Early Applications to Yale Drop 5 Percent

The Yale Daily News reported this week that the number of early applications dropped 5 percent from last year's numbers. This isn't necessarily cause for early applicants to celebrate -- last year was a record high, and the percentage of early applicants who are accepted is expected to remain near last year's low 13.4 percent.

In general, acceptance rates for students who apply early decision and early action are higher than those for students who apply through regular admissions. Some high profile universities such as Harvard, Princeton and the University of Virginia have eliminated early decision because of concerns that the early application process privileges affluent students.