Sometimes we get so caught up in the college admissions frenzy we forget that 70 percent of colleges accept 70 percent or more of the students who apply.
In fact, the news that generally surrounds the May 1 national response deadline is about what highly selective colleges have “yielded,” that is, what percentage of the students they accepted declared their decision to enroll by sending in a deposit, and how many students these selective colleges will accept (if any) from their wait list.
[In case you were wondering, Harvard’s yield rate is over 80 percent, and Stanford’s is in the high 70 percent range.]
But let’s go back to that other 70 percent number. Seventy percent of colleges in the United States accept more than 70 percent of applicants – and often they do not immediately fill their classes in the spring admissions cycle.
That means that there are colleges out there – good colleges – with space available for freshmen and transfer students. Schools you might not expect to be on this list are still open for students – and some still even have some financial aid available.
How do I find out what colleges have space?
NACAC, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, maintains a list of schools with space available. Colleges with room to fill send that information to NACAC, and you can access the list here.
You can also download a chart of California colleges with space available – with contact information listed for the appropriate admissions official – on my website.
If your student didn’t quite get their applications in on time last fall, community college is not the only choice. There’s still opportunity to enroll at a four-year college this coming fall. Take a look at the options!
