There has been much discussion recently about the University’s decision to step back from
promoting statistics about admitted students, including a Reactions column this week. As D
ean of Admission, I want to provide additional information and context.First, it’s importa
nt to be clear about what we’re doing and why. Selective institutions have long made a pra
ctice of marking the day admission decisions are released by trumpeting their low admissio
n rates and the impressive credentials of admitted students. For the reasons detailed belo
w, Princeton began stepping back from this approach a few years ago by no longer highlight
ing its admission rate or the standardized test scores of admitted students. We took an im
portant step this year by making the decision to no longer release an announcement about a
dmitted students and to instead highlight the enrolled Class of 2026 — the students who wi
ll join the University community in the fall. A number of peer institutions have made simi
lar decisions, including Stanford, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania.Of course, w
e recognize that data on admissions and admitted students has value and we will continue t
o report it to state and federal authorities and include it in our Common Data Set. The fa
ct that Princeton has to turn away many extremely well-qualified applicants each year – de
spite the coming expansion of the undergraduate class — is no secret and isn’t going to be
come one. The admission rate is — and will continue to be — available through sources like
the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. But neither prospective students no
r the University benefit from the admission process being boiled down in headlines to a si
ngle statistic like the admission rate.We know from our interactions with prospective stud
ents, families, and counselors that highlighting an admission rate and framing the admissi
ons process through a list of statistics instills anxiety and fear. We do not want to disc
ourage prospective students from applying to Princeton because of its selectivity. Instead
, we want prospective students to consider if Princeton is the right fit — if the resource
s we offer, the academic opportunities we provide will allow them to flourish at our resid
ential research university. We want students to find a place of learning wherein their own
contributions will be valued. And to know that Princeton’s generous need-based financial
aid program might afford them the opportunity to graduate debt-free. This is how we approa
ch our conversations with prospective students. By stepping away from promoting statistics
like the admission rate, we are signaling that selectivity is not part of our pitch. In m
y blog post to the newly admitted early action group for the Class of 2026, I highlight ou
r holistic process and the conversations my colleagues and I have around building a class.
The Admission Office’s goal is to admit a diverse and dynamic group of students. We think
about how students will interact with one another in the classroom and on the field, in t
he music practice room, and the residential college common room. We discuss how students m
ight approach difficult circumstances, how they would interact with people with different
perspectives, and how they might approach the University’s informal motto about the servic
e of humanity. To do this, we read and discuss the essays, the letters of recommendation,
interview write-ups, and any other pieces that have been shared with us.But our work does
not end on decision day, as admission statistics might suggest. With the help of our wonde
rful campus community, we spend the month of April officially introducing admitted student
s to Princeton — some for the very first time. And when we enroll the next class this summ
er, we will talk about their many talents as the newest members of the Princeton community
.A version of this blog post was first published as an op-ed in The Daily Princetonian on
April 7, 2022.