by Poorvi Roopesh

High school students preparing for college today juggle high GPAs, extracurricular involvement, and a complex admissions landscape. College admissions now involve Common App deadlines, test‑optional policies, and virtual campus tours. All of these elements didn’t exist two decades ago, which makes applying to college now an entirely different ballgame than it once was.

Shifting to Digital

Twenty years ago, most college applications were completed on paper and mailed. Acceptance letters also arrived through the postal service. Today, the process is almost entirely digital. Platforms like the Common Application allow students to apply to multiple schools with ease, contributing to a dramatic rise in the number of applicants. “More young adults than ever attend college today. Between 1970 and 2017, undergraduate enrollment in United States colleges more than doubled. By October 2019, about 66 percent of American high school graduates enrolled in colleges or universities.” (Brehe, 2020) Ms. Mckenzie, IA’s College & Career Advisor, says, “Technology has contributed to this shift. In the early 2000’s applications were mostly paper based or submitted through individual college websites. Although the common application existed, it was not widely used. The application process is a more centralized and efficient now compared to 20 years ago. Today you are able to simply email an admissions rep with questions about the process of applying, view day in the life on a university YouTube sponsored channel, or go to their social media for updates around campus.  The testing process has also changed. Test optional admissions were limited to some private schools or not offered at all. “

Increased Competition and Lower Acceptance Rates

One major shift in college admissions process is the drop in acceptance rates. Highly selective institutions, especially Ivy League schools, face unprecedented competition due to the surge in applications. For example, Harvard’s acceptance rate fell from 11.8 percent to 4.92 percent. The Ivy Leagues reported record-high applications for the 2021 admission year, resulting in lower acceptance rates this year.

Growing Costs and Growing Financial Aid

College costs have risen far faster than the average family income. The typical U.S. student now graduates with approximately $27,000 to $35,000 in student loan debt for a bachelor’s degree (APLU, 2025). However, scholarship opportunities have also expanded, helping offset some of the financial burden.

The Rise of Test‑Optional Policies

Standardized testing has undergone a major transformation. Many colleges have adopted test‑optional or test‑flexible policies, reducing the pressure on students to submit SAT or ACT scores. This shift has broadened access for students who may not perform well on standardized tests.

Mental pressure

College admissions today are far more complex and stressful than they were 20 years ago. Guidance counselors have changed over the years to best help students by helping them make the best plan for college admissions, with the shift to optional standardized testing and low acceptance rates students are struggling to figure out what colleges expect from them. Counsellors noted that students feel stressed and anxious about the process compared to a decade ago. Counselors have adapted to devoting more time and resources to addressing student anxiety and guiding students through the admissions process, which has been more flexible but confusing. (Hennen, 2020) social media has also been a major contributor to student stress. “The evidence for this appears all over TikTok and Instagram, where thousands of high-school juniors and seniors post their “stats” and then solicit advice and feedback on where they should apply.” This can cause a lot of stress for students due to the abundance of information available. (Kang, 2023)

In conclusion, the college admissions process has changed in a multitude of ways in 20 years. Some of those ways are beneficial to students allowing flexibility within the gruesome process. The ability to use technology and choose whether to do standardized testing is evidence of the increased flexibility that the college admissions process has brought. Some of the changes have made the college admissions process more complicated and stressful. The decreased acceptance rates and the increase in social media misguidance have made the process more difficult. Overall, the college admissions process has changed dramatically in many ways over the past 20 years.