How selective is Stanford? Only 4.6 percent of would-be freshmen win a spot

The San Jose Mercury News reports:

Stanford University announced Friday it has accepted only one out of every 21 aspirants to its next freshman class in what remains the most-fiercely competitive campus in the country.


In all, 2,050 of 44,073 candidates received the good news, winning a coveted spot in the largest application pool in Stanford’s history.

That’s 4.6 percent. Less than a decade ago, in 2008, seats were offered to 9.5 percent of applicants.

“We continue to be awed and humbled by the interest Stanford receives from outstanding young people around the world,” Richard Shaw, dean of admission and financial aid, said in a prepared statement.

By comparison, the admission rate at Harvard was 5.2 percent; Columbia, 5.8 percent; Princeton, 6.4 percent; Yale, 6.9 percent; Duke, 7.3 percent and Brown, 8.3 percent.

The odds of getting in.