In a recent article, the Wall Street Journal reports that historically low admission rates at selective colleges are leading more students to take a gap year, as a way to boost their attractiveness in college admissions. Seeking College-Admissions Edge, More Students Take Gap Year

‘For some students now pursuing a gap year, the decision is driven by a belief that they will enter college older and better-adjusted. For many, the gap-year plan is also about playing better odds for acceptance at an elite school.’ - Alex Janin, Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

While the article primarily focuses on the link between declining admission rates at highly selective schools and the increasing number of students who take a gap year, it also mentions the overall growth in the popularity of gap years.

Before 2020, the total number of students taking a gap year was estimated to be between 40,000 and 60,000 annually. With the arrival of the pandemic, college deferrals rose dramatically for the 2020-2021 school year, when 130,000 students chose a gap year. And although most schools have returned to normal operations post-pandemic, for 2022, the number of students planning a gap year looks to be on pace with, or even higher, than 2021.

This change is both significant and meaningful - the number of students doing a gap year has increased by a factor of 2x to 3x within just a couple of years.

It should be noted that the article doesn’t include comments from admissions officers, to confirm that a gap year would boost the appeal of potential applicants, or that taking a gap year would increase the likelihood of acceptance for a student who had previously been rejected.

Of course, there are a number of other, tangential factors that also contribute to low admission rates and interest in gap years. For example, the trend toward test-optional applications has prompted many students to apply to schools they may not otherwise have, if standardized tests had remained a requirement. In addition, many aspirational students, seeing low admission rates from previous years, are hedging their bets by applying to more and more schools. This surge in the total number of applications, when measured against a constant number of admitted students, mathematically leads to lower rates of admission.

From our point of view, the push for more diverse and broader options for students - a direct result of the pandemic-fueled need for flexibility - is even more significant than the admissions statistics. As students have continually adapted to changing conditions over the last two years, they’ve learned to ask for more of what they need, and they’ve developed a clearer vision of where and how college serves their long-term goals. For many, a gap year is a conscious, intentional choice and not one made as a second-rate alternative to attending a good college.

We’re here to reinforce and support that idea.

Other recent articles from the Wall Street Journal, on the subject of college selectivity

To Get Into the Ivy League, 'Extraordinary' Isn't Always Enough These Days
Some Ivy League Colleges Admit 4% of Applicants; Others Play Down How Selective They Are