NJ) | 1,948 | 1,319 | 67.7% |
| Yale University (CT) | 2,031 | 1,364 | 67.2% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 3,787 | 2,435 | 64.3% |
| Columbia University (NY) | 2,220 | 1,398 | 63.0% |
| University of Nebraska–Lincoln | 7,425 | 4,628 | 62.3% |
| Yeshiva University (NY) | 1,254 | 776 | 61.9% |
| University of Chicago (IL) | 2,521 | 1,537 | 61.0% |
| Kennesaw State University (GA) | 8,323 | 5,032 | 60.5% |
| Georgia Southern University | 6,082 | 3,495 | 57.5% |
| Brown University (RI) | 2,875 | 1,615 | 56.2% |
| University of Notre Dame (IN) | 3,595 | 2,007 | 55.8% |
| University of Nevada–Las Vegas | 6,781 | 3,784 | 55.8% |
| University of West Georgia | 4,381 | 2,410 | 55.0% |
| Lindenwood University (MO) | 2,302 | 1,221 | 53.0% |
| University of Louisiana–Lafayette | 6,023 | 3,179 | 52.8% |
| North Dakota State University | 4,974 | 2,552 | 51.3% |
| University of Florida | 14,237 | 7,204 | 50.6% |
| Cornell University (NY) | 6,315 | 3,180 | 50.4% |
National Liberal Arts Colleges With High Yields
| School (state) | Students accepted | Students who enrolled in fall 2015 | Yield |
| United States Naval Academy (MD) | 1,373 | 1,191 | 86.7% |
| United States Military Academy (NY) | 1,486 | 1,236 | 83.2% |
| United States Air Force Academy (CO) | 1,559 | 1,242 | 79.7% |
| Berea College (KY) | 597 | 432 | 72.4% |
| Thomas Aquinas College (CA) | 119 | 79 | 66.4% |
| Principia College (IL) | 120 | 79 | 65.8% |
| Bard College at Simon’s Rock (MA) | 178 | 117 | 65.7% |
| Soka University of America (CA) | 208 | 127 | 61.1% |
| St. John’s College (NM) | 144 | 77 | 53.5% |
The yield data above are correct as of Jan. 18, 2017. For additional admissions data, complete rankings and much more, access the U.S. News College Compass.
More from U.S. News
Study: Private Colleges Up Tuition Discounts
NY May Join Other States in Offering Tuition-Free College
Universities, Colleges Where Students Are Eager to Enroll originally appeared on usnews.com
