Colleges covet high yields — the percentage of admitted students who enroll — as a sign that they will meet tuition-revenue goals and do well in college rankings. As American society debates the value of a liberal-arts education, small private liberal-arts colleges may see high yields as a way to enhance their reputations and attract more highly qualified applicants. Liberal-arts colleges saw the total number of applicants grow more than 42 percent from the admissions cycle for the fall of 2007 to that for the fall of 2017. Although the total number of first-time college students who enrolled in those institutions dropped slightly over that period, and the yield dropped by nine percentage points, 22 of the 200 colleges under consideration not only accepted a smaller percentage of applicants in 2017 than in 2007 but also had higher numbers of first-time college students who enrolled, and higher yields. Among them were Soka University of America, Pomona College, and Claremont McKenna College.
| Rank | Institution | Total applicants for fall 2017 admissions | Percentage change in number of applicants, 2007 to 2017 | Acceptance rate for fall 2017 | Percentage-point difference in acceptance rate, 2007 to 2017 | First-time students enrolled, 2017 | Percentage change in number of first-time students enrolled, 2007 to 2017 | Yield, fall 2017 | Percentage-point difference in yield, 2007 to 2017 |
| 1. | Bard College at Simon’s Rock | 348 | 4.5% | 66.1% | -22.8 | 171 | -7.6% | 74.3% | 11.8 |
| 2. | Berea College | 1,710 | -17.9% | 35.1% | 6.4 | 432 | 2.6% | 72.0% | 1.5 |
| 3. | Thomas Aquinas College | 192 | -13.5% | 71.9% | 12.0 | 90 | -11.8% | 65.2% | -11.5 |
| 4. | Southern Virginia U. | 926 | -43.7% | 56.2% | 13.4 | 331 | 40.9% | 63.7% | 30.3 |
| 5. | Soka U. of America | 489 | 29.4% | 37.2% | -16.5 | 107 | 5.9% | 58.8% | 9.0 |
| 6. | Pomona College | 9,045 | 53.1% | 8.4% | -8.0 | 412 | 9.9% | 54.5% | 15.6 |
| 7. | Claremont McKenna College | 6,349 | 53.4% | 10.4% | -5.8 | 352 | 31.3% | 53.5% | 13.6 |
| 8. | Wesleyan College (Ga.) | 309 | -36.4% | 46.6% | -5.9 | 74 | -36.2% | 51.4% | 5.9 |
| 9. | Bowdoin College | 7,251 | 21.6% | 13.6% | -5.3 | 501 | 5.3% | 50.7% | 8.6 |
| 10. | Barnard College | 7,716 | 68.7% | 15.4% | -13.3 | 603 | 7.9% | 50.7% | 8.2 |
| 11. | Wellesley College | 5,666 | 41.1% | 22.1% | -13.6 | 605 | 2.5% | 48.4% | 7.2 |
| 12. | Bryn Athyn College of the New Church | 241 | 308.5% | 87.6% | -9.1 | 97 | 106.4% | 46.0% | -36.5 |
| 13. | Davidson College | 5,673 | 39.0% | 20.2% | -8.0 | 519 | 7.5% | 45.2% | 3.3 |
| 14. | Bethany Lutheran College | 388 | -4.0% | 79.1% | -4.0 | 136 | -22.3% | 44.3% | -7.8 |
