The college admissions yield is the percentage of students who enroll from the total number of students admitted to the school.  A higher yield shows the greater likelihood that an admitted student will enroll; thus, colleges will often admit less students and may have shorter wait lists, if any. So, for prospective applicants, a higher yield also means a more competitive admissions process, as colleges can only enroll the number of students they have the capacity in class seats and on-campus housing to accommodate.  In addition to measuring one’s chances of admissions with statistics, like average GPA and middle 50% SAT/ACT scores, students (and their parents) would be smart to also study a college’s yield.

For more information, see a recent New York Times article