尽管学生申请好几所美国大学，但最终只能进入一所就读。从学生拿到offer后的最终选校可以看出美国各大学受欢迎程度如何。最终注册入学的学生和学校录取人数的比例就是入学率(yield)。根据《美国新闻与世界报道》的研究，入学率是衡量学生如何看待学校的重要指标。如果一所大学入学率高，说明这所大学很受欢迎;反过来，如果某一大学的入学率很低，说明很多学生并没有把它作为第一选择，很可能只是保底学校。

 

　　233所美国文理学院向usnews公布了2012年秋季入学率。美国海军学院以86.2%的高入学率成为最受欢迎的文理学院。紧随其后的是美国西点军校，入学率为83.6%。排名第三的是美国空军学院，入学率为82.1%。

 

　　文理学院平均入学率接近30%，而美国综合性大学的平均入学率为大概在36%左右。由此可以看出，文理学院普遍不如综合大学受欢迎。

 

　　入学率和大学排名没有关联。尽管哈佛大学在全美排名第一，但其入学率落后杨百翰大学，只能位列第二。而美国最好的、在usnews上排名第一的文理学院——威廉姆斯学院——入学率只有44.9%，排名25.

 

　　入学率时会受ED、EA(早录取)影响。ED，英文是Early Decision，提前决定。申请ED的学生，当签署Early Decision Agreement的时候，意味着：该学校是我的第一选择，如果该学校录取了我，我一定会注册入学。既然选择ED的学生一定会来报到，这就提高了大学入学率。因此为了提高大学入学率，很多美国大学提前录取率远远高于常规申请RD(regular decision)。

 