| 15. | Williams College | 8,593 | 43.2% | 14.6% | -4.5 | 548 | 2.6% | 43.7% | -2.9 |
| 16. | Colorado College | 8,223 | 69.4% | 15.1% | -16.6 | 544 | 3.8% | 43.7% | 9.7 |
| 17. | Pitzer College | 3,753 | 0.1% | 16.2% | -10.0 | 262 | 7.8% | 43.1% | 18.4 |
| 18. | Sterling College (Vt.) | 70 | -27.8% | 94.3% | 18.0 | 28 | -6.7% | 42.4% | 1.9 |
| 19. | Bates College | 5,316 | 19.9% | 21.9% | -7.7 | 494 | 11.8% | 42.4% | 8.7 |
| 20. | Middlebury College | 8,909 | 43.6% | 17.1% | -4.5 | 635 | 12.8% | 41.7% | -0.4 |
| 21. | Wheaton College (Ill.) | 1,693 | -21.6% | 85.0% | 29.8 | 580 | -0.5% | 40.3% | -8.6 |
| 22. | Covenant College | 692 | -27.2% | 95.2% | 30.6 | 263 | -14.3% | 39.9% | -10.0 |
| 23. | Haverford College | 4,408 | 26.2% | 20.1% | -5.1 | 349 | 10.8% | 39.5% | 3.6 |
| 24. | Amherst College | 9,285 | 39.0% | 12.9% | -4.7 | 471 | -0.6% | 39.3% | -1.0 |
| 25. | Washington and Lee U. | 5,455 | 46.7% | 22.0% | -5.4 | 471 | 1.9% | 39.3% | -6.1 |
| 26. | Swarthmore College | 9,382 | 79.0% | 10.7% | -7.0 | 392 | 7.4% | 39.0% | -0.2 |
| 27. | Carleton College | 6,499 | 33.8% | 21.2% | -8.8 | 522 | 2.6% | 37.9% | 3.0 |
| 28. | Wesleyan U. (Conn.) | 12,360 | 70.7% | 16.3% | -11.5 | 761 | 5.7% | 37.8% | 2.0 |
| 29. | Ouachita Baptist U. | 1,786 | 39.2% | 70.9% | 2.0 | 468 | 27.5% | 36.9% | -4.5 |
| 30. | Smith College | 5,432 | 63.2% | 31.9% | -20.0 | 639 | -3.0% | 36.9% | -1.3 |
| 31. | Harvey Mudd College | 4,078 | 63.6% | 15.4% | -12.7 | 225 | 14.8% | 35.8% | 7.8 |
| 32. | Houghton College | 821 | -18.3% | 91.4% | 7.5 | 268 | 1.1% | 35.7% | 4.3 |
| 33. | Saint John’s U. (Minn.) | 1,639 | 17.1% | 80.2% | 0.0 | 469 | -8.9% | 35.7% | -10.2 |
| 34. | Morehouse College | 2,349 | -0.8% | 74.4% | 15.4 | 617 | -8.2% | 35.3% | -12.7 |
| 35. | Hamilton College (N.Y.) | 5,678 | 14.4% | 24.2% | -3.5 | 480 | 2.6% | 34.9% | 0.9 |
| 36. | Scripps College | 2,841 | 44.3% | 33.4% | -9.5 | 327 | 44.1% | 34.5% | 7.6 |
| 37. | Vassar College | 7,746 | 27.5% | 23.8% | -6.3 | 624 | -6.9% | 33.9% | -2.8 |
| 38. | Centenary College of Louisiana | 848 | -24.6% | 61.8% | -0.1 | 173 | -13.1% | 33.0% | 4.4 |
| 39. | Meredith College | 1,737 | 26.1% | 68.9% | -7.8 | 395 | -14.9% | 33.0% | -10.9 |
| 40. | College of Saint Benedict | 2,003 | 29.7% | 80.6% | -1.1 | 524 | -2.4% | 32.5% | -10.1 |
| 41. | St. John’s College (N.M.) | 342 | -0.3% | 63.2% | -15.6 | 70 | -47.8% | 32.4% | -17.2 |
| 42. | Young Harris College | 1,575 | 12.3% | 52.5% | -8.8 | 268 | -26.0% | 32.4% | -9.7 |
| 43. | Colgate U. | 8,542 | -2.5% | 28.1% | 19.6 | 771 | 3.5% | 32.1% | -67.8 |
| 44. | Bryn Mawr College | 2,936 | 39.4% | 38.0% | -7.5 | 354 | 0.6% | 31.7% | -5.0 |
| 45. | Pine Manor College | 588 | 0.5% | 51.2% | -18.7 | 95 | -32.6% | 31.6% | -2.9 |
