Emory’s admission rate fell this year from 25.3 percent last year to 21.8 percent this year, according to Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission John Latting.
Of the 5,172 admitted students to the College, the mean unweighted GPA was 3.83, up .03 from last year. The mean composite SAT and ACT scores are 1475 and 32.3, respectively. Last year, the equivalent SAT score, after conversion from the old test format, was 1434. The ACT score last year was 32.
Oxford sent acceptances to 4,089 students. Students accepted to Oxford had a mean GPA of 3.79. The mean SAT and ACT scores for Oxford acceptees were 1456 and 31.7, respectively.
Latting attributed this year’s drop in admission rate to an increase of about 19 percent in submitted applications compared to last year.
“[We had] almost 4,000 more applications, so it gave the Office [of Admission] more options, more to chose from, so you’ll see that in admit rate,” Latting said.
Interim Dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences Michael A. Elliott said he instructed the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to increase the incoming freshman class size after seeing data on the applicant pool. Emory admitted 133 more admitted students this year compared to last year.
“This applicant pool is unprecedented in terms of academic quality of the students,” Elliott said. “We think this is an opportunity to raise the academic stature of the University.”
Undergraduate Admissions anticipated an increase in regular decision applications during the early decision process, according to Latting. About 46 percent of the enrollment class will have been admitted through early decision. In previous years, about 49 to 50 percent of students were admitted through early decision.
Senior Director of Housing Elaine Turner said she was unaware of any expected housing changes to accommodate the additional freshmen in the incoming class. Turner confirmed her office would provide a room to all incoming freshmen. Director of Residence Life and Housing Scott Rausch was unable to comment by press time due to scheduling conflicts.
This year, Emory provided the ability to select an “undecided” option for applicants’ academic interests. Seven percent of applicants selected “undecided.”
Undergraduate Admissions tried to attract more students to apply by easing the financial burden, according to Latting.
“We did make some adjustments [to financial aid] to try and strengthen our appeal … for low-income families, middle-income families and even upper-middle income families where they’re prosperous families but the costs of Emory are so high we know it can be a sacrifice financially,” Latting said.
John Leach, director of the Office of Financial Aid, did not respond to request for comment by press time.
International students accounted for 13 percent of the admitted class. Top countries of origin for international students, in order of frequency, are China, India, South Korea, Canada and Brazil.
Although The New York Times reported March 16 that 40 percent of colleges saw a decline in international-student applications as a result of President Donald J. Trump’s immigration policies, Latting said international applications increased by the same rate as domestic applications.
This year, Emory began accepting applications from the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, an alternative application to the Common App. The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success provides a college application platform that is geared toward making the application process easier by connecting students with free support from several institutions’ admissions and financial aid personnel, according to its website. Of the 23,694 applications, fewer than 1,000 were submitted through the Coalition Application.
Jennifer Li, a high school senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was one of the 5,172 students accepted this year.
“Getting accepted to Emory is a dream come true and I’m so excited to visit,” Li said.
Cole Gallagher, who will play on Emory’s soccer team starting Fall 2017, said that Emory was his first-choice school.
“When Emory gave me the offer … I knew that was where I wanted to be,” Gallagher said. “The opportunities that Atlanta provides … and the notable alumni network: everything just seems perfect.”
Alisha Compton and Michelle Lou contributed reporting.
Former Executive Editor | Richard Chess (20C) served as the Wheel's executive editor from March 2018 to August 2019. He also held various other positions at the Wheel including as news editor and senior editor. As news editor, Richard covered issues related to the city of Atlanta and reported that the 2016 Migos scandal cost Emory $37,500. Richard has received numerous collegiate journalism awards for his investigative and objective news coverage, including an SPJ Mark of Excellence Award in 2019.
