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The University of Virginia has announced that 1,282 students were given Early Decision acceptances out of a record 4,971 applicants. The university released the acceptances for the class of 2029 on Friday, December 13, 2024.

This number of applicants showed an 11% increase from the 4,465 Early Decision applicants the previous year. As a result, the 25.8% acceptance rate metamorphosed into 29.5% for residents of Virginia and 21% for those not residing in the state. These numbers were slightly higher than the previous application cycle.

Remember that the Early Decision application is a binding agreement between applicants and the university. After applying Early Decision, you must withdraw your applications from other colleges if admitted to the University of Virginia.

For the last Early Decision application, 2,795 applicants were from Virginia, while 2,176 were from other states. From the announcement, 826 applicants from the state, 456 students from other states, and 75 international students were accepted through Early Decision. The school accepted students from 43 states and 587 High Schools. The school also accepted students from 23 countries looking to study in the U.S.A.

Additionally, the university deferred 758 applicants from Virginia and 463 applicants from other states, totaling 1,221. When deferred, it does not mean applications are denied. Instead, they are reviewed once more during the forthcoming admissions process.

While it is important to find the best college, this institution requires deferred applicants to confirm their interest to remain in consideration before January 15, 2025. Overall, the University of Virginia denied 2,444 Early Decision applications for the class of 2029. Of those admitted, there were 631 male and 651 female students, with 155 being first-generation college students.

The university paused its Early Decision application round in 2006 due to concerns about its accessibility to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Early-decision applicants who were admitted received their aid packages as soon as they were accepted.

On the other hand, lower-income applicants could not meet up; hence, they could not apply through this route. However, the university resumed the program in 2019, aiming to offer students more application alternatives after many appeals.

Besides Early Decision, the University of Virginia also introduced Early Action applications, pointing to high student demand as the primary reason. The university currently offers three admission rounds:

• Early Decision
• Early Action
• Regular Decision

One of the most significant differences between the early days of Early Decision admission and now is the number of students who apply for the early rounds. Before its initial removal, only about 30% of students chose this option. However, since its reintroduction, the figure has increased to 75%. Hence, most students accepted into the university apply through one of the early options.

Due to the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2023, which removed race-based affirmative actions, applicants could no longer disclose their race during the application process. As a result, the university did not provide race-based statistics for Early Decision applications and acceptances.

Affirmative action had initially allowed institutions to consider ethnicity and race during admissions to push for diversity in student populations. The university continues its diversity efforts through collaborations and partnerships.

The university’s announcement reiterated that two admission cycles remain for the class of 2029. For Early Action, decisions will be out by February 15, 2025. On the other hand, Regular Decisions will be out by April 1, 2025.