| 46. | Schreiner U. | 1,178 | 29.7% | 92.4% | 32.6 | 341 | 28.7% | 31.3% | -17.5 |
| 47. | Colby College | 11,190 | 139.2% | 15.8% | -16.0 | 552 | 18.2% | 31.2% | -0.1 |
| 48. | College of the Holy Cross | 6,622 | -6.3% | 39.6% | 6.6 | 819 | 13.9% | 31.2% | 0.4 |
| 49. | LaGrange College | 1,545 | 15.5% | 56.9% | -0.4 | 274 | 24.0% | 31.2% | 2.3 |
| 50. | St. Olaf College | 5,949 | 46.6% | 43.2% | -11.2 | 786 | 4.7% | 30.6% | -3.4 |
| 51. | Bucknell U. | 10,253 | 14.6% | 31.1% | 1.2 | 973 | 9.7% | 30.5% | -2.7 |
| 52. | Mount Holyoke College | 3,446 | 7.9% | 50.8% | -1.5 | 529 | 3.3% | 30.2% | -0.4 |
| 53. | St. John’s College (Md.) | 753 | 70.7% | 54.4% | -26.3 | 122 | -14.7% | 29.8% | -10.4 |
| 54. | Saint Vincent College | 2,490 | 34.1% | 61.9% | 0.2 | 456 | 7.8% | 29.6% | -7.3 |
| 55. | American Jewish U. | 41 | -55.9% | 82.9% | 0.1 | 10 | -67.7% | 29.4% | -10.8 |
| 56. | Erskine College | 1,227 | 40.4% | 54.5% | -11.0 | 195 | 18.9% | 29.1% | 0.5 |
| 57. | Hendrix College | 1,465 | 10.7% | 79.8% | -2.9 | 338 | -8.9% | 28.9% | -5.0 |
| 58. | Simpson College (Iowa) | 1,245 | -7.5% | 83.9% | -3.8 | 298 | -22.6% | 28.5% | -4.1 |
| 59. | College of the Atlantic | 474 | 36.6% | 67.9% | 0.2 | 91 | 8.3% | 28.3% | -7.5 |
| 60. | Wabash College | 1,304 | -8.1% | 63.0% | 15.7 | 232 | -7.2% | 28.3% | -9.1 |
| 61. | Trinity College (Conn.) | 6,085 | 2.3% | 33.9% | -0.4 | 580 | 0.7% | 28.1% | -0.1 |
| 62. | Franklin & Marshall College | 6,720 | 33.9% | 34.1% | -3.2 | 645 | 13.2% | 28.1% | -2.3 |
| 63. | Oberlin College | 7,762 | 10.7% | 33.7% | 2.4 | 728 | -2.3% | 27.8% | -6.2 |
| 64. | Salem College | 1,045 | 148.8% | 56.8% | -12.0 | 163 | 34.7% | 27.4% | -14.4 |
| 65. | Bennington College | 1,465 | 44.8% | 56.6% | -6.0 | 225 | 10.3% | 27.1% | -5.1 |
| 66. | Virginia Wesleyan U. | 2,231 | 47.6% | 69.9% | -20.5 | 423 | 16.5% | 27.1% | 0.6 |
| 67. | Skidmore College | 10,053 | 51.1% | 24.5% | -14.2 | 661 | -1.6% | 26.8% | 0.7 |
| 68. | Oglethorpe U. | 2,159 | 76.4% | 58.0% | -21.9 | 334 | 64.5% | 26.7% | 5.9 |
| 69. | Ave Maria U. | 2,526 | 334.0% | 42.1% | 8.1 | 283 | 51.3% | 26.6% | -67.8 |
| 70. | Grinnell College | 5,850 | 88.5% | 28.9% | -16.3 | 447 | 10.4% | 26.5% | -2.4 |
| 71. | Judson College (Ala.) | 497 | 60.8% | 50.7% | -29.6 | 66 | -17.5% | 26.2% | -6.1 |
| 72. | Lafayette College | 8,469 | 33.1% | 30.8% | -4.1 | 680 | 14.5% | 26.1% | -0.6 |
| 73. | William Jewell College | 1,644 | 1.8% | 47.6% | -46.5 | 198 | -41.1% | 25.3% | 3.2 |
| 74. | Saint Mary’s College (Ind.) | 1,830 | 42.9% | 78.3% | -3.0 | 362 | -24.4% | 25.3% | -20.7 |
| 75. | Muhlenberg College | 4,636 | -1.4% | 48.4% | 11.2 | 564 | 2.4% | 25.2% | -6.3 |
