Yield protection

Tufts University, where the term Tufts syndrome derives its name from, has been most often accused of yield protection.

Yield protection (commonly referred to as Tufts syndrome) is an admissions practice where a university or academic institution rejects or wait-lists highly qualified students on the grounds that such students are bound to be accepted by more prestigious universities or programs. The purpose of the practice is to help increase the yield rates (amount of enrollments compared to acceptances) of colleges and universities.

However, an alternate view holds that yield protection is a myth propagated by college students who failed to gain admission to elite universities; this view proposes that weak or negative subjective factors in an application may contribute to a rejection in spite of the applicant's strong qualifications.

Yield rate refers to the proportion of students who matriculate (i.e. accept an admissions offer and attend the college) after acceptance to a college.

See also

• College admissions in the United States