Acceptance Rate Calculator (admission rate, competition ratio & yield)

Understanding the acceptance rate calculator — concept and principle

This calculator works out a school's or programme's acceptance rate, the competition ratio (applicants per offer) and the yield (how many admitted students enrol). Students use it to compare how selective schools are; schools use yield for planning.

Admitted ÷ applicants: with the default inputs the result is 15% (6.67 applicants per place).

How it is calculated

Acceptance rate (%) = admitted ÷ applicants × 100

Applicants per admitted place = applicants ÷ admitted

Not admitted = applicants − admitted

Yield (%) = enrolled ÷ admitted × 100

Enrolled ÷ applicants (%) = enrolled ÷ applicants × 100

The principle

The acceptance rate shows how many applicants receive an offer; its reciprocal is the competition ratio, the Korean 경쟁률 idea when every place is offered once. Yield shows how attractive the school is to those it admits: many students apply to several schools and accept only one offer, so schools admit more students than they have places.

Worked example

Default inputs: 2,400 applicants, 360 admitted, 150 enrolled.

Acceptance rate = 360 ÷ 2,400 = 15%.
Applicants per place = 2,400 ÷ 360 = 6.67; not admitted = 2,040.
Yield = 150 ÷ 360 = 41.7%.
Enrolled ÷ applicants = 150 ÷ 2,400 = 6.3%.

Each point is the calculator re-run with only “Applicants” changed; the gold point is the default example. Change the inputs above and this chart follows your numbers.

Applicants	Acceptance rate
600	60%
1,200	30%
1,800	20%
2,400	15%
3,000	12%
3,600	10%
4,800	7.5%

How to read the result

A low acceptance rate means a selective school, but it also reflects how many people apply, which marketing and free applications can raise. Yield helps judge how popular a school is among admitted students. Compare rates from the same source and year, because schools count applications differently.

Common mistakes

Comparing an acceptance rate with a Korean competition ratio without inverting it.
Mixing early-round and overall figures.
Treating the acceptance rate as your personal chance of admission.

Keep in mind: These figures describe a whole applicant pool, not an individual's chances. Admission decisions depend on each school's criteria.

Frequently asked questions

What is a competitive acceptance rate?

Highly selective universities often admit under 10–15% of applicants.

Why do schools care about yield?

It helps them predict how many offers to make to fill their places.

How does a waiting list affect the numbers?

Students admitted from a waiting list add to both the admitted and enrolled counts.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Admissions survey definitions (applicants, admissions, enrolment)

Checked 9 Nov 2026. Standard definitions of admission (acceptance) rate = admitted ÷ applicants and yield = enrolled ÷ admitted, as used in college admission statistics.

Your numbers