| 76. | Bethel College (Kan.) | 886 | 148.2% | 55.8% | -19.0 | 124 | 19.2% | 25.1% | -13.9 |
| 77. | Agnes Scott College | 1,534 | -3.8% | 65.6% | 20.4 | 251 | 15.1% | 25.0% | -5.3 |
| 78. | Marlboro College | 121 | -72.5% | 96.7% | 34.6 | 29 | -67.8% | 24.8% | -8.2 |
| 79. | Davis & Elkins College | 2,295 | 497.7% | 41.6% | -26.6 | 236 | 95.0% | 24.7% | -21.5 |
| 80. | Gettysburg College | 6,384 | 4.2% | 45.8% | 10.2 | 720 | 3.6% | 24.6% | -7.3 |
| 81. | St. Lawrence U. | 5,866 | 26.3% | 48.3% | 4.6 | 698 | 11.1% | 24.6% | -6.3 |
| 82. | Emory & Henry College | 1,426 | -2.0% | 72.2% | 0.2 | 253 | -1.6% | 24.6% | 0.0 |
| 83. | U. of Richmond | 10,013 | 50.5% | 33.0% | -7.0 | 801 | -0.1% | 24.3% | -5.9 |
| 84. | Hope College | 4,377 | 59.3% | 73.6% | -9.2 | 779 | -4.9% | 24.2% | -11.8 |
| 85. | Kenyon College | 5,603 | 21.1% | 33.8% | 4.6 | 453 | -1.1% | 23.9% | -10.0 |
| 86. | Sweet Briar College | 361 | -41.7% | 92.8% | 11.4 | 79 | -60.9% | 23.6% | -16.5 |
| 87. | Furman U. | 5,002 | 28.7% | 61.2% | 5.7 | 702 | 2.2% | 22.9% | -8.9 |
| 88. | Westmont College | 1,818 | 10.1% | 84.7% | 11.5 | 353 | -9.3% | 22.9% | -9.3 |
| 89. | Lycoming College | 1,924 | 21.4% | 64.0% | -13.9 | 282 | -29.3% | 22.9% | -9.4 |
| 90. | Union College (N.Y.) | 6,676 | 38.0% | 37.4% | -5.9 | 570 | 1.8% | 22.8% | -3.9 |
| 91. | Sewanee: The U. of the South | 4,218 | 74.0% | 46.7% | -16.9 | 448 | 11.4% | 22.7% | -3.3 |
| 92. | Macalester College | 5,900 | 18.8% | 40.6% | 0.0 | 543 | 12.0% | 22.7% | -1.4 |
| 93. | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | 4,407 | 5.5% | 63.9% | 9.6 | 634 | 5.5% | 22.5% | -4.0 |
| 94. | Hampshire College | 2,305 | -6.1% | 62.8% | 6.3 | 325 | -19.4% | 22.4% | -6.6 |
| 95. | Birmingham-Southern College | 2,559 | 12.1% | 61.9% | -4.1 | 349 | -22.4% | 22.0% | -7.9 |
| 96. | Denison U. | 7,540 | 45.1% | 37.2% | -1.9 | 617 | 5.3% | 22.0% | -6.9 |
| 97. | William Peace U. | 1,569 | 111.2% | 59.1% | -15.6 | 203 | 6.3% | 21.9% | -12.5 |
| 98. | Maryville College | 2,791 | 76.2% | 49.3% | -26.7 | 301 | -5.0% | 21.9% | -4.5 |
| 99. | Connecticut College | 5,434 | 27.0% | 38.0% | 0.0 | 444 | -9.6% | 21.5% | -8.7 |
| 100. | Centre College | 2,454 | 13.7% | 76.3% | 15.6 | 401 | 26.9% | 21.4% | -2.7 |
| 101. | Pacific Union College | 1,904 | 11.6% | 50.2% | -24.9 | 204 | -24.4% | 21.3% | 0.3 |
| 102. | Sarah Lawrence College | 3,463 | 23.6% | 53.2% | 9.1 | 393 | 7.7% | 21.3% | -8.2 |
| 103. | Randolph-Macon College | 2,820 | -11.3% | 62.2% | 0.7 | 374 | -4.6% | 21.3% | 1.2 |
| 104. | Linfield College | 2,325 | 13.4% | 80.8% | 0.9 | 400 | -16.1% | 21.3% | -7.8 |
| 105. | College of Idaho | 1,665 | 82.8% | 75.9% | -5.2 | 268 | 10.7% | 21.2% | -11.6 |
