As many students finish their college applications for the 2025-2026 school year, they stress as the chances of getting into their top colleges decrease.

Selective colleges have been consistently lowering their acceptance rates and increasing their standards in the past years. In 2003, acceptance rates for Harvard and Stanford were at 10-12%, but now they are down to 3-4%.

“For less competitive schools, their acceptance rate is rising, but for top schools, prices are rising, which just makes it harder,” said senior Kira Pike.

Test scores are also becoming increasingly competitive. Throughout COVID-19, many schools switched to test-optional policies, inflating the score range as only students with the highest scores would choose to submit. However, many colleges are now requiring SAT or ACT score submissions for 2027 graduates.

Colleges are also increasing their selectivity. A reputation of high selectivity makes colleges appear more prestigious, increasing their number of applicants. This results in lower acceptance rates overall.

Finally, many colleges are struggling financially because of inflation and declining international enrollment. As a result, many small private liberal arts colleges are closing or merging with other colleges, decreasing options for students. This increases applicants to larger schools, in turn making those schools more competitive.

Student debt also is a large factor that affects students’ college decisions. For most students, cost is a large factor and can determine which schools are more accessible.

Lower acceptance rates for top colleges, more competitive applicants, and fewer colleges to choose from are all making colleges harder to get into.