suny admissions, suny sat scores, and suny act scores: one system, many campuses

suny isn’t just one of the best public university systems in the u.s. it’s also one of the biggest and most complex groups of schools. suny administers or sponsors more than 30 universities, and quite a few community colleges as well. (for a full list and description of the many schools in the suny system, see this wikipedia page.)

in this article, we’re going to look at suny’s top 6 schools, the ones that are rated as national universities by us news and world report. these schools are: binghamton university, university of albany, stony brook university, university of buffalo, purchase college, and the suny college of environmental science and forestry.

in the table below, i’ve listed suny act scores and suny act scores for the suny top 6. i’ve also listed each campus’s us news and world report national rank, its acceptance rate, and its gpa expectations. (note: all data in the table comes either directly from suny, or from the national association for college admission counseling, or from us news and world report.)

suny sat scores and their role in suny admissions

the first thing you’ll notice about the requirements for suny sat scores is that they are kind of unpredictable. depending on which school you’re applying to, the middle 50% of suny sat scores can drop as low as the low 1100s, or go as high as the upper 1400s. moreover, some schools’ published suny sat scores are whole-test scores, while other suny sat scores are based on the two subscores of the sat, math and reading & writing. one school, purchase college, doesn’t even require students to give suny sat scores.

to make things even more interesting, the level of suny sat scores required is not strictly tied to school rank. stony brook university, for instance, is ranked below the suny college of environmental science and forestry, but has far higher whole-test requirements. if you carefully look at the chart above, you’ll find other instances where a lower-ranking university actually has higher suny sat scores than a higher-ranked campus.

ok, next, let’s look at how suny sat scores compare to suny act scores.

suny admissions: expectations for suny act scores
so how do suny act scores stack up to suny sat scores? most obviously, you won’t see any subscore requirements for the act. this is because the act does not have subscores. this makes comparing the different suny act scores relatively easy.

here again, we also see an imperfect correlation between university rank and suny admissions requirements for act scores. binghamton, the top-ranked university, has the highest expectations, with a 28-32 range for their suny act scores. and purchase college, suny’s lowest-ranked national university, has the lowest expectations, which is to say no expectations. but in between those predictable top and bottom ranks, the requirements for suny act scores “jump around” a little.

suny admissions: what’s up with the suny acceptance rate?

the acceptance rates for the top 6 suny campuses aren’t exactly directly tied to school rank either. isn’t the table above full of surprises? yes, binghamton university has a 40% acceptance rate, technically the lowest acceptance rate on the list. but binghamton actually ties for lowest with stony brook, the third-ranked school on the list. and yet at the same time, stony brook ties with the university of buffalo for rank, but not for acceptance rate; university of buffalo has a surprising 56% acceptance rate, more than 15% higher than stony brook’s.

notice that these acceptance rates are also not directly correlated to suny sat scores or suny act scores. just because a given suny school has higher standardized test scores does not mean it will have a lower acceptance rate, in other words.

ultimately, if acceptance rate is an important criterion for you, you should carefully double-check the acceptance rate of any suny school you apply to.

suny gpa: the “constant” in suny admissions

so why all the inconsistency in suny sat scores and suny act scores? when we look at suny gpa requirements, the mystery is solved. this is where suny admissions criterion becomes predictable and consistent. the higher the school ranks, the higher the expectations are for gpa.

ultimately, it is your high school grades–your gpa–that is the most important aspect of how to get into suny. with this criterion emphasized over all others, test scores can fluctuate a bit from school to school.

this doesn’t mean, however, that suny sat scores or suny act scores are unimportant. yes, suny admissions offices emphasize the importance of high school performance. how to get into suny includes many other factors. suny also looks at the bigger picture when considering applicants. suny will consider each students’ test scores, extracurricular activity, and general profile. and speaking of general profile, let’s take a look at the suny freshman profile next.

how to get into suny as a first year student: the suny freshman profile

every university has its own unique freshman profile. to explore the freshman profile for each of the six suny national campuses, we’d need to go very in-depth, explaining the subtle differences at length. rather than give you that many details to sort through, it’s probably more helpful to look at the freshman profile for suny binghamton. why? because binghamton university is the most competitive suny school, period. so if you meet most or all of the standard’s of binghamton’s freshman profile, you probably have a chance of admission at any suny school.

let me tell you the most important thing you need to know about binghamton’s freshman profile: if you are applying as a freshman (as opposed to a transfer student), the expectations you face are different.

freshman applicants to binghamton face testing expectations that are a little bit more lenient. the middle 50% of all binghamton accepted applicants (including transfer students) have act scores between 29-32. but the middle half of accepted freshman score between 28-31 on the act. and it’s not just act expectations that are easier for freshmen. while test sat scores range from 1310-1455 for all binghamton applicants, but the mid-range for accepted freshman is 1290-1420.

