Yield in college admissions is the percent of students who enroll in a particular college or university after having been offered admission.
[1][2] It is calculated by dividing the number of students who enroll at a school in a given year by the total number of offers of acceptance sent.
As a statistical measure, it has been used by college ratings services as a measure of selectivity, such that a higher yield rate is a sign of a more selective college.
[1] The yield rate has sometimes been criticized for being subject to manipulation by college admissions staffs; in 2001, a report by Daniel Golden in The Wall Street Journal suggested that some college admissions departments reject or wait list well-qualified applicants on the assumption that they will not enroll, as a way to boost the college's overall yield rate.
According to the report, these actions were part of an effort to improve a college's scores on the U.S. News college ranking.