美国大学招生办可以决定录取谁不录取谁，学生也有权利选择去被录取的大学。即便是哈佛大学，也不能保证所有录取的学生都会选择它。哈佛的新生报到率为80.9%，而这已经是综合型大学最高的了。
USNews官网最近更新了美国研究型大学和文理学院的新生报到率，仅有25所研究型综合大学新生报到率超过50%，其中11所是公立大学，也就是说，多数美国大学录取人数远远超过最后的新生入学人数。在2016USNews美国大学排名中位列榜首的普林斯顿大学新生报到率只有66.1%，即超过三成学生拿到录取后放弃该校offer。
新生报到率一方面反映了美国学生的选校喜好（位置、学费、气候、环境等），另一方面和美国大学的录取方式有关，如果在提前录取的人数多，而提前录取又是具有约束力的ED、REA之类的，那一般新生报到率比较高。从最近两年的早申录取数据可以看到，提前录取率远远高于常规申请的录取率。这也是美国高校为了提高自身形象的一种策略。
2014年美国文理学院的新生报到率平均为28%，综合型大学的平均数据为33.6%，比2013年的34.1%稍微有点下降。
School | 录取新生 | 入学新生 | 新生入学率 |
Harvard University (MA) | 2047 | 1659 | 81% |
Brigham Young University—Provo (UT) | 5645 | 4427 | 78.4% |
Stanford University (CA) | 2208 | 1677 | 76% |
University of Alaska—Fairbanks | 1221 | 892 | 73.1% |
MIT | 1548 | 1115 | 72% |
Yale University (CT) | 2031 | 1359 | 66.9% |
Yeshiva University (NY) | 1299 | 855 | 65.8% |
Princeton University(NJ) | 1963 | 1285 | 65.5% |
University of Nebraska—Lincoln | 6999 | 4420 | 63.2% |
University of Penn. | 3830 | 2421 | 63.2% |
Georgia Southern University | 5759 | 3583 | 62.2% |
Columbia University (NY) | 2311 | 1416 | 61.3% |
University of Nevada—Las Vegas | 6250 | 3773 | 60.4% |
Brown University (RJ) | 2654 | 1543 | 58.1% |
University of North Dakota | 3362 | 1908 | 56.8% |
University of Nebraska—Omaha | 3507 | 1889 | 53.9% |
University or Chicago | 2670 | 1426 | 53.4% |
University of Louisiana—Lafayette | 5044 | 2693 | 53.4% |
University of New Orleans | 1610 | 860 | 53.4% |
University of Noire Dame (IN) | 3936 | 2070 | 52.6% |
North Dakota State University | 4888 | 2553 | 52.2% |
Cornell University (NY) | 6222 | 3223 | 51.8% |
South Dakota State University | 4458 | 2306 | 51.7% |
University of New Mexico | 6799 | 3518 | 51.7% |
Florida A&M University | 2263 | 1145 | 50.6% |
University of Florida | 12618 | 6373 | 50.5% |
North Carolina A&T State University | 3651 | 1777 | 48.7% |
University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill | 8243 | 3946 | 47.9% |
Dartmouth College (NH) | 2337 | 1117 | 48.7% |
University of Georgia | 10962 | 5237 | 47.8% |
University of Memphis | 4470 | 2134 | 47.7% |
Middle Tennessee State University | 6888 | 3276 | 47.6% |
Georgia State University | 7269 | 3455 | 47.5% |
University of Texas—Austin | 15335 | 7249 | 47.3% |
Texas A&M University —College Station | 21725 | 10241 | 47.1% |
Georgetown University (DC) | 3397 | 1594 | 46.9% |
Missouri University of Science & Technology | 2709 | 1262 | 46.6% |
Oklahoma State University | 8411 | 3872 | 46% |
University of Nevada—Reno | 6720 | 3086 | 45.9% |
Louisiana State University —Baton Rouge | 12002 | 5501 | 45.8% |
University of Oklahoma | 8841 | 4052 | 45.8% |
Duke University (NC) | 3801 | 1729 | 45.5% |
Louisiana Tech University | 3424 | 1553 | 45.4% |
University or South Alabama | 4142 | 1878 | 45.3% |
Indiana U -Purdue U —Indianapolis | 8510 | 3796 | 44.6% |
Northeastern University (IL) | 4598 | 2041 | 44.4% |
University of North Texas | 10037 | 4444 | 44.3% |
