Gender and the College Admissions Process
A look at admission statistics for colleges in the United States reveals certain trends regarding gender and the college admission process. The not so insignificant gender gap in the admission rates for different colleges shows how it might give students an upper or lower hand when applying.
Colleges proactively try to balance how many men and women they admit, which might give a student a better edge over another because of their gender. Let us look a little closer at the trends that give women and men upper hands at different colleges.
As of 2021, women make up 55 percent of college students. Therefore, in the general college admission pool, men are in a slight minority. Therefore, given the larger number of female applicants, men end up having a slight advantage since colleges aim to have around the same number of men and women walking their halls. Here is a list of some of the colleges where men have a better edge:
Vassar College
Acceptance rate for men: 35.2
Acceptance rate for women: 19.2
Brown University
Acceptance rate for men: 9
Acceptance rate for women: 6
Pomona College
Acceptance rate for men: 9
Acceptance rate for women: 6
Bowdoin University
Acceptance rate for men: 10
Acceptance rate for women: 8
Vanderbilt University
Acceptance rate for men: 10
Acceptance rate for women: 8
Tufts University
Acceptance rate for men: 20
Acceptance rate for women: 15
However, it is not just the large number of female applicants that influences admission rates everywhere. The gap in applicants along the lines of gender is also influenced by the specific programs that students are applying to. Throughout history, some majors have been more popular with men while others were with women. Colleges are trying to establish a parity within disciplines as well - therefore, being of the gender where the discipline is less popular for you to take up will give you an edge.
Disciplines that have been historically more popular with women include teaching, nursing, the humanities, and colleges with liberal arts focus in general, to name a few. For example, Vassar is a liberal arts college that was exclusively a women’s college in the past. Hence, they receive many more female applicants. Therefore, men have an admission edge as Vassar is trying to establish a parity in their now coed structure.
On the other hand, science and technology is an area where women have an edge. Here is a list of some colleges where women have higher acceptance rates:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Acceptance rate for men: 5
Acceptance rate for women: 11
Georgia Tech
Acceptance rate for men: 17
Acceptance rate for women: 28
Harvey Mudd College
Acceptance rate for men: 9
Acceptance rate for women: 24
Carnegie Mellon University
Acceptance rate for men: 12
Acceptance rate for women: 21
Caltech
Acceptance rate for men: 5
Acceptance rate for women: 11
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Acceptance rate for men: 44
Acceptance rate for women: 63
Ultimately, given the greater number of female applicants overall, men end up having a slight edge. However, women alway have the option to apply to all women’s colleges. Most of these colleges still have their doors shut to male applicants, making it a great option for women. There are a total of only three all men’s colleges in the United states as of 2021, while there are thirty five all women’s colleges right now. Despite having higher admissions rates and being easier to get into compared to the highly selective schools, these colleges still provide a great education and are of good value, and excellent name recognition.
In the end, while statistics show how you might do better or worse given your gender, it's not a deciding factor that makes or breaks your application. Understanding how gender might influence is something that it is good to be aware of, but nothing that should sway your decision when applying to a school of your choice.
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