but it’s not all a bed of roses for you first-year applicants. there are two areas where freshmen are held to slightly higher criteria than the overall group of binghamton applicants. one of these areas is gpa. (again, gpa is consistently the most important aspect of suny admissions!) the middle half of all suny binghamton applicants have gpa scores ranging from 3.7 to 3.9. binghamton freshmen, however, take their middle 50% gpa up a notch, with a range of 3.7 to 4.0. secondly, first year, non-transfer applicants to suny binghamton have an acceptance rate that is a tiny bit lower, 40% instead of the 41% for applicants overall.

other suny admissions requirements and info

we’ve already covered suny sat scores, suny act scores, and suny gpa in great detail. now, let’s talk about a few other important aspects of how to get into suny.

a key thing to remember is location, location, location! what do i mean by this? well, all of the suny schools are in new york state. among the fifty states in the usa, it could easily be argued that new york has the richest history of higher education, learning, and research. in addition, with the internationally legendary new york city as its cultural center, the state of new york prides itself in attracting adventurous, global citizens. where suny admissions are concerned, suny looks for these kinds of people as well.

for a example of how adventure-loving global thinkers do well in suny admissions, see suny binghamton’s undergraduate admissions web page. there, suny’s highest-ranked campus calls for students who are innovative, creative, and adventurous. they say they want applicants who come from diverse backgrounds and are critical thinkers that challenge the status quo. in short, suny admissions offices like to see that you are an interesting, ambitious, well-rounded person. make sure the real and fascinating you shines through on your suny application. and of course, as part of this whole picture, competitive suny sat scores, suny act scores, and suny gpa are important too.

suny admissions, suny sat scores, and suny act scores: an faq

i’ve covered all the basics of suny admissions above. beyond those basics, there are a number of extra questions students often have about suny admissions, suny sat scores, and suny act scores. here are answers to some of our readers’ frequently asked questions. if you still have more questions by the end of this faq, ask them in the comments, and one of our experts will give you a reply.

for suny sat scores, is a 1200 sat score good? what about a 1400 sat score?
where suny admissions are concerned, a 1200 sat score is good for most suny schools. however, a 1200 on the sat is not-so-good for suny binghamton or suny stony brook. at these two highly competitive suny campuses, a 1200 would put you in the bottom 25%. but a 1400 on the sat is good by the standards of any suny school. with that impressive score, you’ll be in the middle 50% or top 25% of any suny pool of applicants.

is 24 good by the standards of suny act scores?
students often ask about that 24 act score benchmark. as you saw in the table near the beginning of this article, a 24 for the act is less-than-stellar for suny. that act 24 will either put you in the bottom 25% of applicants or in the lower part of the middle 50%, depending on which suny school you apply to.

suny gpas are listed in 0 to 4.0 range. how do my letter grades translate into that gpa?
the system for converting letter grades to gpa is a little complicated, but have no fear! magoosh has created an easy, user-friendly set of tables for calculating your gpa. see our article “how to convert your gpa” for all the gpa conversion tools you need.

how can i get good letters of recommendation to attach to my suny application?
the best letters of recommendation tend to come from your high school teachers. in fact, many suny campuses specifically ask for recommendations from teachers, rather than ones from work supervisors, clergy, family, etc. for tips on how to approach your teachers and round up some good letters of recommendation, magoosh again has you covered. check out our article “how to ask for a letter of recommendation.”

what does suny admissions look for in an application essay?
suny act scores and suny sat scores for the essay portions of those tests are not-so-emphasized and are sometimes optional. but suny admissions will always want to see a good application essay. and–you guessed it–magoosh has a guide that covers this frequently-asked question as well. see our guide to writing a typical type of college admissions essay (common app), and you’ll be on your way to suny admissions success.

how to get into suny: the takeaway

suny emphasizes personality and long-term hard work over test scores. by all means, study to get good sat or act results. but remember that your test scores are part of a larger picture. good test scores plus good efforts at high school courses will appeal to suny. then, let your unique personality shine through, on your application and in life. with your spirit as an eager learner added to the equation, your application will be suny-ready.

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tufts admissions. what are the tufts sat scores and tufts act scores? read on to learn all about how to get into tufts.

how to get into tufts: an introduction

if you graduate from tufts, you’ll be in good company. this school is elite in many of the best senses of the word. among its graduates, tufts boasts nobel prize winners, famed actors, actresses, and musicians, ceos, political leaders and more. (see the wikipedia article on tufts-affiliated celebrities; it really is impressive!)

these great people recognized that tufts is a school worth attending; you recognize this to. but how to get into tufts? below are the basic stats.

tufts sat scores

tufts act scores

other important tufts admissions statistics

those are the basics. but what do the numbers and facts above really mean? in the sections below, we’ll take a closer look at tufts admissions. we will further examine tufts sat scores, tufts act scores, tufts gpa, the acceptance rate for tufts, and all other ins and outs of how to get into tufts.