| 106. | Rhodes College | 4,733 | 28.4% | 51.0% | -0.2 | 512 | 12.5% | 21.2% | -2.9 |
| 107. | Wofford College | 3,101 | 52.9% | 69.1% | 9.0 | 452 | 17.4% | 21.1% | -10.5 |
| 108. | Juniata College | 2,289 | 16.9% | 70.8% | 3.5 | 341 | -9.5% | 21.0% | -7.6 |
| 109. | Dickinson College | 5,941 | 1.7% | 48.7% | 6.9 | 607 | -2.3% | 21.0% | -4.5 |
| 110. | Moravian College | 3,059 | 39.7% | 76.0% | 12.0 | 477 | 18.4% | 20.5% | -8.2 |
| 111. | Reed College | 5,652 | 68.0% | 35.6% | 1.3 | 413 | 19.4% | 20.5% | -9.5 |
| 112. | Concordia College at Moorhead | 4,539 | 80.3% | 61.6% | -23.9 | 568 | -32.1% | 20.3% | -18.5 |
| 113. | Southwestern U. (Tex.) | 4,133 | 115.7% | 43.1% | -24.2 | 362 | -2.4% | 20.3% | -8.4 |
| 114. | Guilford College | 1,865 | -46.9% | 90.7% | 33.0 | 343 | -29.1% | 20.3% | -3.6 |
| 115. | Cornell College | 2,276 | -14.4% | 65.0% | 19.6 | 300 | -5.1% | 20.3% | -5.9 |
| 116. | Occidental College | 6,775 | 28.4% | 41.8% | -2.3 | 564 | 23.1% | 19.9% | 0.2 |
| 117. | Bethany College (W.Va.) | 855 | -35.6% | 94.0% | 32.1 | 160 | -35.7% | 19.9% | -10.4 |
| 118. | Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion | 2,799 | 60.1% | 51.8% | -17.0 | 287 | -4.7% | 19.8% | -5.2 |
| 119. | Doane U. | 2,392 | 108.0% | 65.2% | -13.5 | 299 | 20.6% | 19.2% | -8.2 |
| 120. | Northland College | 1,625 | 30.5% | 61.2% | -9.9 | 189 | 23.5% | 19.0% | 1.7 |
| 121. | Bloomfield College | 3,340 | 18.1% | 64.0% | 23.2 | 405 | 11.9% | 19.0% | -12.5 |
| 122. | Transylvania U. | 1,567 | 10.4% | 95.5% | 16.8 | 283 | -15.5% | 18.9% | -11.1 |
| 123. | Franklin College of Indiana | 1,821 | 20.0% | 77.9% | 11.4 | 267 | -30.3% | 18.8% | -19.2 |
| 124. | McDaniel College | 2,814 | 2.6% | 85.0% | 11.8 | 450 | 3.2% | 18.8% | -2.9 |
| 125. | Albion College | 3,884 | 76.2% | 70.6% | -10.7 | 515 | 3.0% | 18.8% | -9.1 |
| 126. | Westminster College (Mo.) | 1,035 | 11.2% | 90.1% | 10.2 | 174 | -22.3% | 18.6% | -11.5 |
| 127. | Presbyterian College | 2,277 | 100.1% | 65.2% | -5.7 | 276 | -4.5% | 18.6% | -17.3 |
| 128. | Luther College | 4,288 | 108.8% | 65.1% | -17.5 | 517 | -21.5% | 18.5% | -20.3 |
| 129. | Augustana College (Ill.) | 6,750 | 119.2% | 59.0% | -14.3 | 735 | 3.2% | 18.5% | -13.1 |
| 130. | Saint Anselm College | 3,892 | 10.5% | 76.1% | 6.7 | 546 | -4.4% | 18.4% | -4.9 |
| 131. | Whitman College | 4,081 | 33.9% | 51.7% | 3.8 | 389 | -9.1% | 18.4% | -10.9 |
| 132. | Warren Wilson College | 1,003 | 24.1% | 79.4% | -1.2 | 146 | -37.9% | 18.3% | -17.8 |
| 133. | Elizabethtown College | 3,033 | -10.0% | 74.0% | 15.6 | 411 | -18.3% | 18.3% | -7.3 |
| 134. | Drew U. | 3,205 | -33.5% | 63.4% | 2.4 | 371 | -18.6% | 18.2% | 2.7 |
| 135. | Georgetown College | 2,498 | 71.7% | 67.3% | -17.1 | 306 | -16.6% | 18.2% | -11.7 |
