Colleges acceptance rates may go higher as schools start aggressively courting applicants

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Published by CNBC

With an increasing number of incoming freshmen reconsidering their options for the fall, and many international students unable to enter the U.S., some colleges and universities are desperate to hit their enrollment numbers for the 2020-2021 academic year.

“At the end of the day, tuition targets need to be met,” Lakhani said.

“The most selective universities [are] where you will see the least impact,” he added. “The Harvards of the world are not going to have a lot of trouble filling their seats.”

Mid-tier, private universities will be harder hit, according to Lakhani. “They will have to go deep into the wait list and aggressively court candidates.”

And yet, even among the most elite colleges and universities, acceptance rates have risen from record lows.

This spring, 6 of the 8 Ivy Leagues, including Harvard and Yale, reported an uptick in acceptance rates for the Class of 2024.

“For the current class, acceptance rates were slightly higher than last year,” Lakhani said. “The coming year, you are going to see another big jump.”

One in 6 students who have already made deposits no longer plan to attend a four-year college full-time, according to new data by consulting firm Art & Science Group, which polled more than 1,000 high school seniors from April 21 to 24.

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