A Comprehensive Overview of 2029 Admissions at Ivy League Schools — The Golden Era for International Applicants?

With the matriculation of the 2025 Fall class underway, major Ivy League institutions in the United States have begun releasing data for the Class of 2029, revealing emerging trends in the latest admissions cycle. Analysis of application volumes, admit rates, academic profiles, and popular majors highlights the selection preferences of these elite universities.

Despite pressure from the Trump administration targeting elite colleges, data reported by Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, and other Ivies indicate that their attractiveness remains undiminished and the proportion of international students has held steady. What insights can be drawn from the official figures disclosed by these institutions, and how should future applicants prepare? Below, we examine the data to glean key takeaways.

Princeton University

Princeton received 42,303 applications for the Class of 2029, the largest application pool in the university’s history. This cohort marks the final year of Princeton’s announced undergraduate enrollment expansion, which increased the size of incoming classes by 500 students over four years. The overall yield rate was 75.2%, a 0.2 percentage-point decrease from last year; the SCEA (Single-Choice Early Action) yield was 91.2%, down 1 percentage point from the prior year.

Princeton’s Class of 2029 consists of 1,409 matriculants, with international students comprising 14.1% of the class — a 2.1 percentage-point increase year-over-year. These international students represent 65 countries, including Croatia, India, Kenya, New Zealand, and South Korea. In the officially reported racial/ethnic composition, the share of Asian American students rose, while the proportions of White and Black students declined; Latino/Hispanic and multiracial student shares remained stable.

Regarding degree interests, 65.7% of incoming students indicated interest in an A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) degree; 27.3% indicated interest in a B.S.E. (Bachelor of Science in Engineering); the remainder reported being undecided.

Harvard University

Despite intensified scrutiny and targeting from the Trump administration, Harvard’s yield for the Class of 2029 reached 85% — a 1 percentage-point increase from last year and a recent high. As of May 27, Harvard had enrolled 1,654 students. Although the institution has been a focal point of government pressure, the share of international first-year students remained largely stable at 15.8%. While this represents a slight decline from the previous year, it remains within the 15–18% range observed over the past three years.

In response to escalating federal actions affecting international applicants, Harvard implemented several measures:

• Permitting admitted international students to hold acceptance offers from multiple universities concurrently;

• Continuing to admit students from waitlists after the usual June 30 deadline;

• Increasing admissions offers by approximately 25–30 students to anticipate that some admitted international students might be unable to secure visas.

Geographically, the East Coast continues to be Harvard’s primary recruiting base: the Mid-Atlantic region accounts for 20% of the incoming class, New England 18%, the South 16%, the Pacific Coast 13%, the Midwest 12%, and Mountain states 3%. Among the Class of 2029, declared and intended concentrations are distributed as follows:

• Social Sciences: 34.6%

• Engineering: 25.5%

• Natural Sciences: 26.6%

• Humanities: 11.7%

Columbia University

During the 2025 Fall application cycle, Columbia University received 59,616 applications and ultimately admitted 2,946 students, yielding an overall admission rate of 4.94%, a modest increase compared with the past three years. Of the applicants, 5,872 applied through the Early Decision (ED) round. The Class of 2029 comprises 1,806 matriculants, with a matriculation (yield) rate of 61.3%. Among admitted students, 94% ranked in the top 10% of their high school senior classes. Although Columbia maintains a test-optional policy, among applicants who submitted standardized test scores the middle 50% range is SAT 1510–1560 and ACT 34–36.

Columbia’s Class of 2029 exhibits notable global representation: international students constitute 16% of the class, hailing from 83 countries and territories. Academic interests among the incoming class are broadly distributed:

Brown University

Brown enrolled 2,418 students for the Class of 2029. The university received 42,765 applications, yielding an admission rate of 5.65%. Over the past five years Brown typically received roughly 50,000 applications per cycle; this year’s total is the lowest in five years, a decline closely associated with Brown’s reinstatement of standardized testing requirements. Overall, Brown’s overall admission rate has not exceeded 6% since the 2020–21 cycle.