tufts sat scores

as indicated on the official tufts admissions website, tufts university has separate expectations for the two halves of the sat: the ebrw portion, consisting of the sat reading and sat writing & language sections, and the math portion consisting of two sat math sections (with calculator and without). and as you saw in the introductory stats in this post, the standards tufts has for sat ebrw and sat math are a bit different.

specifically, tufts sat scores don’t need to be quite as high for the “verbal” portion of the exam. for the multiple choice reading and writing/language assessment, you can have a composite score as low as 690, and if you are above a 760, your performance is on par with the top 25% of accepted tufts students. compare that to sat math, where you need to have a score of at least 730 to score in the middle 50%, and you are still in the middle 50% if you score a 790. to get into the top 25% for sat math, you need to have a perfect or near-perfect sat score.

this is good news for anyone who is more of a math person than an english person. at the same time, if math is something you’re a little less comfortable with, be prepared to “up your game” if you’re submitting sat scores to tufts admissions.

tufts act scores

so how about those tufts act scores? what do the act requirements say about how to get into tufts? well, interestingly, tufts admissions does not treat act “verbal” and act math as two separate admissions criteria.

this may be in part because the act is not clearly divisible into a language arts half and a math half. while two of the four sections relate to reading and writing (act english and act reading), there is only one act math section. and the act science section is neither clearly language arts nor clearly math; instead this unique section tests both reading comprehension and math skills in its own way.

so with tufts act scores, applicants have more flexibility to be either stronger in math or stronger in language arts. at the same time, you’ll need to excel reasonably well in every section. remember that getting a high act composite score is an important aspect of how to get into tufts. since the minimum score in the middle 50% is a 32, your lowest section scores should still be in the high 20s. and ideally, you should get a 30 or higher on each section of the act.

tufts acceptance rate

in recent academic years, tufts’ acceptance rate has fluctuated minimally, hovering between 14% and 16%. this acceptance rate may seem intimidating.

however, it can be helpful–and interesting–to put tufts’ acceptance rate (recorded as 14.4% in 2018) in context compared to other top schools. this, admittedly, is only about half the acceptance rate of top ranked public universities such as unc-chapel hill (30% acceptance) and is roughly a third of other high-ranking public schools such as university of minnesota (44%).

but tufts is not a high rankling public university. it’s an elite private school. and by those standards, tufts admissions is relatively accepting. compare tufts’ acceptance rate of 14.4% to those of stanford (5%), harvard (6%), or princeton (7%), and you’ll see that tufts offers an ivy-like elite education with double-to-triple the chances of getting accepted.

tufts gpa: what does grade point average mean to tufts admissions?

tufts is clearly a top school with high admissions standards. so why are there no strict gpa standards? and what does the lack of exact gpa requirements say about how to get into tufts?

one reason that tufts gpa requirements are not precise in the same way as tufts sat scores to tufts act scores is that gpa scoring methods vary. high schools do not all have a uniform way of calculating gpa, and tufts takes these different methods into account. in fact, tufts actively, carefully researches the method by which your high school gpa was calculated. according to sayaka smith, a tufts admissions officer and blogger, when necessary, tufts will even contact high schools to ask them about how they calculate gpas, when necessary.

tufts also recognizes that some classes are simply more difficult than others, and that a high gpa in an easy class may actually have less value than a more “middling” gpa in a hard class. with that said, don’t assume that high scores from easier classes are worthless. and don’t assume that a low gpa in a harder class will always be acceptable.

instead, know that tufts will weigh these factors carefully. according to the “dispelling myths” page of the tufts admissions website, tufts will read your transcripts very carefully, weighing the exact significance of your total gpa and your gpa in certain types of classes.

this brings me to another important aspect of how to get into tufts. make sure you are carefully tracking and examining your own gpa as you finish your high school coursework. here, magoosh can help, with our handy gpa calculator tool.

how to get into tufts: the tufts freshman profile

so far, we’ve discussed the finer details of tufts admissions basics. we’ve looked at tufts sat scores, tufts act scores, and things like the acceptance rate and gpa scores. now let’s look at a more subtle aspect of how to get into tufts: the tufts freshman profile.

before we get started, bear in mind that the freshman profile at tufts does not indicate any “hard and fast” rules for how to get into tufts. however, it does present a picture of what a typical incoming freshman class looks like. if you fit somewhere into that picture, you may be more likely to get accepted into tufts. this picture also gives you an idea of how you might fit in once you get accepted and start classes.

a few kinds of studies are particular popular among tufts students. the vast majority of students enroll either in arts and sciences or engineering fields.

first generation college students–students whose parents/grandparents, etc. did not attend college–are relatively common. in the fall 2019 freshman class (graduating class of 2023), 10% of enrolled students were first generation university attendees. similarly, tufts has a high number of students from middle class and lower income households, when compared to other elite private schools. 40% of the incoming 2018 freshman class was eligible for needs-based financial aid. all of this indicates that tufts is a good school with respect to social mobility, providing elite educational opportunities to people from all economic backgrounds.