University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee | 7347 | 3256 | 44.3% |
University of Louisville (KY) | 6496 | 2855 | 44% |
Trinity International University (IL) | 412 | 180 | 43.7% |
University of Texas-Dallas | 5125 | 2233 | 43.6% |
Wright State University (OH) | 4863 | 2117 | 43.5% |
University of Southern Mississippi | 4058 | 1746 | 43% |
California institute of Tech | 584 | 249 | 42.6% |
New Mexico State University | 4505 | 1918 | 42.6% |
University of Texas-San Antonio | 8671 | 3689 | 42.5% |
University of Texas—Arlington | 6405 | 2713 | 42.4% |
University of Mississippi | 8464 | 3582 | 42.3% |
University of South Dakota | 3169 | 1342 | 42.3% |
Wichita State University (KS) | 3344 | 1410 | 42.2% |
Florida International University | 7122 | 2990 | 42% |
University of North Carolin--Greensboro | 5909 | 2482 | 42% |
University of Wisconsin—Madison | 15161 | 6339 | 41.8% |
Arizona State University—Tempe | 17465 | 7171 | 41.1% |
North Carolina State U —Raleigh | 10128 | 4165 | 41.1% |
University of Tennessee | 10435 | 4276 | 41% |
Ohio State U —Columbus | 17413 | 7130 | 40.9% |
Iowa State University | 14975 | 6089 | 40.7% |
Vanderbilt University (TN) | 3963 | 1613 | 40.7% |
Cleveland State University | 4255 | 1727 | 40.6% |
Kansas State University | 9437 | 3821 | 40.5% |
University or Virginia | 8728 | 3517 | 40.3% |
Lamar University (TX) | 3616 | 1451 | 40.1% |
Trevecca Nazarene U (TN) | 618 | 248 | 40.1% |
East Carolina University (NC) | 11238 | 4495 | 40% |
Sam Houston State U. (TX) | 6126 | 2425 | 40% |
U of Michigan—Ann Arbor | 15570 | 6225 | 40% |
Tennessee State University | 3328 | 1327 | 39.9% |
Virginia Tech | 13432 | 5364 | 39.9% |
Mississippi State university | 7938 | 3156 | 39.8% |
U of California—Berkeley | 11828 | 4706 | 39.8% |
U of Alabama—Huntsville | 1656 | 651 | 39.3% |
University of Arkansas | 11076 | 4339 | 39.2% |
University of Central Florida | 15572 | 6068 | 39% |
University of Montana | 3889 | 1518 | 39% |
University of Cincinnati | 11680 | 4449 | 38.1% |
University of Wyoming | 4154 | 1582 | 38.1% |
Rice University (TX) | 2581 | 978 | 37.9% |
U of Colorado—Denver | 3029 | 1149 | 37.9% |
Tufts university (MA) | 3469 | 1312 | 37.8% |
Texas Tech University | 12709 | 4785 | 37.7% |
Old Dominion University (VA) | 7834 | 2942 | 37.6% |
University of Missouri | 16473 | 6194 | 37.6% |
University of Washington | 16679 | 6253 | 37.5% |
Johns Hopkins University (MD) | 3519 | 1317 | 37.4% |
University of Akron (OH) | 10204 | 3812 | 37.4% |
Michigan State University | 21610 | 8061 | 37.3% |
SUNY College of Environmental Science &Forestry | 777 | 288 | 37.1% |
University of Missouri Louis | 1300 | 482 | 37.1% |
University of Missouri-Kansas City | 2919 | 1078 | 36.9% |
Utah State University | 10768 | 3970 | 36.9% |
Georgia institute of Technology | 7265 | 2673 | 36.8% |
University of Alabama | 17515 | 6454 | 36.8% |
University of Northern Colorado | 5289 | 1939 | 36.7% |
