Gender Gap: Why Colleges Like Boys More Than Girls

Is it easier for boys to get into college than for girls? At many schools, the answer is yes. This fall, the U.S. Department of Education projects the ratio of collegegoers to be 58 percent girls to 42 percent boys. Places like Harvard and Princeton have so many applicants and so many high achievers that they maintain balanced student bodies naturally by skimming the cream of the crop. Other schools put a thumb on the scales in favor of the boys—there are notable differences in how some schools admit men and women to maintain balanced campuses.

Wondering how this might affect you? You can read more about how the desire to keep a gender balance on campus influences admissions decisions, including a table of which schools accept female applicants at notably lower rates than male applicants and a video version of the story.