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Friday, May 2, 2025
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Emory sees slight increase in acceptance rate for Class of 2029

Amid turbulence in higher education surrounding cuts to the U.S. Department of Education’s funding, Emory University admitted 4327 students to the Class of 2029 through Regular Decision on March 26. This year, the overall acceptance rate across all admission rounds was 14.95%, a slight increase from last year’s ​​14.5% rate. 37,855 students applied to Emory this year, almost 3,000 more applicants than last year.

These students join the 995 accepted through Early Decision I (ED1) and 336 accepted through Early Decision II (ED2).  The acceptance rate for ED1 was 31%, with 805 students admitted to Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS), 400 students admitted to Oxford College and 210 students admitted to both. The acceptance rate for ED2 was 10% for ECAS and 11% for Oxford College.

Of the 5,658 students Emory accepted across all admissions rounds, 3,621 were admitted to ECAS and 3,142 were admitted to Oxford. The University admitted 1,105 students to both ECAS and Oxford.

Despite uncertainty amidst decreased government support, Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Admission John Latting expressed hope for the Class of 2029's future.

“These are difficult times, and there’s a lot of stress, a lot of winds blowing in various directions. I really feel that what is durable, a kind of fixed point on the horizon, is that people want to be educated,” he said.

This year, applicants were not required to submit standardized test scores, continuing Emory’s test-optional policy for a fifth year. The University has extended the test-optional policy to the Class of 2030.

Latting highlighted the message that Emory’s test-optional policy conveys, saying that the policy allows Emory to evaluate students holistically. 

“Being test optional has been successful in backing up that narrative of we are evaluating people and scholars as a whole,” Latting said. “We’re not making our decisions by a formula, by numbers, and it really helps us with that message.”

Brian Zhu, a high school senior from Elizabethville, Pa., said he supported the test-optional policy, saying that it gives many students a better opportunity.

“It allows for the admissions committee to be able to not have to judge a student based on a single test,” Zhu said.

The Class of 2029 includes students from 48 states, Washington, D.C., five U.S. territories and 68 countries. First-generation students, who will be the first in their families to attend a four-year college or university, comprise 12% of the Class of 2029.

Emory received an 8% increase in the number of applicants it received this year, including an increase in international applications, according to Latting. He emphasized Emory’s worldwide reach, calling this year’s admissions cycle an “ever more global process.”

“There’s just more migration of scholars at the undergraduate level, graduate student level, faculty level, research level,” Latting said. “There’s more taking place. So the world is getting closer together, more connections and more collaborations.”

Emory admitted Zhu to ECAS during the Regular Decision round. Zhu said that Emory’s strong sense of community was one of the reasons he applied.

“I was really looking for a school that had really close bonds between the students,” Zhu said.

Ishani Gandi, a high school senior from Dallas, was admitted to Oxford College in the Regular Decision round and said she was drawn to Oxford’s close-knit environment and liberal arts curriculum.

“For Oxford, the pros were definitely the small school idea, and the con was just integrating with the rest of Emory after two years,” Gandi said. “That’s a little bit scary.”

Marcus Cho, a high school senior from Honolulu, was also admitted to Oxford in the Regular Decision round and spoke positively about Oxford’s “more intimate” campus.

“That would also help my transition, and then after two years, I’d be more comfortable going to the main campus,” Cho said.

Cho expressed support for the continuation of Emory’s test-optional policy.

“You never know different circumstances that people are going through,” Cho said.

Gandi noted her positive experiences with the application process.

“I was really excited to do the supplements because they were just out of the box and more niche,” Gandi said. “I thought that was really interesting and fun.”

Bryan Altneu, a high school senior from Laguna Hills, Calif., was admitted to ECAS through Regular Decision. Altneu said the process was “confusing,” and he emphasized the difficulty in finding information about the differences between ED1 and ED2, as well as the distinctions between the Atlanta and Oxford campuses. 

“I didn’t understand what the difference between ED1 and ED2 was, but I didn’t want to bind,” Altneu said. “I feel like there should have been an [Early Action] option, because most schools do that, and I feel like that would have been a good way to get some financial aid or scholarship.”

Looking toward the future, Latting urged the Class of 2029 to explore their passions and identities at Emory.

“The world has been and will continue to be changing rapidly,” Latting said. “How are you going to prepare yourself to thrive in that? What kind of person do you want to be? How do you want to handle it, all the things that are flowing at you, and all the information that’s going to be out there?”

Cho said that he hopes to get involved at the Goizueta Business School, as well as with intramural sports, Chess Club, investment teams and volunteering. Altneu also mentioned that he looks forward to participating in Greek life and the Jewish community.

Gandi cited one of her high school role models, who attends Emory, as the reason she learned about the school and decided to apply, as well as her family in the Atlanta area.

“I’m really excited about the people,” Gandi said. “I haven’t visited yet, but I did hear that everyone there is very community-based, and there’s a lot of different kinds of people there, and it’s a very diverse school.”

Updated (4/20/2025 at 6:06 p.m.): This article was updated to include comments from Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Enrollment and Dean of Admission John Latting and admitted student Bryan Altneu.