Emory University admitted its first members of the Class of 2027 on Dec. 14 with 903 applicants being offered admission out of a pool of 2,414 applicants. In total, 722 Early Decision I (ED1) students were admitted to Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) and 353 students to Oxford, with 233 admitted to both colleges.
Last year, Emory College received 2,127 ED1 applicants and admitted 672 students, creating a 32% acceptance rate. This year, 8.42% more students applied to ED1, which Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Admission John Latting said is Emory’s largest early applicant pool.
“The ED1 one applicant pool was bigger, it was strong, it was diverse,” Latting said. “We really feel great about what we had to choose from.”
Latting emphasized the ED1 applicants’ and admitted students’ diversity.
“We’re just seeing an expansion of students from around the country and around the world,” Latting said. “We’re seeing more diversity from a race and ethnicity standpoint … and in terms of family backgrounds, socioeconomic status, so it’s just really a broadening of that base.”
Emory College admitted 49 more ED1 students than last year, which is a 7.3% increase. Latting said this is not due to a growth in the first year class or a policy to accept more early decision applicants.
“It’s just the quality of the applicant pool,” Latting said. “There was this tailwind behind it, and that’s why we landed with a larger number of admits.”
Before Dec. 1, Emory admitted 61 QuestBridge Scholars to the Class of 2027, five of whom chose to attend Oxford. The QuestBridge National College Match program provides students with low income backgrounds access to a free college education. QuestBridge Scholars are the most diverse group of the Class of 2027, and many are first-generation college students.
Emory has been test-optional since 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, 38% of admitted ED1 Emory College students and 41% of admitted ED1 Oxford students did not submit test scores. The test-optional policy continued this application cycle and the admissions team put more emphasis on contextualizing each applicant in their school and personal environment, Latting said.
“We’re really actively trying to get that contextual information so that we’re being fair and also doing a good job identifying the most talented students who are going to arrive on campus and really do a great job, either in the classroom or outside or hopefully both,” Latting said.
Latting also explained that Emory values admitting students who, in addition to being academically impressive, are both motivated and well-rounded beyond grades and test scores.
“We look at numbers and they have a certain amount of importance, but ultimately, the students who really get after it, they really care about their communities and they engage with their teachers and they do a great job, those are the students we’re going to focus on for our offers of admission,” Latting said.
There are still two more rounds of acceptances for Emory’s Class of 2027, including Early Decision II (ED2) and Regular Decision, which both have Jan. 1 application deadlines. ED2 applicants will receive their results by Feb. 15, and Regular Decision applicants will receive their results by April 1.
Latting encouraged students who are still filling out their applications to be honest on the question asking them to elaborate on any extenuating circumstances, whether that be related to health or personal matters.
“If you’ve had challenges, there’s been difficulty, whether it’s mental health or physical health or financial, just let us know,” Latting said. “We can process that and will be very fair and understanding. We just need to know the background.”
Correction (12/15/2023 at 8:12 p.m.): A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Emory University admitted 1,075 Early Decision I (ED1) applicants in 2022. In fact, Emory admitted 903 ED1 applicants. Statistics in this article have been updated to account for the correct number of admitted students.
