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As an Asian teenager or a parent of one, you’ve likely heard that Asian students have historically been at a disadvantage in the admissions process at elite American colleges and universities. You may have followed the news stories related to court challenges related to Asian bias at Harvard and other elite institutions, which ultimately resulted in an earth-shattering 2023 Supreme Court ruling. Now, you want to know “Where do I/my son/daughter stand in 2025?” We are here to help with a data-backed examination designed to help you separate signal from noise. In doing so we will present the following:

• A statistical examination of Asian student populations at various top universities.
• Past studies on SAT scores and acceptance rates along racial lines.
• A quick recap of impactful court cases related to race in college admissions.
• A 9-step action plan to guide Asian applicants toward a successful admissions outcome.

Asian American Applicants, By the Numbers

Between 2000 and 2023, the Asian population in America , and yet by 2025, Asians still comprise only 7.7% of the total U.S. population. However, if you examine many of the finest universities in the country, you will see that the undergraduate Asian representation on campus is generally 3-5 times their percentage of the population as a whole. Let’s take a quick look at some of those numbers which are for the total undergraduate population unless otherwise noted:

• Caltech: 44%
• UC Berkeley: 41%
• Carnegie Mellon: 33%
• MIT: 35%
• UCLA: 35%
• Johns Hopkins: 46% (Class of 2028 only)
• Rice: 34%
• Penn: 28%
• Stanford: 29%
• Princeton: 24%
• Columbia: 18% (but 39% for Class of 2028)
• Duke: 29% (for Class of 2028)
• Emory: 30%
• Harvard: 37%

Given these stats, one might instantly conclude that being Asian actually enhances one’s chances of gaining admission into an Ivy or Ivy-equivalent school. However, a deeper examination of the available data/evidence reveals conclusively that the reality is that for Asian-American students as well as Asian international students, competition for a place at a prestigious university in the U.S. is unquestionably stiffer. Let’s examine some of the evidence that supports this claim before launching into how to overcome the obstacles before you.

How do Asian students do on the SAT?

In 2023, the average SAT score among all test-takers was 1028; the average score amongst Asian students was a robust 1219. Asian students’ mean score on the English section was 593 versus a 626 on the Math section. Researchers at Princeton University found that in the past (pre-2023 Supreme Court decision) applicants who identify as Asian needed to score on the SAT than a white applicant in order to have an equal chance at admission into an elite college—they dubbed this the “Asian tax” in college admissions.

What studies have been done on acceptance rates for Asian applicants?

One well-known found that if race were eliminated as a consideration in the admissions process (there was no affirmative action), Asian students would be the biggest beneficiaries, experiencing an acceptance rate 6 points higher across elite universities. No other group was negatively impacted anywhere close to this extent.

Another between 2000 and 2017, found that the acceptance rate for Asian-American students was 8.1% compared to a 11.1% figure for white applicants. While we’re on the subject of Harvard…

Recent Court Cases

The 2018 Harvard court case (and what it tells us about implicit bias)

Back in 2018, the U.S. court system weighed in on bias against Asian-American students at Harvard. While the school ultimately won that particular case, was revealed as to how white students were routinely given superior ratings by Harvard admissions officers in subjective categories like “positive personality,” being “widely respected,” as well as areas such as likeability, courageousness, and even kindness.

The Princeton inquiry

As part of a probe by the Department of Education, a number of notes made by Princeton admissions officers regarding Asian applicants were made public. Among the more telling quotes were that Asian applicants had “very familiar profiles” and that some Asian individuals were referred to as “standard premeds” and “difficult to pluck out.”

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College/UNC

In the summer of 2023, the in favor of the Students for Fair Admissions organization and struck down the use of affirmative action in college admissions. Here are some quick highlights from that ruling.

• The decision declared that “race-conscious admissions plans” violate the Constitution.
• Specifically, they cited a violation of the Equal Protection Clause because the schools in question—Harvard and UNC—failed to use any measurable objectives to justify the use of race. As a result, they had “no specific end point.”
• In the words of Chief Justice Roberts, an applicant can still share “how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise.” In other words, if your race impacts your experience as an individual, that can be considered.
• The only schools granted an exception are the US Military Service Academies.
• It is important to note that the vast majority of colleges in the US were not strongly impacted as they admit a high percentage of those who apply.
• The schools most impacted have been Ivy League and other highly selective institutions. The impacts at these few dozen schools were expected to be severe in hurting future underrepresented minority enrollment.

