Cornell is a major research university in Ithaca, NY that just so happens to be part of the prestigious Ivy League. We say “just so happens” like it happened by chance, but Cornell’s status comes from past performance, present prominence, and future excellence. The university is exceptional, and it has the outcomes to prove it. The admissions numbers, though, can be a bit misleading.
Inside Admissions: How Harvard’s Admission Process Actually Works
Harvard. Harvard. Just saying the name feels intense! It’s probably one of the most famous colleges in the world, and its name is essentially shorthand for excellence. If you’re here, you probably are interested in applying, but you also want a glimpse into the black box that is college admissions. While we wish we had some kind of livestream into Harvard’s admissions office, that just doesn’t exist. Thankfully, you've got the second-best thing – us!
Early Decision Strategy for The University of Pennsylvania 2026-2027
The University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, is a prestigious Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university has a strong global perspective, and is ranked #1 for study abroad among its Ivy League peers. The focus on global affairs plays out on campus, too. Students in the Class of 2028 came from 90+ countries, and 15% of the class has addresses outside of the United States. Penn isn’t just about globe-trotting, though. What the school is particularly well-known for, actually, is being home to the most famed undergraduate business program in the United States. The university is home to nearly 30,000 students across and over 10,300 undergraduates. The overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029, including both the Early Decision and the Regular Decision rounds, was 4.9%.
The Top College Counseling Firms in New York City – 2026
The college admissions consulting industry has grown significantly over the past decade, particularly in New York City, where families are increasingly seeking highly individualized guidance in an already competitive academic environment. What was once a niche service has evolved into a complex landscape of boutique firms, large organizations, and independent consultants – each offering a different philosophy on how students should approach the admissions process.
Early Decision Strategy for Brown 2026-2027
Brown is the artsy Ivy. This isn’t because it is an arts school, but rather because the culture of the university embodies the ethos of the arts. This is amplified by where Brown is located, in the creative hub of Providence, Rhode Island, and who it has as a neighbor: RISD, one of the most famous creative schools in the world. Brown takes bits and pieces from the communities around it, adding exceptional research opportunities and unique educational approaches to the mix. They have an open curriculum that encourages exploration and discovery, which is very much on theme. Brown receives well over 40,000 applications each year and aim to admit about 2,400. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 5.65%. Then, it dropped. For the Class of 2030, the acceptance rate went down .3% to 5.35%.
Expert Interview: StraighterLine on Transfer Credit, College Prep, and Setting Up Students for Success
Today we spoke with Philip Dunne, President and General Manager of StraighterLine. StraighterLine’s affordable online college courses are accepted for transfer credits at more U.S. colleges than any other online course provider. With a catalog spanning foundational college prep through nursing prerequisites and general education requirements, StraighterLine is built around a single conviction: flexible education is only valuable if the credits actually count. In this interview, Dunne addresses how high-achieving high school students are using self-paced college coursework to get ahead, stand out, save thousands on tuition, and arrive at their target schools better positioned than their peers.
Single-Choice Early Action Strategy for Princeton 2026-2027
Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has a suburban feel and a very tight-knit on campus culture. It is also part of the coveted Ivy League, and boasts some of the best academic programs in the country across nearly any subject you could dream of studying. Unsurprisingly, getting into Princeton is exceptionally difficult. The university delays release of admissions data, but the overall first-year acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 4.4%.
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 7: Example and Guide 2026-2027
Early Decision Strategy for Columbia 2026-2027
Columbia University is one of the most prestigious schools in the United States in one of the most beloved and even mythic cities. New York City is iconic even before you consider plopping an Ivy League campus in the midst of Manhattan. A few minutes of walking takes students to relaxation in Central Park and a few minute-long train ride brings the same students to their internships on Wall Street. Columbia students benefit from both the social and career resources of New York, and the university is known as a feeder for top-tier financial, consulting, and tech companies. The first-year acceptance rate for the Class of 2030 only 4.23%.
