The Male Advantage in Ivy League Admissions

More female students apply to Brown than do Male applicants (photo credit: Ad Meskens).

Many folks know that there is an advantage in the Ivy League admissions process for legacy applicants. Many folks know that there is also an advantage afforded first-generation applicants, for underrepresented minorities, for recruited athletes, and for the children of major donors. But many folks do not know that there is an advantage in the process for men. But Ivy Coach, in the age of #Me Too, how can that be?

More Females Apply to Ivy League Schools Than Do Males

Of the Ivy League schools, we would argue that Brown University tends to lead the pack in favoring men over women. And why? Brown tends to receive many more applications from female applicants. So in an effort to create a somewhat gender-balanced class, in an effort to compensate, the school offers admission to male applicants at a higher rate than they do female applicants. But Brown isn’t alone.

A piece by Jon Birger out this past weekend in “The New York Post” entitled “It’s easier for men to get into the Ivy League than women” shines a spotlight on the practice of admitting men at a higher rate than female applicants at various colleges. As he writes, “Yale, for instance, has had higher acceptance rates for men than women 14 out of the last 15 years. Vassar College’s acceptance rate in 2018 was 35 percent for men versus 19 percent for women. At Georgetown, it was 18 percent for men and 14 percent for women. At my alma mater, Brown, it was 10 percent for men and 8 percent for women.

A Gender Disparity in Ivy League Admissions Doesn’t Violation Title IX

And why is this legal, you ask? Because private institutions admitting males at higher rates than they do females isn’t illegal. It’s not a violation of Title IX. As Birger writes, “Back in 1972, when Title IX was being debated, admissions officers believed women attended college to get Mrs. degrees, not prepare for careers. As a result, elite colleges like Harvard and Yale pushed to exempt undergraduate admissions at private colleges (but not public) from Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination.”

What do our readers think of this gender disparity in admissions? Let us know your thoughts by posting a Comment below. We look forward to hearing from you!