Admissions releases Class of 2018 yield rate

Yesterday, 66 percent of accepted students committed to join the Class of 2018, a modest increase from last year's yield rate of 63 percent.

Penn admissions also enjoyed the highest yield rate since the Class of 2011, when 66 percent of accepted students also came to Penn. 

The yield is likely to increase slightly because of wait list acceptances, which are used to make sure enrollment meets the target class size, as well as to address "summer melt," or when students rescind their commitments to attend. Last year's final yield increased 1.3 percent to 64.3 percent.

The Office of Admissions is expecting to offer places to "some" applicants on the wait list due to the fact that "we went out conservatively with offers of admission," Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said in an email. 

One factor which may have affected the higher yield is the new Quaker Days, which gave admitted students the opportunity to stay at Penn overnight.

While most peer schools have not yet released their yield rates, last year Harvard University had the highest yield in the nation with 80.2 percent.

Penn admissions reviewed a record 35,788 applications this year.Only 9.9 percent of applicants gained admissions, the lowest admit rate Penn has seen.

The Class of 2018 also has increased diversity and academic quality compared to previous years, Furda said in an email.

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