tufts also has a vibrant international student community, with 12.5% of its students holding foreign citizenship. so if you are coming to tufts from overseas, you will likely find fellow expatriates to share your international study experience with.

how to get into tufts: other tufts admissions requirement and info

so… tufts sat scores, tufts act scores, tufts acceptance rate, tufts gpa, and the tufts freshman profile…. is there anything else we still need to cover? oh yes–what about tufts admissions essays? and is a reference letter an important part of how to get into tufts?

regarding both application essays and reference letters, tufts admissions uses the common app, a system shared by many universities. in the common app application process, students must write an application essay and submit letters of recommendation. (tufts admissions also accepts applications from a few other systems that have the same requirements as the common app; see the tufts admissions application options page for more info.)

these essay and reference requirements can seem intimidating at first. that’s why magoosh has written articles to help demystify writing the essay and getting references. see magoosh’s guide to writing the common app essay, and our tips on how to get the right admissions references from the right people.

but wait, there’s more! in addition to the common app, tufts asks students to send in certain supplemental application materials.

mike m. from transizion (full article in link) has this advice to give about tuft’s supplemental application:

how to get into tufts: faqs

and finally, here are a few more questions that students often have about tufts admissions (with answers, of course!).

is tufts university sat optional?

yes! as you may have guessed, tufts freshman applicants may take either the act or sat.

does tufts university require sat 2?

tufts does not require any of the sat 2 exams, also known as the sat subject tests. in fact, tufts admissions goes so far as to say that even if you do submit sat 2 scores, those scores will have no bearing on your chances of admission (source).

tufts actually did require sat subject tests until recently, so you will still see many third party websites that say the tests are required. but don’t worry– they’re not! (for details on the change to tufts’ policy, see this inside higher ed article.)

is tufts an ivy league?

“ivy league” officially refers to a specific division i sports league conference, consisting of the teams from a small coalition of east coast private universities (official website). however, tufts is an elite, high-ranking institution that offers quality education, comparable to ivy league schools.

does tufts university “superscore” act and sat?

yes! to quote tufts admissions (source):

it is tufts’ longstanding admissions policy to use a student’s highest score for each section of the sat or the act regardless of the test date.

for more information, see magoosh’s article on score choice and superscore.

what is the tufts acceptance rate early decision applicants?

like many universities, tufts allows for “early decision” applications, in which students can both apply well before the application date, and get an early decision. tufts does not publish its acceptance rate for early decision applicants, but tufts admissions officer meghan mchale dangremond has written an article about early admissions and how it may impact your chances of acceptance.

what is the tufts university ranking?

according to us news and world report, tufts university is ranked at #27 for best national universities in the united states.

what is the tufts transfer gpa

tufts, as i mentioned earlier, has no hard and fast requirements for gpa. however, when it comes to how to get into tufts, transfer applicants are more likely to be accepted if they have a gpa of at least 3.0 from their current university.

what is tufts tuition?

current tufts tuition rates can be found on the official tufts tuition and fees website. bear in mind that these are the schooling costs before scholarship and aid is applied.

how to get into tufts: conclusion

to be sure, tufts is quite elite, with an impressive list of famous, accomplished graduates. but, as you’ve learned in this article, tufts also strives to be inclusive and student friendly. if you are looking for an undergrad experience that is open yet elite, prestigious yet accessible, follow the advice above on how to get into tufts.

and if you’re applying to other schools too, or perhaps haven’t completely decided which schools to apply to, you can still start aiming for test scores that are good for multiple schools. for a winning test score at tufts or any school, consult the following two articles and study with magoosh! (we have a score guarantee for both the act and the sat):

sat score range: what’s a good sat score for colleges?

act score range: what’s a good act score?

and be sure to consider a magoosh sat subscription or magoosh act subscription as you aim for that perfect score.

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let’s look at how to get into boston college! we’ll explore boston college sat scores, act scores, and admissions statistics to see just what it takes to get into this school.

are you boston college material? here is a quick snapshot of boston college admissions expectations and statistics (info taken from the most recent the boston college factbook, boston college facts and figures)

boston college sat scores

• middle 50% of accepted students: 1410-1520 (class of 2024)

boston college act scores

• middle 50% for accepted students: 33-35 (class of 2024)

other boston college admissions statistics

• acceptance rate: 26%
• average gpa: not given (more on this in the “boston college gpa” section of this article)

partial admission stats for class of 2024

• mean act score: 32
• mean sat score: 1397
• acceptance rate: 26%

as you can see, average boston college act scores and boston college sat scores have gone up, in keeping with trends over the last few years.