Did the Supreme Court decision eliminate college admissions challenges for Asian students?

Two years after the dust settled, the impact on Asian student numbers at elite schools is a mixed bag. Columbia and Brown have seen a sharp rise in the number of Asian students admitted into recent freshman classes; MIT has seen a huge jump. However, Yale and Dartmouth saw a decline. Harvard, the defendant in the consequential case has remained about the same.

In short, Asian students still face significant challenges in the college admissions process compared to white students or other ethnic minority groups.

8 Ways Asian Students Can Overcome College Admissions-Related Challenges

Because of negative factors like bias and unofficial quotas, Asian applicants may need to construct a stronger applicant profile than the average admitted student to have a genuine chance of getting into the very best American colleges.

Asian applicants and their parents simply cannot look at averages of Ivy League or other highly selective schools and assume that, if they fall in the 50th percentile SAT range, they will have an excellent chance of admission. As an applicant of Asian descent, possessing grades and test scores that fall in the upper quartile will lead to a far better chance of earning acceptance. In addition to this rather general advice of just trying to “be better” than your competition, there are also a number of other more specific steps you can and should take.

1) Aim to distinguish yourself from other Asian applicants, not the general applicant pool.

This is an overarching goal and many of the subsequent tidbits of advice you’ll find below will speak in more detail on various elements of the college selection and application process. Yet, we wanted to take a minute to set the table. Remember the clearly racist comments written down by Princeton admissions officers about students being “typical premeds” and “very familiar profiles”?

Plan on the admissions officers having these implicit biases toward Asian applicants even if they are no longer overtly communicated or penned for posterity. As such, you need to find ways not to fall into easy stereotypes and labels. This doesn’t mean that you need to run away from your true passions and aims in order to create a “less Asian” profile. Rather, you need to present yourself in an authentic way that organically sets you apart from some of your peers.

2) Consider a less popular/stereotypical major.

Nationwide, Asian students are overrepresented in a number of STEM fields such as computer science, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, and data science, among others.

For one example, we look at the racial breakdown by major at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where Asian students make up one-quarter of the overall student population. Yet, at UCSB, Asian students make up 40% of microbiology, computer science, and computer engineering majors. At Harvard, Asian students make up over 50% of the CS major population.

The very majors that Asian students gravitate toward also happen to be the most challenging from an admissions standpoint.  We do not advise running as far away as possible from your intended area of study–like an aspiring software engineer pretending to be a budding British lit major. Such extreme measures would ultimately be counterproductive.  Instead, the goal is to consider a secondary area of interest that will make you a more intriguing candidate.

A pre-med student may also have an interest in public health. A future CS student may also have an in cognitive science, linguistics, or philosophy. A prospective engineering major may also weave in a passion for environmental science or the fine arts. All of these combined interests will help you stand out from your competition at top universities.

3) Change your approach to essays and supplemental prompts.

American colleges care far more about subjective components of the application and other “soft factors” than institutions of higher education just about anywhere else in the world. First- or second-generation families may not be as acutely aware of this reality as white students, whose parents may have gone through a similar admissions process in their youth.

As a result, Asian students may need extra encouragement to let their genuine personality, passions, interests, dreams, and emotions become part of their college application. The Common App essay and supplemental essays/short answers/lists (e.g. your favorite books (Columbia) or letters to future roommate (Stanford) are ideal opportunities to make a personal connection with an admissions reader). A human connection made by composing an essay that is so authentic it leaps off the page can put that applicant at a massive advantage.

Some ideas for how to approach this task include:

• Personal statement (like the Common App essay) essays should be personal, not academic.
• Keep in mind that personal and cultural are not necessarily the same thing. If you focus on your culture and family make sure to do so in a way where you are the center of the story and the narrative reveals a great deal about you.
• Allow your personality and uniqueness to shine through. Don’t be afraid to share what makes you different. While this may sound rather trite, we promise it is of the utmost importance.
• Communicate your genuine passion for learning. What keeps you up at night? What kind of learning do you pursue in your spare time? What podcasts, websites, books, or periodicals do you engage with?
• How do you use your gifts to help your (or a) community? How do you presently give back or how might you like to contribute to society in the future.
• Think about your core values and what makes you tick. What types of problems are you dying to help solve? This could be a global problem, an intellectual puzzle, or even a personal challenge.

Thinking along these lines can be a fun and freeing endeavor that ultimately leads to compositions far superior to those that function more as a rote list of accomplishments.

4) Beware of stereotypical activities.