| 136. | Austin College | 3,545 | 107.6% | 52.2% | -17.5 | 332 | -0.6% | 18.0% | -10.1 |
| 137. | Lyon College | 1,650 | 92.8% | 64.2% | -4.4 | 190 | 33.8% | 17.9% | -6.2 |
| 138. | Gustavus Adolphus College | 4,834 | 47.4% | 67.8% | -3.5 | 588 | -12.9% | 17.9% | -10.9 |
| 139. | College of Wooster (Ohio) | 5,615 | 77.2% | 56.4% | -17.9 | 568 | 4.2% | 17.9% | -5.2 |
| 140. | Kalamazoo College | 3,434 | 63.9% | 73.4% | 10.8 | 449 | 23.7% | 17.8% | -9.9 |
| 141. | Monmouth College | 2,428 | 31.4% | 67.1% | -9.9 | 281 | -36.9% | 17.3% | -14.0 |
| 142. | Wheaton College (Mass.) | 6,089 | 68.5% | 47.9% | 7.4 | 502 | 22.4% | 17.2% | -10.8 |
| 143. | St. Norbert College | 3,860 | 115.8% | 79.2% | -8.1 | 526 | -2.4% | 17.2% | -17.3 |
| 144. | DePauw U. | 5,173 | 42.7% | 67.3% | -1.9 | 595 | -10.4% | 17.1% | -9.4 |
| 145. | Eckerd College | 4,525 | 45.1% | 72.7% | 5.8 | 561 | -47.8% | 17.0% | -34.5 |
| 146. | Illinois Wesleyan U. | 3,697 | 24.8% | 60.9% | 3.6 | 378 | -29.7% | 16.8% | -14.9 |
| 147. | Bard College | 4,922 | -1.2% | 58.2% | 31.1 | 470 | -4.3% | 16.4% | -20.0 |
| 148. | Spelman College | 8,344 | 59.0% | 40.1% | 3.0 | 548 | -3.7% | 16.4% | -12.8 |
| 149. | Roanoke College | 5,117 | 57.1% | 67.2% | -6.0 | 557 | -1.6% | 16.2% | -7.5 |
| 150. | Gordon College (Mass.) | 2,924 | 85.8% | 88.9% | 17.6 | 417 | -8.8% | 16.0% | -24.7 |
| 151. | Lawrence U. | 3,612 | 39.0% | 61.4% | 5.8 | 353 | -1.1% | 15.9% | -8.8 |
| 152. | Hampden-Sydney College | 3,573 | 143.1% | 55.1% | -11.9 | 312 | -6.6% | 15.9% | -18.1 |
| 153. | Westminster College (Pa.) | 2,874 | 110.1% | 72.5% | 1.7 | 328 | 4.1% | 15.7% | -16.8 |
| 154. | Lake Forest College | 4,303 | 95.3% | 53.0% | -7.9 | 357 | 0.3% | 15.7% | -10.9 |
| 155. | Saint Michael’s College | 3,094 | -11.7% | 85.1% | 16.0 | 409 | -23.1% | 15.5% | -6.4 |
| 156. | Susquehanna U. | 5,927 | 149.8% | 69.5% | -16.5 | 634 | 6.9% | 15.4% | -13.7 |
| 157. | Knox College | 3,231 | 33.6% | 71.6% | 10.5 | 355 | 15.6% | 15.3% | -5.4 |
| 158. | Goucher College | 3,474 | -3.7% | 78.8% | 13.4 | 420 | 5.3% | 15.3% | -1.6 |
| 159. | Holy Cross College | 1,815 | 195.1% | 74.0% | -10.8 | 206 | 7.9% | 15.3% | -21.3 |
| 160. | Ohio Wesleyan U. | 4,160 | 9.1% | 71.4% | 5.9 | 448 | -22.2% | 15.1% | -8.0 |
| 161. | Hanover College | 2,757 | 45.6% | 83.8% | 17.9 | 343 | 48.5% | 14.8% | -3.7 |
| 162. | Stonehill College | 6,260 | 9.8% | 72.1% | 20.2 | 667 | 1.2% | 14.8% | -7.5 |
| 163. | Ursinus College | 3,488 | -32.2% | 78.2% | 25.5 | 402 | -14.1% | 14.7% | -2.5 |
| 164. | Hiram College | 2,761 | 78.0% | 63.5% | -13.6 | 258 | -22.5% | 14.7% | -13.1 |
| 165. | Bridgewater College | 7,241 | 371.1% | 52.0% | -31.9 | 534 | 19.7% | 14.2% | -20.4 |
