Class of 2030 Early Decision Results Show Continued Advantage, With Some Top Schools Withholding Data

Early applicants to highly selective colleges continue to enjoy significantly better admission odds than regular decision candidates, according to recently compiled data from the 2025-2026 admissions cycle for the Class of 2030. However, a notable trend has emerged: several top-tier institutions have stopped publishing their early-round acceptance statistics, making comprehensive analysis more challenging for prospective students and families.

According to Top Tier Admissions, Duke University reported that 6,159 students applied through its Early Decision program and that 847 were admitted to the Class of 2030, for an admission rate of 13.75%. Meanwhile, MIT admitted 655 students from 11,883 Early Action applications—a 5.51% acceptance rate. Yale published a 10.9% acceptance rate (779 of 7,140) for its Single-Choice Early Action program, as reported by Oriel Admissions.

Significantly, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford have withheld their early-round acceptance statistics for the Class of 2030, according to multiple sources. This represents a departure from previous years when these institutions typically released comprehensive early admission data. The trend toward less transparency comes as early application pools remain highly competitive, with Top Tier Admissions noting that Penn received approximately 7,800 Early Decision applications for the Class of 2030, down from 9,500 for the Class of 2029.

College Kickstart's analysis confirms these early admission results are for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, representing the incoming college Class of 2030. The data continues to show that early applicants generally see acceptance rates two to three times higher than regular decision rates at many selective institutions, though the advantage varies significantly by school and the specific early program offered.