boston college sat scores

here’s something to consider when looking at boston college sat scores, when you compare them to the boston college act scores. look at this sat to act conversion chart. notice that boston college’s 2024 average sat score, 1397, is equivalent to a 31 on the act.

meantime, the 2024 averag boston college act scores is 32. fairly comparable, though this may suggest that taking the sat rather than the act gives you a slight edge for admissions.

but don’t write off the act just yet! we’ll discuss reasons to take the act in the section of the article immediately below.

boston college act score

before you commit to taking one test over the other, it’s important to understand that act/sat score conversions are estimates, not guarantees. the sat and act have a lot in common. but they’re also different in many respects, both in terms of how they’re scored and the content found on the test. in fact, it’s quite common for a student to feel much more comfortable on one test or the other. consider taking a full practice act and a complete mock sat to gauge which test you feel best about. or consider a faster, simpler diagnostic tool, such as magoosh’s act vs. sat quiz.

if you find the act easier, you should plan to submit boston college act scores. and there are many reasons you might perform better on the act. you could be more comfortable using a calculator all the way through the math test. or you might really excel in science, a topic that has a whole section on the act. feel out the test, compare it to the alternative, and make an informed decision.

boston college acceptance rate

the acceptance rate is another important boston college admissions factor. as i mentioned in the intro to this article, boston college has a 26% acceptance rate for incoming freshman. that makes the school highly competitive. how to get into boston college against those kinds of odds? that really is the question.

what you want to do is find a way to improve your odds. here are two things you can do to make your application stand out:

show boston college admissions a great application essay.

boston college admissions asks its incoming students to write an application essay. this application essay may be submitted through the boston college common app. the common app system is actually sued by many top schools. how do you submit a good common app essay? magoosh has you covered, with our guide to writing the common app essay.

mike m. from transizion also has some tips on how to excel in your bc admissions essay:

but wait, there’s more! admitsee, an excellent admissions advising website, gives examples of several successful boston college applications essays.

get a winning letter of reference.

boston college asks its undergraduate applicants to provide letters of reference so be sure to check out magoosh’s helpful guide to asking for a letter of recommendation.

a strong essay and strong recommendation, along with an overall excellent application, can rocket you ahead of other applicants. with hard work as well as topnotch boston college sat scores or boston college act scores, your personal chances of getting accepted can be considerably better than 29%. remember that the “big picture”–your whole application–is the real secret to how to get into boston college.

boston college gpa

the boston college admissions website takes a strange approach to gpa. historically, they barely mention it at all! i called boston college admissions last season to ask them why, and i found out something surprising. for incoming freshman, boston college doesn’t weight gpa in admissions decisions.

i asked the boston college admissions representative why this is. she told me there is a good reason gpa is not an important aspect of how to get into boston college. she correctly pointed out that many different unpredictable factors go into high school gpa calculations. since every high school deals with gpa in their own way, boston college feels it would be unfair to use gpa as a major factor in admissions decisions. instead, boston college admissions looks for students who took the most challenging high school coursework that they could, and did well in those challenging courses, based on letter and percentage grades.

now, that said, bc did include gpa information on their most freshman 2024 profile. according to their report, students in the class of 2024 had an unweighted gpa that reflected an a/a- average, and about 80% of students were in the top 10% of their high school class.

also, it’s worth mentioning that university gpa is a different story entirely. universities do calculate gpa in a pretty uniform, predictable way. because of this, boston college has both rules and preferences for the gpa of transfer students. if you are hoping to transfer to bc, you need a minimum gpa of 3.0. and to be competitive, you should be in at least the 3.5-3.7 gpa range for your previous university coursework. as you prepare to transfer, keep an eye on your current gpa. magoosh can help. here on the magoosh high school blog, we offer a gpa calculator tool.

boston college freshman profile

at this point, we’ve talked a lot about what it takes to get you into boston college. you may also wonder how you’ll fit in once you get there. what will your classmates be like, and how will you compare to them? let’s take a look at the boston college freshman profile.

one thing that’s striking about the boston college freshmen is how many of them choose to live on campus after their first year. first-year students are required to live on campus (with a few exceptions). but even after freshman year, more than 84% of your classmates will choose to keep living in boston college housing. this means that on-campus residence life will be a good venue for social connections and study groups throughout your college career at bc.

boston college also has very few non-traditional students. us news and world report indicates that the amount of students over the age of 25 on campus, grad students included, is “0%”. it’s doubtful that the number is literally that low. but it’s safe to say that the figure is less than 1%, and likely less than 0.5%. so if you are a non-traditional student or an older student returning for grad school, be prepared to study among younger learners.

speaking of grad students, you’ll have a chance to meet a lot of grad students during your studies. according to the most recent boston college fact book, 34% of boston college’s students are pursuing advanced degrees. as a result, boston college is a good environment for incoming undergrads to learn all about grad school from grad students themselves.