| 166. | Thiel College | 2,144 | 61.4% | 62.9% | -12.4 | 189 | -49.1% | 14.0% | -23.1 |
| 167. | Ripon College | 2,504 | 157.1% | 67.5% | -12.0 | 237 | -9.5% | 14.0% | -19.8 |
| 168. | Washington College | 5,515 | 154.5% | 47.6% | -15.9 | 368 | 13.6% | 14.0% | -9.5 |
| 169. | Allegheny College | 5,114 | 17.5% | 67.9% | 10.8 | 484 | -17.1% | 13.9% | -9.6 |
| 170. | Randolph College | 1,696 | 39.1% | 86.4% | 3.0 | 202 | 13.5% | 13.8% | -3.7 |
| 171. | Carthage College | 7,678 | 63.8% | 67.9% | -9.2 | 709 | 3.2% | 13.6% | -5.4 |
| 172. | Wartburg College | 4,342 | 119.1% | 76.9% | -6.7 | 451 | -17.2% | 13.5% | -19.4 |
| 173. | Alma College | 4,728 | 131.3% | 64.0% | -14.1 | 408 | -5.1% | 13.5% | -13.4 |
| 174. | Johnson C. Smith U. | 6,657 | 38.7% | 38.1% | 0.2 | 339 | -33.1% | 13.4% | -14.5 |
| 175. | Washington & Jefferson College | 5,358 | -27.4% | 47.9% | 13.6 | 339 | -16.7% | 13.2% | -2.9 |
| 176. | Hartwick College | 3,019 | 24.6% | 88.6% | 4.6 | 351 | -22.9% | 13.1% | -9.2 |
| 177. | Siena College | 7,626 | 31.7% | 77.9% | 23.7 | 776 | -0.6% | 13.1% | -11.8 |
| 178. | Claflin U. | 9,767 | 260.3% | 41.2% | -7.7 | 519 | 29.8% | 12.9% | -17.3 |
| 179. | Dillard U. | 6,445 | 127.7% | 40.8% | -5.1 | 338 | 93.1% | 12.9% | -0.6 |
| 180. | Marymount Manhattan College | 5,482 | 111.7% | 79.5% | 5.6 | 546 | 16.9% | 12.5% | -11.9 |
| 181. | Whittier College | 5,773 | 137.6% | 74.1% | 13.0 | 520 | 67.2% | 12.2% | -8.8 |
| 182. | U. of Puget Sound | 5,958 | 13.0% | 83.9% | 17.5 | 593 | -7.9% | 11.9% | -6.5 |
| 183. | Tougaloo College | 2,227 | 110.5% | 74.7% | -20.9 | 196 | -2.0% | 11.8% | -8.0 |
| 184. | Lewis & Clark College | 6,305 | 17.8% | 71.4% | 15.3 | 526 | 3.3% | 11.7% | -5.3 |
| 185. | Paine College | 2,591 | -10.7% | 31.8% | -5.6 | 95 | -63.0% | 11.5% | -12.1 |
| 186. | Central College | 4,016 | 109.3% | 70.1% | -9.2 | 322 | -24.1% | 11.4% | -16.4 |
| 187. | Illinois College | 4,121 | 265.0% | 54.9% | -19.2 | 258 | -0.8% | 11.4% | -19.7 |
| 188. | Hollins U. | 2,842 | 348.3% | 48.4% | -39.8 | 155 | -24.8% | 11.3% | -25.6 |
| 189. | Albright College | 8,332 | 148.5% | 50.0% | -37.7 | 464 | -9.4% | 11.1% | -6.3 |
| 190. | Beloit College | 5,400 | 150.3% | 54.0% | -6.5 | 323 | -0.6% | 11.1% | -13.8 |
| 191. | Willamette U. | 4,484 | 50.3% | 89.1% | 12.0 | 440 | 1.1% | 11.0% | -7.9 |
| 192. | Millsaps College | 4,276 | 241.3% | 48.9% | -28.3 | 229 | -22.6% | 10.9% | -19.6 |
| 193. | Emmanuel College (Mass.) | 5,965 | 36.5% | 73.0% | 13.6 | 474 | -18.8% | 10.9% | -11.6 |
| 194. | Elmira College | 2,216 | 23.2% | 85.1% | 9.0 | 205 | -42.7% | 10.9% | -15.3 |
| 195. | Fisk U. | 2,801 | 13.3% | 45.4% | 9.7 | 135 | -49.8% | 10.6% | -19.8 |