　　下面是2012年秋季美国文理学院的入学率排名：

School name	Students accepted	First year enrollment	Yield
United States Naval Academy	1426	1229	86.2%
United States Military Academy	1473	1231	83.6%
United States Air Force Academy	1372	1127	82.1%
Providence Christian College	30	23	76.7%
Berea College	586	418	71.3%
Thomas Aquinas College	135	92	68.1%
Clearwater Christian College	245	151	61.6%
Soka University of America	179	110	61.5%
Principia College	168	103	61.3%
University of Wisconsin--Parkside	1337	766	57.3%
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma	373	211	56.6%
West Virginia State University	569	309	54.3%
Grove City College	1205	617	51.2%
Savannah State University	2458	1243	50.6%
Wisconsin Lutheran College	522	263	50.4%
Virginia Military Institute	969	480	49.5%
Claremont McKenna College	623	305	49.0%
Barnard College	1282	612	47.7%
Simpson University	308	146	47.4%
Salem College	394	184	46.7%
Colorado Mesa University	4671	2179	46.6%
Bowdoin College	1056	484	45.8%
St. John's College	338	152	45.0%
Wheaton College	1327	596	44.9%
Williams College	1215	545	44.9%
Goshen College	416	182	43.8%
Life University	544	234	43.0%
University of Maine--Machias	318	136	42.8%
Bethany Lutheran College	381	162	42.5%
Hillsdale College	925	393	42.5%
Wellesley College	1362	574	42.1%
University of Virginia--Wise	849	356	41.9%
Bucknell University	2188	916	41.9%
Washington and Lee University	1182	494	41.8%
Amherst College	1127	461	40.9%
Eastern Mennonite University	578	234	40.5%
Davidson College	1208	488	40.4%
Wesleyan College	280	113	40.4%
St. John's University	1225	494	40.3%
Calvin College	2395	961	40.1%
Fort Lewis College	1974	777	39.4%
San Diego Christian College	234	92	39.3%
Swarthmore College	987	386	39.1%
Erskine College	425	166	39.1%
Pomona College	1011	394	39.0%
Colorado College	1267	490	38.7%
Middlebury College	1563	602	38.5%
Haverford College	870	335	38.5%
Holy Cross College	322	122	37.9%
Judson College	200	75	37.5%
Vassar College	1798	671	37.3%
Smith College	1877	694	37.0%
Ouachita Baptist University	1245	459	36.9%
Morehouse College	1370	500	36.5%
College of St. Benedict	1444	525	36.4%
Presbyterian College	1000	359	35.9%
Bates College	1405	502	35.7%
Sweet Briar College	547	194	35.5%
Concordia College--Moorhead	2047	722	35.3%
St. Lawrence University	1855	647	34.9%
Wesleyan University	2340	808	34.5%
Centenary College of Louisiana	690	238	34.5%
Mount Holyoke College	1759	605	34.4%
Oberlin College	2192	751	34.3%
Houghton College	777	266	34.2%
Grinnell College	1330	448	33.7%
Carleton College	1546	519	33.6%
Bryn Mawr College	1080	361	33.4%
Hamilton College	1441	481	33.4%
St. Olaf College	2214	739	33.4%
New College of Florida	715	237	33.1%
Colgate University	2305	764	33.1%
Marlboro College	185	61	33.0%
Kenyon College	1429	468	32.8%
St. Vincent College	1249	409	32.7%
Scripps College	785	257	32.7%
College of the Atlantic	233	76	32.6%
Gettysburg College	2257	732	32.4%
St. Mary's College	1220	393	32.2%
Lycoming College	1299	417	32.1%
Shorter University	1263	405	32.1%
Shimer College	50	16	32.0%
Wabash College	916	293	32.0%
University of Minnesota--Morris	1462	465	31.8%
College of Idaho	777	246	31.7%
Western State Colorado University	1383	436	31.5%
Shawnee State University	3766	1187	31.5%
Northland College	469	146	31.1%
St. Norbert College	1917	594	31.0%
College of the Holy Cross	2435	751	30.8%
Pacific Union College	1182	363	30.7%
Reed College	1219	374	30.7%
Colby College	1527	467	30.6%
Franklin and Marshall College	1965	597	30.4%
Virginia Intermont College	359	109	30.4%
St. Mary's College of Maryland	1472	446	30.3%
Pitzer College	903	272	30.1%
Nebraska Wesleyan University	1196	360	30.1%
Hendrix College	1261	375	29.7%
American Jewish University	37	11	29.7%
Simpson College	1145	338	29.5%
Harvey Mudd College	660	194	29.4%
Wartburg College	1784	510	28.6%
Emory and Henry College	971	277	28.5%
Castleton State College	1623	462	28.5%
Lane College	2125	599	28.2%
Connecticut College	1804	508	28.2%
Alma College	1379	387	28.1%
Birmingham-Southern College	1155	324	28.1%
Trinity College	2118	591	27.9%
Hope College	2940	815	27.7%
Lafayette College	2304	638	27.7%
Muhlenberg College	2109	584	27.7%
Berry College	2014	557	27.7%
