Suffice it to say the Ivy Leagues were tough to get into well before the shift to test-optional policies sent 2021 applications soaring. Even in Arlington, where 70% of graduates earn an advanced studies diploma, and SAT and ACT scores outpace state and national averages by significant margins, these prestigious East Coast institutions are a reach for the vast majority of college-bound seniors, with acceptance rates mostly in the single digits.
Below is a breakdown of Arlington Public Schools (APS) applications and acceptances at Ivy League schools from 2017 to 2021. The data were drawn from Arlington Magazine’s annual College Admissions snapshot, which highlights where graduating seniors applied and were accepted. The data were self-reported by APS students from the Arlington Career Center/Arlington Tech, H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, Wakefield High School, Washington-Liberty High School and Yorktown High School.
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
2021
Applied: 91
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 2%
2020
Applied: 62
Accepted: 7
Admit Rate: 11%
2019
Applied: 72
Accepted: 4
Admit Rate: 6%
2018
Applied: 61
Accepted: 5
Admit Rate: 8%
2017
Applied: 45
Accepted: 7
Admit Rate: 16%
Columbia University
New York, New York
2021
Applied: 85
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 1%
2020
Applied: 48
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 2%
2019
Applied: 46
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 4%
2018
Applied: 36
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 3%
2017
Applied: 35
Accepted: 4
Admit Rate: 11%
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
2021
Applied: 95
Accepted: 9
Admit Rate: 9%
2020
Applied: 47
Accepted: 6
Admit Rate: 13%
2019
Applied: 67
Accepted: 5
Admit Rate: 7%
2018
Applied: 43
Accepted: 4
Admit Rate: 9%
2017
Applied: 58
Accepted: 12
Admit Rate: 21%
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
2021
Applied: 36
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 3%
2020
Applied: 32
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 6%
2019
Applied: 28
Accepted: 6
Admit Rate: 21%
2018
Applied: 31
Accepted: 5
Admit Rate: 16%
2017
Applied: 27
Accepted: 8
Admit Rate: 30%
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
2021
Applied: 59
Accepted: 3
Admit Rate: 5%
2020
Applied: 30
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 7%
2019
Applied: 39
Accepted: 0
Admit Rate: 0%
2018
Applied: 36
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 3%
2017
Applied: 36
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 6%
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
2021
Applied: 69
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 1%
2020
Applied: 42
Accepted: 0
Admit Rate: 0%
2019
Applied: 34
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 6%
2018
Applied: 45
Accepted: 3
Admit Rate: 7%
2017
Applied: 30
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 3%
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2021
Applied: 89
Accepted: 4
Admit Rate: 4%
2020
Applied: 65
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 3%
2019
Applied: 67
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 3%
2018
Applied: 49
Accepted: 4
Admit Rate: 8%
2017
Applied: 64
Accepted: 8
Admit Rate: 13%
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
2021
Applied: 77
Accepted: 3
Admit Rate: 4%
2020
Applied: 36
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 3%
2019
Applied: 46
Accepted: 2
Admit Rate: 4%
2018
Applied: 46
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 2%
2017
Applied: 36
Accepted: 1
Admit Rate: 3%