Like the fashion industry and TikTok dances, elite college admissions is dominated by trends. Curating a larger and larger proportion of your incoming class from the Early Decision applicants who have demonstrated their commitment to your school is an admissions trend that has become increasingly en-vogue in recent years. And can we blame admissions officers for this logic? If you were tasked with assembling a class of enthusiastic first-years, wouldn’t you want to draw from the pool of those who have to matriculate if admitted?

According to the Early Decision admissions data from Northwestern University for the Class of 2029, Northwestern’s admissions officers are no exception to this rule. At just above 6,000 applicants, this year’s ED admissions pool was 15.5% larger than the Class of 2028’s, and these students will comprise around 55% of Northwestern’s Class of 2029. Of these applicants, around 20% were admitted to the Class of 2029, which sets a new record at the Evanston-based school.

Northwestern Early Decision Admissions Statistics Over 20+ Years

Northwestern received approximately 6,000 Early Decision applications to its Class of 2029, admitting about 1,200 students from this record-large group. For the Class of 2028, Northwestern admitted 22.54% of Early Decision applicants, drawing a then-record-large pool of 5,207. The Class of 2027 saw a then-record 22.09% acceptance rate; for the Class of 2026, the acceptance rate was 24.31%. This figure has been on a slow but steady downward trajectory since the Common Data Set began tracking ED admits at Northwestern in 2000, a trend that underscores the increasing competitiveness of Northwestern’s admissions process. 

However, these numbers really began to take off once the pandemic struck, and Northwestern — along with many other elite schools of its caliber — phased in a test-optional policy for incoming classes. This policy is still in place at the home of the Wildcats, suggesting that recent gains in the applicant pool since 2020, accompanied by record-low acceptance rates, are at least partly due to the presence of “squeakers” in the pool. “Squeakers” are Ivy Coach’s way of describing those students who attempt to sneak into a highly selective school, taking advantage of test-optional policies that would otherwise kill their chances if scores were submitted. 

Once Northwestern rolls back its test-optional policy, as many of its counterparts have begun to do in the wake of the pandemic, we expect their applicant pool to show a slight deflation. Below is a breakdown of Northwestern’s Early Decision admission statistics over the last 20+ years:

Northwestern Class Year	Number of Early Decision Applications Received	Number of Early Decision Applications Accepted	Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	~6,000	~1,200	~20%
Class of 2028	5,207	1,174	22.54%
Class of 2027	5,021	1,109	22.09%
Class of 2026	4,545	1,105	24.31%
Class of 2025	4,411	1,105	25.05%
Class of 2024	4,399	1,096	24.91%
Class of 2023	4,057	1,077	26.55%
Class of 2022	3,830	1,030	26.89%
Class of 2021	N/A	N/A	N/A
Class of 2020	2,667	1,012	37.95%
Class of 2019	2,625	926	35.28%
Class of 2018	2,519	878	34.86%
Class of 2017	2,201	811	36.85%
Class of 2016	2,450	715	29.18%
Class of 2015	1,776	625	35.19%
Class of 2014	1,498	590	39.39%
Class of 2013	1,395	554	39.71%
Class of 2012	1,296	567	43.75%
Class of 2011	1,208	529	43.79%
Class of 2010	1,079	524	48.56%
Class of 2009	1,110	512	46.13%
Class of 2008	984	451	45.83%
Class of 2007	960	507	52.81%
Class of 2006	793	421	53.09%
Class of 2005	801	402	50.19%

Breakdown of the Northwestern’s ED Class of 2029 Admits

According to reporting by The Daily Northwestern, the Early Decision pool for the Class of 2029 “saw more geographic diversity, with more international students and students from rural areas, according to a letter to college counselors from Dean of Undergraduate Admission Liz Kinsley.” The number of QuestBridge Scholars in this cohort matches last year’s 140. For those of you who don’t know, QuestBridge is a non-profit organization that connects high-achieving, low-income students with educational opportunities at partner colleges and universities.

The number of first-generation students in this Early Decision class also remained the same from last year, with 16% of applicants identifying as the first in their families to attend college. While we don’t yet know much else about these students, as Northwestern has opted into the trend of withholding nearly all demographic information from the prying eyes of the public, rest assured that when this data eventually makes its way to light in the Common Data Set, we will be the first to report back!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Northwestern Deferral

If you’ve been deferred or denied to Northwestern’s Class of 2029, you’re in some great company. We at Ivy Coach regularly help deferred and denied students turn their applications around and secure admission to their top choice schools. All we ask of you is that you don’t delay filling out our complimentary consultation form. We’ll then be in touch with an outline of our services, including a PostMortem for denied candidates and a PostMortem followed by assistance crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest for deferred candidates. We have a proven track record of significantly increasing the odds of admission to Northwestern by helping clients who come to us post-deferral pivot to a new, competitive strategy. But time is of the essence.