Below are the acceptance rates for the 1,350 Jefferson college applicants over the past three years at 20 selective schools.
Colleges court Jefferson kids. Last year’s seniors at Jefferson received $7 million in merit-based financial aid—more than $15,000 per student—after being offered $18 million, a record high for the school.
Virginia’s state universities attract the most Jefferson applicants (some see the state schools as “safeties”), but brand-name colleges are the most coveted prize. Students line up in large numbers for these schools, especially the Ivies. This creates friction among Jefferson students, who assume the logjam hurts their chances.
Last year, 174 seniors—nearly 40 percent of the class—applied to Princeton. Only 23 got in—an acceptance rate of 13 percent, just a few points better than the university’s overall acceptance rate of 10 percent.
University of Virginia
Number of Jefferson applicants: 985
Jefferson acceptance rate: 68 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 47 percent*
William & Mary
Number of Jefferson applicants: 612
Jefferson acceptance rate: 84 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 42 percent*
Virginia Tech
Number of Jefferson applicants: 546
Jefferson acceptance rate: 84 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 59 percent*
Princeton
Number of Jefferson applicants: 426
Jefferson acceptance rate: 17 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 10 percent
Duke
Number of Jefferson applicants: 365
Jefferson acceptance rate: 35 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 22 percent
Cornell
Number of Jefferson applicants: 346
Jefferson acceptance rate: 30 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 21 percent
Carnegie Mellon
Number of Jefferson applicants: 299
Jefferson acceptance rate: 57 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 38 percent
MIT
Number of Jefferson applicants: 254
Jefferson acceptance rate: 24 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 12 percent
Harvard
Number of Jefferson applicants: 231
Jefferson acceptance rate: 12 perent
Overall acceptance rate: 8 percent
Stanford
Number of Jefferson applicants: 217
Jefferson acceptance rate: 12 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 10 percent
Washington University
Number of Jefferson applicants: 217
Jefferson acceptance rate: 41 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 22 percent
Yale
Number of Jefferson applicants: 217
Jefferson acceptance rate: 14 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 9 percent
University of Pennsylvania
Number of Jefferson applicants: 207
Jefferson acceptance rate: 16 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 17 percent
Columbia
Number of Jefferson applicants: 184
Jefferson acceptance rate: 14 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 10 percent
Brown
Number of Jefferson applicants: 160
Jefferson acceptance rate: 19 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 14 percent
Northwestern
Number of Jefferson applicants: 146
Jefferson acceptance rate:48 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 26 percent
Johns Hopkins
Number of Jefferson applicants: 139
Jefferson acceptance rate: 37 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 25 percent
Georgetown
Number of Jefferson applicants: 126
Jefferson acceptance rate: 29 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 19 percent
James Madison
Number of Jefferson applicants: 120
Jefferson acceptance rate: 70 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 58 percent*
George Mason
Number of Jefferson applicants: 111
Jefferson acceptance rate: 81 percent
Overall acceptance rate: 67 percent*
Sources: Jefferson High, U.S. News, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
* Acceptance rate for in-state students