if you’re hoping for opportunities to study with peers from all over the world, i have some good news and some bad news. the bad news is that only about 8% of boston college’s students are international (per official boston college admissions data). this is relatively low for a top-ranked national university. what’s the good news? well, in the last few years, boston college has seen a steady increase in international enrollment. so you can expect to gain more and more global peers as your degree progresses.

boston college admissions: other info

beyond the basic requirements for boston college sat scores, boston college act scores, and bc’s gpa and acceptance rate, here are a few other fun facts you should know.

boston college is not just for “rich kids”

there is often an assumption that any top-ranked private university will be full of wealthy students. however, at boston college, students from middle class and lower income households are common and welcomed. in the incoming class of 2024, 229 students are the first in their family to attend college and 296 received pell grants for demonstrating financial need.

boston college has two fixed application deadlines

boston college only accepts undergrad students for the fall semester. there are two deadlines to get into boston college in the fall: a january 1 deadline for fall of the same year, and a nov. 1 “early action deadline” for fall of the next year. (under boston college’s early action program, you may receive an admissions decision earlier than regular applicants. but you will then be contractually obligated to attend boston college, and not go elsewhere.)

faq: boston college admissions, boston college sat scores, boston college act scores, and other aspects of how to get into boston college

ok, i’ve really answered most of the frequently asked questions about boston college already. but here are a few more things that students wonder about bc, stuff i didn’t manage to cover in the sections above.

is boston college sat-optional?

yes! there is a common perception that east coast schools either require the sat or prefer it over the act. but this is an outdated perception. nowadays, every university in the us, including boston college, gives students a choice between sat and act. so you may submit boston college sat scores or boston college act scores.

is boston college ivy league?

technically, no. “ivy league” literally refers to a specific sports conference that consists of a handful of private, elite east coast universities. boston college does not participate in that sports league. but many may consider boston college to deliver an ivy league-esque education.

what is the boston college admissions phone number?

you mean the phone number that i called while researching this article? i’ll gladly share it! boston college admissions can be contacted at +1-617-552-3100. (you can also find this number right on the boston college admissions website.)

how to get into boston college: the takewaway

boston college is a top school, easily ranking in the top 1% of universities in the united states. it’s also an elite school, with a less-than 30% acceptance rate.

but take heart. while it’s true that no “dream school” is easy to get into, no dream school is uncrackable either. this post tells you everything about how to get into boston college. follow the advice i’ve given here, and you just might have a good chance at getting through boston college admissions

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purdue act scores

so what’s the deal with purdue act scores? does purdue really have higher expectations for act test-takers? if you go strictly by the conversion chart i linked in the post above, the answer is “yes,” albeit a weak yes. however, the real answer may not be that obvious or simple.

for one thing, conversion charts never show exact, guaranteed equivalents between the act and sat. such charts can’t show a perfect equivalence because the two tests are not perfectly alike. most noticeably, the act has a science section and the sat doesn’t. but there are many other subtle and important differences in terms of the number of questions per section, vocabulary levels in reading, the highest level of math concepts tested, and so on.

so the act still might be your best option for getting into purdue, if it’s the test you’re most comfortable with. not sure if you should choose the act over the sat? this is another place where magoosh has you covered. we’ve made an extensive complete guide to act vs. sat. or if you want a faster assessment, you can take this quick sat or act quiz to get an idea of which test is best for you. the act just might be your best option, after all, so don’t write it off just yet!

purdue sat scores

when you look at purdue university sat scores, it’s important to remember that these are the scores expected of applicants in general. if you are applying for a “first-year experience” program in a specific major, you may be held to higher standards. for example, purdue’s first year experience program for engineering accepts students with a middle 50% sat score range of 1350-1470. this is well above the general mid-50% range for purdue sat scores. when applying to a similar program, make sure to check the program’s specific purdue sat score expectations.

it’s also worth noting that expectations for purdue sat scores might be easier to meet than the standards for purdue act scores. why do i say this? well, the middle 50% of accepted students have an sat range of 1120-1400. if you look at magoosh’s conversion tables for sat-to-act, you’ll see that this is equivalent to an act score range of 22-31. that’s a slightly lower score range than the 26-33 purdue act scores seen in the middle 50% of applicants.

how to get into purdue: admissions standards

ranked at 49 in national universities by us news and world report, purdue easily sits in the top 3% of american schools nationwide. so this school in west lafayette is a great place to get a bachelor’s degree. what does it take to get into purdue? below is a quick snapshot of purdue admissions criteria, according to the most recent purdue university freshman profile, for fall of 2020:

purdue university admissions: middle 50% of accepted, enrolled students

purdue university sat scores: 1120-1400
purdue university act scores: 26-33
purdue university gpa: 3.5-3.9

as you can see, purdue admissions involve some pretty high expectations, especially for gpa. in spite of this, however, purdue has a very favorable acceptance rate for applicants. purdue accepts 67% of the students who apply. this relatively high acceptance rate is a rarity for a top school, and it’s good news for you!