Let’s go back to our Princeton admissions officers for a second. We should assume that even the best-intentioned AO will have a touch of bias present when evaluating an Asian applicant. They may expect to see certain activities like piano, violin, math competitions, robotics club, etc. and not fully appreciate the excellence you’ve achieved in those areas.

Again, as with major selection, the goal in planning your activities is not to throw away all of your true beliefs and interests. The smarter move is to know how to present your existing interests in a way that highlights your impact on the community, the fact that you are socially oriented and connected to others, and your leadership skills as evidenced by pooling together various individuals with differing skill sets toward a common goal.

The optimal strategy for activity selection/presentation has much in common with our recommendations for selection. An aspiring pre-med student can be the captain of their Science Olympiad team, they can conduct research at a prestigious summer program, but they can also show a passion for public health by volunteering at a clinic, or demonstrating an interest in policy. The future computer scientist can win robotics and math competitions while still finding time to show how their passion and prowess for computing can assist in a variety of research areas that work toward a social good. Likewise with engineering; the typical bona fides can be complemented by something in the realm of urban planning, environmental science, or sustainability.

5) Consider elite liberal arts schools.

Asian students may be at a disadvantage when applying to many private research universities due to a glut of applicants, but, on the other end of spectrum, many elite American liberal arts schools actually struggle to enroll Asian students. Schools like Swarthmore, Amherst, and Williams may not possess the same cache in China, India, or South Korea as Princeton, Harvard, and Stanford but in graduate/professional school and employment circles, they are every bit as impressive. In fact, many of these top-flight liberal arts colleges are feeders to the most prestigious law, medical, and PhD programs in the country. Here’s a look at the percentage of the undergraduate body that identifies as Asian at some of the top-ranked liberal arts colleges:

• Amherst: 16%
• Swarthmore: 18%
• Williams: 13%
• Vassar: 12%
• Colby: 11%
• Carleton: 10%
• Macalester: 8%
• Middlebury: 7%
• Bowdoin: 10%
• Hamilton: 9%
• Bates: 6%
• Kenyon: 4%

6) Apply to flagship public universities.

As Asian students work on creating their college lists, they should make sure that they also consider some of the notable public state universities in the U.S. This is because admissions at public universities are often more formula-based and less likely to utilize any type of unofficial quota for Asian-American or international students. Schools like the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the University of Michigan, and Purdue University not only have excellent reputations but they also take roughly half of the student body from out-of-state and admit a large number of international students.

Those wishing to pursue a career in finance should take note that Baruch College in New York City, Rutgers University, and Indiana University all sit alongside the likes of Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton as the top feeder schools to Wall Street investment banks.

7) Excel (even more) on standardized testing.

With the average SAT/ACT score for Asian students already so much higher than other groups, you might be thinking, “But, my SAT scores are already strong!” However, as we mentioned a moment ago when referencing the so-called “Asian tax,” you need to be better than your competition, not just in the same ballpark. Scoring at the 75th percentile or above a given university’s mark for accepted students is, without question, the level that you should be striving for.

IB/AP tests are also wonderful opportunities to demonstrate mastery of content that unequivocally shows your child’s academic prowess and depth of understanding.

8) Consider applying early decision.

Most highly selective colleges offer a binding early decision or restrictive early action round with a November deadline. With early decision, students apply to one school, committing to attend that institution should they be granted acceptance.

In general, colleges that offer early decision offer far more favorable acceptance rates to early applicants than to those in the regular round. For example, in the 2024-25 admissions season, Dartmouth accepted 17% of ED applicants and Emory accepted 30%. Williams took in 27% and Northwestern said yes to 19%.

Compare this to the acceptance rates for the general applicant pool:

• Dartmouth: 5%
• Notre Dame: 15%
• Williams: 7%
• Northwestern: 5%

Academic research has demonstrated that applying ED is worth 100 points on the SAT.

������һ����ӰԺ�ݲ�’ Final Thoughts

As with any challenge in life, it is beneficial to take in the landscape with a clear-eyed view, with full awareness of the minefield that lies ahead. Asian-American and international students from Asia need to be cognizant of the uphill battle they face in the quest to gain acceptance at a highly selective American college. Yet, just because the climb is uphill doesn’t mean the task is unachievable. Hard work and utilizing some of the strategies we have outlined can still lead to the desired postsecondary result.

Additional Resources

• 50 Asian American Scholarships – 2025
• 25 Scholarships for International Students – 2025
• How Many Extracurricular Activities Do Colleges Want?