The incoming class represents 89 countries and territories, with Canada, China, the United Kingdom, India, and South Korea the largest sources of international matriculants. Sixty-four students will enter Brown’s distinctive eight-year liberal arts–medical education program, and 21 students will enroll in the dual-degree program with the Rhode Island School of Design. The Class of 2029 is Brown’s first cohort subject to the reinstated SAT/ACT requirement. The university reported score ranges for admitted first-year students who submitted tests:

• SAT middle 50%: 1480–1560

• ACT middle 50%: 34–35

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania enrolled 2,421 students in the Class of 2029; 51% of these admits were admitted through Early Decision (ED). This cycle’s applicant pool increased by approximately 11% compared with last year’s record high of over 65,000 applications, making it the largest applicant cohort in Penn’s history.

Penn has not recently disclosed separate admit rates or admit counts for ED and Regular Decision (RD) rounds. According to prior Common Data Set information, last year a total of 3,508 students were admitted across both rounds, for an overall admission rate of 5.4%; Penn has not released this year’s comprehensive breakdown.

For the current incoming class, the middle 50% SAT range is 1510–1560 and the middle 50% ACT range is 34–35.

Yale University

Among 50,228 applicants for the Class of 2029, Yale admitted 2,308 students, for an admission rate of 4.6%. In addition to newly admitted students, 38 students who deferred admission from the 2023–24 cycle will join this cohort.

According to the incoming-class survey, 58% of respondents plan to major in STEM fields, 41.7% intend to major in social sciences, and 20.8% plan to major in the humanities; 5.7% remain undecided. The top five intended concentrations are: Engineering and Electrical Engineering (7.5%), Political Science (7.5%), Business/Management (6.7%), Economics (4.7%), and Mechanical Engineering (4.7%).

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth received 28,230 applications for the Class of 2029 and admitted 1,702 students, yielding an admission rate of 6.0%. This marks the fifth consecutive year Dartmouth received at least 28,000 undergraduate applications, though the total is down 11% from last year’s record 31,657. Dartmouth was the first Ivy to reinstate a requirement to submit SAT or ACT scores; the Class of 2029 is the first cohort in five years required to submit standardized-test results, which likely contributed to this year’s modest decline in applications.

Among admitted students, 96% ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. More than one-quarter of the class are expected to serve as senior class representatives or give commencement addresses.

Cornell University

Cornell admitted 5,824 students for the Class of 2029, with final matriculation totaling 3,861 — the largest entering class in the university’s history. Cornell released limited additional detail, noting only that the number of admitted students increased 13.3% from last year’s 5,139 admits, and that the admitted pool is roughly twice the size of the Class of 2028.

Data Analysis and Key Takeaways

The Class of 2029 data released by the eight Ivy League schools reveal several clear trends:

1. Admit rates are rising; early applications confer a pronounced advantage

Ivy League schools made modest enrollment increases to hedge against policy uncertainty. With some institutions reinstating standardized-testing requirements, overall application counts fell slightly, producing a modest rebound in admit rates—especially for early rounds. Early Decision/Early Action admit rates remain substantially higher than Regular Decision (e.g., Brown’s ED admit rate of 17.94% vs. RD 4.01%), underscoring the growing strategic importance of applying early.

2. International student representation remains stable or increases

Despite intensified federal scrutiny of elite institutions, the share of international matriculants has held steady or risen at several Ivies. Princeton reported a record-high international share (14.1%); Columbia’s international share reached 16%. These figures indicate that top U.S. universities continue to prioritize and attract global talent.

3. Social sciences remain popular

Across multiple Ivies, social sciences continue to be one of the most selected fields of study—Harvard reported 34.6% of its incoming class intending social-science concentrations; Columbia reported 28%.

4. Academic preparation remains fundamental

Admissions continue to emphasize strong academic credentials: 94% of Columbia admits ranked in the top 10% of their high school classes, and Princeton highlighted applicants who pursue advanced coursework such as AP classes. Strong academic performance remains a foundational element of competitive Ivy applications.

Conclusion

Admission to Ivy League schools remains highly competitive, but the data suggest international opportunities are stable. With strategic planning, thorough preparation, and authentic presentation of strengths, qualified applicants remain well positioned to gain admission despite shifting policy environments.