acceptance rate

what does the acceptance rate mean for your purdue admissions prospects? as i mentioned, the most recent (fall of 2020) purdue acceptance rate is 67%! this does sound hopeful, doesn’t it? but don’t automatically assume you have more than a 50% chance of acceptance just because you have the right purdue sat scores, purdue act scores, or gpa.

purdue takes a very “big picture” look at applications when it considers students. so ideally, you want more than just the right numbers. make sure every aspect of your application package looks good. you’ll need to write an admissions essay which can be submitted through purdue common app, so be sure to consult magoosh’s guide to writing the common app essay. it’s also best if you have a letter of recommendation. purdue doesn’t absolutely require this, but they do strongly encourage including a reference letter if possible. this is another place where magoosh can help, so be sure to read our advice on how to ask for a letter of recommendation.

once you’ve assembled the best application packet possible, you’ll be able to truly benefit from purdue’s favorable 67% acceptance rate. and you just might bump your personal odds of acceptance to something well above that 67% average!

gpa

as you’ve already learned, purdue expects to see gpas in the 3.5-3.9 for the average accepted student. but just like the standards for purdue sat scores and purdue act scores, purdue may have more stringent gpa expectations for certain undergraduate programs. so if you are applying for a special undergraduate degree path, be sure to double check the expected gpa.

moreover, you should always double-check the gpa requirements of your program if you are applying to purdue as a transfer student. if you are transferring from another college or university, purdue will expect you to transfer into a specific major. every major program has its own requirements for transfer gpa. transfer students should always check the relevant departmental page for gpa standards.

whether you’re an incoming freshman or a transfer student, it’s good to keep an eye on your gpa to make sure your grades are purdue ready. you can use magoosh’s handy gpa calculator tool to do this.

freshman profile

we’ve already looked at the parts of the freshman profile that help you understand how to get into purdue. but it’s also good to look beyond purdue admissions logistics. setting aside purdue sat scores, purdue act scores, gpa, and acceptance rate, what does a typical purdue undergrad look like? in other words, what will your peers be like, once you’ve been accepted?

for one thing, you should expect your peers to be a large group. according to purdue’s website, the most recent cohort of freshmen consists of over 8,357 students!

in this large cohort, you’ll find a lot of international students. nearly 1 in 10 students at purdue is an international student. you’ll also find plenty of classmates from outside of indiana, although local students are the majority by a slight margin. 51% of purdue’s students are originally from indiana.

regardless of your chosen living arrangement, you should have no trouble finding a community of classmates. per us news and world report, 36% of purdue’s students live on campus, while 64% live off-campus, creating a healthy balance of students living in the dorms and students living in the larger lafayette/west lafayette community.

finally, let’s consider the typical declared major. nearly half of all purdue students are studying either engineering or business. so if you’re in one of those fields, you’ll have an especially large group of classmates to work with. however, with purdue’s large size, students of any major will find plenty of colleagues that they can connect with.

(unless otherwise noted, the statistics above come from us news and world report’s profile of purdue.)

purdue admissions: other requirements and info

here are a couple of extra fun/useful facts about purdue, and what kind of school it is.

purdue accepts students for fall, spring, or summer start

unlike many top schools, purdue admissions will consider students for a start time other than fall. regardless of when you plan to start, there are two final application deadlines: january 1 of the year you intend to enroll (general application) and november 1 of the year before you intend to enroll (early action application). if you plan on starting some other time than fall, purdue advises you to “apply as early as possible prior to the start of the term.”

purdue is not a private university

ok, maybe i’m silly to point this out, but i think this may be something that not everybody knows. before i researched this and wrote this article, i myself thought purdue was a private school. but no, it’s public! and since they feel to the need to point this out on a few different faqs on their own website, it’s likely that a lot of people other than me also mistook purdue for a private school. and speaking of faqs….

faq

we’ve covered a lot of ground today. but i want to make sure i haven’t missed any important questions. so here are answers to a few additional things that students often want to know about how to get into purdue.

what majors is purdue university best known for?

as you might expect, purdue university’s best-known majors are its most popular ones. purdue’s various degree paths in business and engineering attract the most students and attract the most national attention.

what is purdue university best known for?

this is closely related to the previous question… but a little different. it’s worth noting that in a addition to its very popular business majors, purdue’s education degrees have very high national rankings. and perhaps the one thing purdue is most famous for is the purdue owl. no, that’s not some kind of animal mascot–it’s their online writing lab (their owl). the purdue owl website provides writing guidance to high school and university english students from across america and around the world.

is purdue university an ivy league school?

in the literal sense of “ivy league,” no. purdue is not a member of the official east coast university sports conference that bears the formal name “ivy league”. however, in its, popular use, the term “ivy league” refers to national universities that offer elite, high-quality education. arguably, purdue may be ivy league in this sense.

when does purdue release admissions decisions?

according to purdue’s official website for checking your application status, purdue releases early admissions decisions on january 15th, and releases general admissions decisions on a rolling basis between january 15 and march 15.

takeaway

purdue is an excellent school, especially if you’re planning to study business, science, or education. in many ways, purdue is the best of both worlds: a public university with a private-school-like reputation for excellence, and an elite school with reasonable admissions standards and a more-than-50% acceptance rate.

hopefully, the information i’ve given you about purdue sat scores, purdue act scores, purdue gpa, and other purdue admissions has been helpful. but if you have any other questions about how to get into purdue, feel free to ask them in the comments section!

