The Evolution of Non-Binary Student Data Reporting
Until 2021, the Common Data set did not recognize an option for “another gender” data reporting, thus discounting non-binary students—those identifying as neither male, nor female.
In 2021-2022, there was some movement on that front when the Common Data Set indicated with respect to reporting admissions data by gender that “since the total may include students who did not provide gender data, the detail need not sum to the total.” This note was at least inclusive of non-binary students.
Not until last year, for the 2022-2023 admissions cycle, did the Common Data Set include explicit instructions related to reporting data on students identifying outside the gender binary. The Common Data set now includes for all participating schools the following instructions related to admissions reporting on students who identify outside the gender binary:
- If your institution collects and reports non-binary gender data, please use the “Another Gender” category.
- In cases where gender information is not provided, please distribute across the two-binary categories
While the instructions specify using “another gender” as a label, an analysis by Dimension Admissions revealed disparities in admission rates and enrollment across genders at America’s most prestigious universities. The analysis examined Common Data Set data from Ivy+ schools – defined here as the Ivy League, plus any school ranked within one spot of an Ivy on US News & World Report’s list of Best Universities 2024, (which amounts to the top twenty schools on that list). The data related to non-binary applicants/admits/enrolled students, however, is limited because not every school reports that data. We’ve nonetheless collated and analyzed the relevant, available data and present our findings here.
Key Takeaways
- As of the 2022-2023 admissions cycle, 50% the Ivy League (4 of 8 universities) include a category for “another gender” data in their admissions data reports
- 70% of the Ivy+ universities (14 of 20) include a category for “another gender” data in their admissions data reports.
- Last year, 37% of the Ivy League (3 of 8 universities) reported enrolled non-binary students; 35% of Ivy+ universities (7 of 20) reported enrolled non-binary students.
- For the Class of 2026, 100% of reported non-binary applicants to the Ivy League applied to Columbia University.
- Roughly 60% of reported non-binary applicants to Ivy+ schools applied to UCLA.
- Hopkins was the only Top 10 school on US News & World Report’s Best Universities 2023 rankings to report any non-binary applicants for the Class of 2026.
Non-Binary Student Admissions Data across the Ivy League 2022-2023
According to available data, half of the Ivy League includes a category for “another gender” admissions data on public data reports: Yale, Columbia, Cornell, and Dartmouth.
Princeton, Harvard, Penn and Brown do not report data on non-binary applicants/admits.
Three Ivy League schools reported enrolled, non-binary students last year – Yale University (115); Dartmouth University (49); and Columbia University (42).
100% of reported non-binary applicants to the Ivy League for the Class of 2026 applied to Columbia.
At Columbia, the admission rate for non-binary applicants was 3% (1407 applicants/42 admits).
The general admission rate for Columbia for the Class of 2026 was 23% higher, at 3.7%.
Ivy+ Admissions Data re: Non-binary Students 2022-2023
70% Ivy+ schools (14 of 20) include a category for “another gender” admissions data on public data reports: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, Yale University, the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Duke University, Johns Hopkins University (Hopkins), Northwestern University, Columbia University, Cornell University, The University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley), The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Rice, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame.
30% Ivy+ schools (6 of 20) do not include a category of “another gender” admissions data on public data reports: Princeton University, Harvard University, The University of Pennsylvania (Penn), Brown University, The University of Chicago (UChicago), and Vanderbilt University.
7 Ivy+ schools (35%) reported enrolled non-binary students in 2022-2023: Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, Northwestern.
Nearly half of all non-binary students enrolled in Ivy+ universities last year were enrolled at UCLA.
Roughly 6 out of 10 non-binary students who applied to Ivy+ universities for the Class of 2026, applied to UCLA (5582 students).
Roughly 1 in 4 applied to Berkeley (2447)
1.5 in 10 applied to Columbia (1407)
1 in 50 (18) applied to Hopkins.
Four Ivy+ schools (20%) reported non-binary students admitted to the Class of 2026: UCLA (341); Berkeley (302) Columbia (42) Hopkins (6).
At UCLA for the Class of 2026, 5582 non-binary students applied and 341 were admitted. The non-binary admit rate was 6.1% -- 30% lower than its general applicant admit rate, which was 8.6%.
At Berkeley for the Class of 2026, 2447 non-binary students applied and 302 were admitted. The non-binary admit rate at Berkeley was 12% -- 9% higher than its general applicant admit rate for the class of 2026 of 11%
At Columbia for the Class of 2026, 1407 non-binary students applied and 54 were admitted. The non-binary admit rate at Columbia was 4%, which was about even with its general applicant admit rate of 3.7%.
At Hopkins for the Class of 2026, 18 non-binary students applied and 6 were admitted. The non-binary admit rate at Hopkins was 33% -- 414% higher than its general applicant admit rate for the Class of 2026: 6.48%
About Dimension Admissions
Dimension Admissions offers a bespoke, four-dimensional, results-driven approach to prep school, undergraduate, and graduate school admissions. Our seasoned application strategists and expert essay specialists are published writers, educators and scholars s educated at Ivy League and Ivy+ institutions We’re devoted to helping candidates craft essays that resonate and applications that shine. Engaging collaboratively from all-angles, we optimize applications, maximize admissions potentials and empower our candidates’ self actualizations as writers and thinkers.
Dimension offers clients the flexibility of hourly rates, or the security of an intensive application package at a flat fee. Dimension also offers a range of supplemental services, including extracurricular and course planning, standardized test prep, school list construction, and interview prep, as well as school-specific, major specific, and industry-specific, consults with Dimension Advisors.
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Christopher holds a B.A. from Yale University, an M.F.A. in Fiction from the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, and an M.A.Ed. from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, where he was inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. He is a certified independent educational consultant through UC Irvine and is a professional member of both the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) and the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
Christopher founded Dimension Admissions in the summer of 2019, following eight years as an independent school instructor, administrator, and admissions file reader. During this time, he also conducted alumni interviews for Yale University. He is an expert in educational advising, English language and literature, teaching, personal narrative writing, academic and extracurricular planning, school selection, and admissions.
His objective is to empower each client to articulate how their lived experiences have shaped their personal identity, and to determine how they will utilize this foundation to engender future growth and contribute meaningfully to their communities. While his primary goal is to send each of his clients to their dream school, his success is also contingent on whether they emerge from their work with Dimension Admissions more self-aware and confident as they embark on the next chapter of their life’s journey.
