Webb Students Accepted to Top Colleges

Every student in The Webb School’s Class of 2021 has earned acceptance to a selective, four-year college or university despite an historic leap in college applications and an equally historic plunge in acceptance rates.

Students at Vivian Webb School and Webb School of California were accepted to Amherst, Brown, all five Claremont Colleges, Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, Northwestern, Princeton, NYU, Rice, all UC campuses, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, USC, Wellesley and more.

More than 90 percent of the Class of 2021 will matriculate to a college ranked in the top 10% of the more than 1,700 selective, four-year colleges in the U.S., as ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

“The best part is that every senior this year has found a college that fits them and will serve them well after they graduate from Webb,” Dean of College Guidance Hector Martinez said. “We are enormously proud of our seniors and their impressive accomplishments, especially when it comes to where they were admitted into college.”

It was harder than ever to get into college in 2021 as application numbers surged.

Colgate College saw a 104% increase in applications, Columbia jumped 51%, Boston College 36% and USC 21%. UCLA, the most popular college to apply to in the U.S., received 140,000 applications for 6,300 spots in the freshman class, a 28% increase.

Meanwhile, Stanford’s acceptance rate dropped to 3.3%, down from 5.1% in 2020, Columbia admitted 3.7% and Pomona College 7%.

The college guidance process at Webb begins early, with guidance counselors meeting with each class twice a term to discuss college planning. Starting in January of junior year, counselors meet individually with students to tailor the college journey to their needs. In senior year, counselors develop and refine a customized list of colleges that match student profiles and interests.

Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale noted the unprecedented challenges faced by the Class of 2021, which shifted to online instruction for the end of junior year and all senior year.

“Their hard work, dedication and relentless perseverance under truly extraordinary global circumstances are to be acknowledged and honored,” Stockdale said.

See the 2021 Matriculation List and learn more on Webb’s college advising program on our College Guidance page.