Xavier University of Louisiana	2860	786	27.5%
Illinois College	1054	288	27.3%
Skidmore College	2431	663	27.3%
Gordon College	1713	465	27.1%
Ripon College	837	227	27.1%
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	1136	308	27.1%
Hollins University	672	182	27.1%
University of North Carolina--Asheville	2018	540	26.8%
Bay Path College	583	155	26.6%
Purchase College--SUNY	3011	797	26.5%
Eastern Nazarene College	620	164	26.5%
Denison University	2304	606	26.3%
Lyon College	605	158	26.1%
Union College	2197	572	26.0%
Westminster College	978	254	26.0%
Brevard College	734	190	25.9%
Claflin University	1578	408	25.9%
Albion College	1499	386	25.8%
Hobart and William Smith Colleges	2656	681	25.6%
Dickinson College	2543	652	25.6%
Bennington College	829	212	25.6%
Doane College	1144	291	25.4%
Randolph College	696	177	25.4%
Linfield College	1811	459	25.3%
University of Richmond	3085	781	25.3%
Illinois Wesleyan University	2017	510	25.3%
Augustana College	2838	708	24.9%
Bard College	1960	486	24.8%
Warren Wilson College	920	228	24.8%
Moravian College	1546	375	24.3%
Kalamazoo College	1531	371	24.2%
Monmouth College	1401	339	24.2%
Sewanee--University of the South	1793	433	24.1%
Whitman College	1654	399	24.1%
Spelman College	2204	531	24.1%
Johnson C. Smith University	1552	373	24.0%
Wofford College	1861	446	24.0%
William Peace University	568	136	23.9%
Luther College	2631	627	23.8%
Juniata College	1528	363	23.8%
Lake Forest College	1711	406	23.7%
Gustavus Adolphus College	3088	727	23.5%
Hampden-Sydney College	1361	320	23.5%
Coe College	1547	361	23.3%
Westmont College	1424	332	23.3%
Cornell College	1457	339	23.3%
Lawrence University	1405	326	23.2%
Occidental College	2321	538	23.2%
Bethany College	935	214	22.9%
SUNY College--Old Westbury	1755	400	22.8%
Transylvania University	1075	245	22.8%
Susquehanna University	2644	599	22.7%
Macalester College	2137	478	22.4%
Bryn Athyn College of the New Church	370	82	22.2%
Maryville College	1325	293	22.1%
Pine Manor College	318	70	22.0%
Centre College	1700	374	22.0%
Agnes Scott College	1048	227	21.7%
Hiram College	1432	308	21.5%
Rhodes College	2658	571	21.5%
Central College	1926	412	21.4%
Allen University	841	179	21.3%
Beloit College	1487	315	21.2%
Bloomfield College	1854	392	21.1%
Earlham College	1109	234	21.1%
Wheaton College	2075	437	21.1%
Millsaps College	1077	224	20.8%
Austin College	1736	359	20.7%
McDaniel College	2074	424	20.4%
Hampshire College	1797	366	20.4%
Allegheny College	2747	559	20.3%
Southwestern University	1694	344	20.3%
Knox College	1706	346	20.3%
Stillman College	1526	305	20.0%
Whittier College	2137	427	20.0%
DePauw University	2950	584	19.8%
Louisiana State University--Alexandria	1618	320	19.8%
Eckerd College	2542	502	19.7%
Guilford College	1963	382	19.5%
Furman University	4058	785	19.3%
College of Wooster	2968	571	19.2%
Georgetown College	1895	353	18.6%
St. Anselm College	2953	550	18.6%
University of Puget Sound	3729	686	18.4%
Roanoke College	2910	533	18.3%
Kentucky State University	3126	558	17.9%
Tougaloo College	1148	204	17.8%
Randolph-Macon College	2369	410	17.3%
Albright College	3011	517	17.2%
Bennett College	952	158	16.6%
Siena College	4714	782	16.6%
Ohio Wesleyan University	2950	483	16.4%
Virginia Wesleyan College	2730	439	16.1%
Green Mountain College	872	140	16.1%
Ursinus College	2703	428	15.8%
Hanover College	2058	321	15.6%
St. Michael's College	3493	543	15.5%
Westminster College	2326	360	15.5%
Lewis & Clark College	3928	607	15.5%
Marymount Manhattan College	2892	439	15.2%
William Jewell College	1803	270	15.0%
Washington College	2715	399	14.7%
Rust College	1817	264	14.5%
Wittenberg University	3735	535	14.3%
Bridgewater College	3327	471	14.2%
Carthage College	4806	679	14.1%
Washington and Jefferson College	2855	387	13.6%
Goucher College	2764	367	13.3%
Willamette University	4685	617	13.2%
Dillard University	2728	354	13.0%
Hartwick College	3774	489	13.0%
Oglethorpe University	2027	262	12.9%
Drew University	3527	454	12.9%
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology	708	91	12.9%
Stonehill College	4693	568	12.1%
Wells College	1248	137	11.0%
College of St. Thomas More	10	1	10.0%
King's College	2255	162	7.2%
Fisk University	1864	125	6.7%