Single-Choice Early Action Strategy for Yale 2026-2027
Yale is a prestigious Ivy League university in New Haven, Connecticut, and one of the most wildly recognized brands in education globally. The university is more than famous, and is renowned for offering exceptional opportunities on campus, through global learning, and following graduation. The university student body is a little less than half Undergraduate, or 6,740 undergraduate students. One of the things that students’ treasure about the Yale undergraduate experience is the campus community. About 75% of undergraduates live on campus, bringing together students from all over the world to live and learn together. Yale received nearly 55,000 applicants for the Class of 2030. Of that group, 47,779 applied in the regular decision cycle. A much smaller group applied early. The overall acceptance rate was 4.2%.
Restrictive Early Action Strategy for Harvard 2026-2027
Harvard is quite possibly the strongest brand in the world of college admissions. It’s also a top-tier university that attracts students from around the globe. A Harvard degree doesn’t guarantee a successful career post-college, but the cultural fixation on the university makes it seem like it may — and it does give students a major leg up when they enter the workforce. Getting in is, unsurprisingly, difficult. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 4.2%, and they receive over 40,000 applicants annually. The number Harvard admissions is most obsessed with, though, is actually the yield, or the percentage of accepted students who commit to the university. For the Class of 2029, 83% of accepted students joined the class and 90% of international students.
The Best Majors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Talk to any engineering nerd or computer wizard in your orbit, and there is one school that always ends up at the top of their college list: MIT. For most, it’s a dream school that is far out-of-reach. The expectations of the university are so massively high, and the pool they have to pick from is so accomplished and enormous, that the acceptance rate dropped to a mere 4.6% for the Class of 2029. If that is intimidating, the feeling is valid. Every year, though, students get in — there is a new class each fall, after all.
Freshman Year Transfer to Princeton 2026
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 6: Example and Guide 2026-2027
We’re nearing the end of the road in our Official Common App Essay Guide this year, folks! That means you’re very close to being fully informed on your options when it comes to writing the personal statement for your college applications. If you need a quick reminder on why this is such a big deal, it’s because this essay is the bedrock of your application. With these 650 words, you need to introduce yourself, leave a memorable impression, and, most importantly, connect with admissions officers on a human level. The best test scores, grades, and extracurriculars in the world won’t matter if you sound like an AI agent or a walking red flag.
Early Decision Strategy for Dartmouth 2026-2027
Dartmouth is the mountain Ivy. It’s not in the middle of nowhere, but Hanover, New Hampshire is by far the smallest college city that is also home to an Ivy League institution. It is nestled in the White Mountains. This mountain setting gives Dartmouth a particular energy, culture, and community. The 2025-2026 application cycle marked the second-largest applicant pool in the history of the College. One year earlier, in 2025, the overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 6%. That year, they received over 28,000 applications and accepted only 1,699 students. Of that group, 1,205 committed to Dartmouth – or a 71% yield. Then, in 2026 the acceptance rate dropped to 5.8%, and they received even more applications. This continued a trend that has included record setting numbers of applicants year-over-year for nearly a decade.
The Best Majors at Cornell
Cornell has eight undergraduate colleges and schools that together offer over 80 majors and more than 4,000 courses of study. In other words, it’s a big university. Many of the programs Cornell offers are, in fact, the only one of their kind of that caliber. For example, the hospitality program at Cornell sets a global standard for hotel management (think Four Seasons, not Red Roof Inn), and the agriculture programs literally keep our nation fed.
How to Write Common App Essay Prompt 5: Example and Guide 2026-2027
The Best Majors at Yale
Yale is an iconic and historic University in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. The university is well-known for having world-class professors, astonishing post-graduation outcomes, and a community that pushes its students to do their best work. After receiving over 50,000 applications from hopeful students, Yale accepted 4.59% of applicants to the Class of 2029. 943 students were offered a spot on the waitlist, too, which notoriously goes unused many years.
Freshman Year Transfer to Columbia 2026
The Top College Counseling Firms for the Ivy League - 2026
The college admissions consulting industry has grown rapidly over the last decade, making it harder for families to distinguish between firms that offer truly individualized guidance and those that rely on more standardized advising models. To identify the strongest options for students targeting highly selective colleges, we reviewed a range of firms using a methodology that weighted personalization, advising scope, counselor background, essay support, institutional insight, and student fit.