Ireland's Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh announced that students would now be able to choose whether to use "calculated" grades or to sit final-year exams when it was considered safe to do so.

Earlier this month, scores of high school seniors submitted their applications to college. Now comes the worst part: waiting.

In the wake of a college admissions scandal and as the super-low admission rate at many top colleges receives widespread attention, the business of getting in to college is more intense than ever.

However, it may actually be getting easier to be admitted, despite perceptions.

More from Personal Finance:

Here's what it takes to get into a top college

Applying to college early isn't always the best move

Why so few teenagers have jobs anymore

For starters, the vast majority of schools where most Americans get their post-secondary education admit most of the students who apply, according to recent research from the Pew Research Center based on U.S. Education Department data.

While schools such as Harvard and Stanford accept less than 5% of all applicants (both universities hit a record low last spring), the average admit rate across all institutions is more than 50%, according to Pew.

Of the more than 1,300 four-year colleges and universities Pew analyzed, only 17 admitted fewer than 10% of applicants in 2017, according to the latest data available.

On the flipside, more than half of the schools admitted two-thirds or more of their applicants, Pew found.