Yield (also known as the yield rate or matriculation rate)[1] is a statistic in college admissions that measures the percentage of applicants to an institution who, having been offered admission, accept the offer.[2][3] It is calculated by dividing the number of students who enroll at an institution in a given year by the total number of admission offers sent. For example, an institution that makes 5,000 offers of admission in a particular year, but that enrolls 2,000 students that year, is said to have a yield of 40%. The yield rate is usually calculated once per year.
As a statistical measure, yield has been used by college ratings services as a measure of selectivity, such that a higher yield rate is a sign of a more selective college. It is also taken to indicate greater interest from applicants in enrolling at a particular institution. For example, the yield rate for Princeton University was 69% in 2016, while the yield rate for Dartmouth was 55%, and the yield rate for Colorado College was 37%.[2]
Manipulation
The yield rate has sometimes been criticized for being subject to manipulation by college admissions staffs; in 2001, a report by Daniel Golden in The Wall Street Journal suggested that some college admissions departments reject or wait list well-qualified applicants on the assumption that they will not enroll, as a way to boost the college's overall yield rate. According to the report, these actions were part of an effort to improve a college's scores on the U.S. News college ranking.[3] This practice is known as yield protection.
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