Class of 2021 College List

The 117 members of the Shady Side Academy Class of 2021 will attend 77 of the world's finest colleges and universities this fall. With a broad range of academic interests and a genuine curiosity, these graduates leave SSA ready to make their mark on the classrooms and communities they are about to join.

List as of the last day of classes, May 28, 2021. Colleges with more than one graduate attending indicate the number in parentheses.

Allegheny College (2)
American University (2)
Amherst College
Auburn University
Barnard College
Bates College
Boston University (2)
Bowdoin College
Bucknell University (2)
Carnegie Mellon University (3)
Case Western Reserve University (2)
Colby College
College of Wooster
Colorado College
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePaul University
Dickinson College
Emerson College
Emory University (4)
Fairfield University
Ferris State University
Georgetown University (2)
Harvard University
High Point University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Indiana University Bloomington (2)
Kenyon College
Le Cordon Bleu Paris
Lehigh University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mercyhurst University
Miami University (2)
Montana State University
Mount Holyoke College
MuhlenBerg College
Niagara University
Northeastern University (3)
Northwestern University

Paul Smith's College
Pennsylvania State University
Purdue University (2)
Rhodes College
Rochester Institute of Technology (2)
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Saint Francis University
Saint Lawrence University (2)
Saint Louis University
Skidmore College
Spring Arbor University
Syracuse University
Temple University
Texas Christian University
Tufts University
Tulane University
United States Naval Academy
University of California Berkeley (2)
University of California San Diego
University of Chicago (2)
University of Cincinnati
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (3)
University of Kentucky
University of Miami
University of Michigan (2)
University of Minnesota
University of Notre Dame
University of Pittsburgh (4)
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of St. Andrews
University of Tennessee
University of Wisconsin (2)
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University (3)
Washington & Jefferson College (2)
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis (3) 

Class of 2021 By The Numbers

College Matriculation

  • Admitted to 195 colleges
  • Will attend 77 colleges in 26 states plus Washington, D.C.
  • 79% will attend college out of state
  • 14% will play college athletics in 8 different sports
  • 26% will attend a US News & World Report Top 25 National University or Liberal Arts College
  • 54% will attend a US News & World Report Top 50 National University or Liberal Arts College
  • 58% will attend a Barron's "most competitive" college
  • 61% overall admit rate vs. global average of 39%
  • Admitted to the most selective (<25%) schools at 2x the national rate

SSA Experience

  • 17% were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program
  • 21% are "lifers" who attended SSA from grades K-12
  • 23% participated in the Senior School boarding program
  • 30% completed an independent study or senior project
  • 34% participated in the performing arts (theatre production or musical ensemble)
  • 47% attended SSA Middle School
  • 82% lettered in at least one varsity sport; 47% lettered in two or more
  • 7 earned a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from UPenn via the new SSA Social Innovators Program
  • Helped 5 SSA athletic teams win 11 league championships