yield rate

Definition

The percentage of admitted students who actually enroll, which keeps admissions officers awake at night. It's academic matchmaking anxiety quantified - how many people you asked out actually showed up for the date.

Example Usage

Our yield rate dropped to 18%, meaning we admitted five times more students than we have space for and are now playing a chaotic game of enrollment chicken.

Origin

Enrollment management terminology from strategic admissions practices

Fun Fact

Elite universities can have yield rates above 80%, while less selective schools might yield below 20%, creating massive uncertainty in class size planning

Source: Enrollment management and admissions terminology

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