| 196. | Wittenberg U. | 7,249 | 150.8% | 72.2% | -0.4 | 539 | -2.4% | 10.3% | -16.0 |
| 197. | Coe College | 7,002 | 270.5% | 56.2% | -7.7 | 400 | 17.0% | 10.2% | -18.1 |
| 198. | Wells College | 1,693 | 47.9% | 79.7% | 15.1 | 137 | -21.3% | 10.1% | -13.4 |
| 199. | Spring Hill College | 8,544 | 180.9% | 45.7% | -20.2 | 395 | 3.1% | 10.1% | -9.0 |
| 200. | Stillman College | 5,123 | 58.7% | 48.1% | 10.7 | 163 | -57.7% | 6.6% | -25.3 |
| | All 200 colleges | 796,918 | 42.3% | 48.7% | -0.9 | 79,604 | -2.6% | 20.5% | -8.9 |
Note: The analysis covers four-year private nonprofit colleges that were eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid in 2017 and that were classified as “baccalaureate colleges: arts and sciences focus” under the 2015 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Colleges with open-admissions policies and colleges that lacked data for one or both comparison years were excluded. Institutions are ranked by the highest to lowest yields. Yield indicates the percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled as first-time students. The number of applicants indicates how many students sought to enter college as first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates in the fall of 2017. The acceptance rate is the percentage of those applicants who were admitted. Percentage-point differences for the acceptance rate and the yield were calculated by converting percentages to decimals and subtracting the figure for 2007 from the figure for 2017. A negative percentage-point difference for the acceptance rate indicates that the college accepted a lower percentage of the total number of applicants in 2017 than in 2007. A positive percentage-point difference for yield indicates that a higher percentage of accepted applicants enrolled in 2017 than in 2007. Percentages are rounded, but institutions were ranked before rounding. Questions or comments on the Chronicle List should be sent to Ruth Hammond.
Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data
Correction (11/14/2019, 11:50 a.m.): Because of an error in data reported to the U.S. Department of Education, the original version of this table showed two comparisons between 2007 and 2017 for Transylvania University that were incorrect. The percentage-point difference in the acceptance rate at Transylvania was 16.8, not 71.9, and the percentage-point difference in yield was -11.1, not -81.1. The two figures have been corrected. In light of the change, overall figures for all 200 colleges were adjusted slightly. The overall percentage-point difference in the acceptance rate between 2007 and 2017 was -0.9, not 0.8, and the overall percentage-point difference in yield was -8.9, not -9.0.</p>