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how to get into university of minnesota? let’s look at university of minnesota sat scores, university of minnesota act scores, and all things university of minnesota admissions!

how to get into university of minnesota: introduction

so you want to know how to get into university of minnesota-twin cities, one of the largest public universities in america. (over 50,000 students currently enrolled, according to the university of minnesota’s own official stats!)

this is a good choice, and certainly a popular one. to start you on your u of m application journey, let’s look at the basic university of minnesota admissions stats. below is a quick snapshot of university of minnesota sat scores, university of minnesota act scores, and a few other university of minnesota admissions “vital statistics.”

statistics for middle 50% of accepted students at the university of minnesota

• university of minnesota act scores: 27-32
• university of minnesota sat scores: 1310-1460
• university of minnesota class rank percentile: 73rd-99th
• university of minnesota gpa: not reported for incoming freshman
• university of minnesota acceptance rate: 52%

sources for the data above: university of minnesota, us news and world report

note that gpa is not listed above. this is because the u of m does not use gpa as a significant criterion when reviewing freshman applications. like the admissions offices at many top schools, the university of minnesota admissions department does not like to rely on high school gpa. this is because policies for calculating gpa vary widely at different high schools. so high school gpa really can be an inconsistent measure. as a result, gpa simply isn’t that much of a key to how to get into university of minnesota.

so those are the basics. now, let’s take a look at the stats above in greater detail.

how to get into university of minnesota: university of minnesota sat scores

as you may have guessed from its enrollment of 52,000 or so students, the university of minnesota is a large school. in fact, u of m is so big that each of its different undergrad colleges has its own sat standards. whether or not your sat score truly falls in the middle 50% of the applicant pool depends on your intended field of study.

here are the stats for the middle 50% of university of minnesota sat scores, by college:

university of minnesota sat scores by undergraduate school (mid-50% of accepted students)

li>biological sciences: 1320-1430

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for your convenience, i listed the above schools in order of “easiest” (lowest minimum sat scores required to be in the middle 50%), to “hardest” (highest expectations for university of minnesota sat scores). as you can see, education, art, and humanities tend to have lower sat scores for their middle 50%. business and science programs tend to have higher expectations, with the exception of food/agriculture/natural resources. (source: university of minnesota academic profile)

next, let’s take a similarly in-depth look at the stats for the other test that is accepted by university of minnesota admissions. a good act score, much like a good sat score, can be part of the secret to how to get into university of minnesota.

how to get into university of minnesota: act scores

each college of undergraduate studies at the university of minnesota also publishes its own middle 50% statistics/expectations for university of minnesota act scores. so let’s take a look at that list. as i did with the university of minnesota sat scores, i’ve sorted the brackets for these university of minnesota act scores brackets from lowest minimum score to highest:

university of minnesota act scores: middle 50% for each undergrad college

the “easiest-to-hardest” continuum is roughly the same for university of minnesota act scores and university of minnesota sat scores. as a general rule, arts, education and the humanities have a lower minimum score. and again, business or science majors usually need higher minimum scores in order to be competitive. (source: university of minnesota academic profile)

how to get into university of minnesota: gpa

as i mentioned in the first part of this article, university of minnesota doesn’t really consider high school gpa. at the same time, gpa does have some importance in university of minnesota admissions.

first and foremost, remember that university of minnesota admissions officers do look at high school transcripts. this means that they do see your gpa. and while gpa is not treated as a major factor in decisions, it can still matter somewhat. if you have an exceptionally low gpa (below 2.5) or an exceptionally high gpa (above 3.8), university of minnesota admissions will definitely notice. and that can influence admissions decisions in some way.

gpa becomes a much more significant factor if you’re applying to the university of minnesota as a transfer student. you may have noticed that i keep saying that the u of m does not consider high school gpa. but university gpa is a different matter entirely. universities calculate gpa in a far more universal and predictable way than high schools do. so the university of minnesota does consider your transfer gpa to be a good measure of your performance.

because of this, the university of minnesota publishes the average gpa of transfer students, by undergraduate college. remember when i listed the college scores from low to high for the middle 50%, for university of minnesota sat scores and university of minnesota act scores? for your convenience, i’ve also listed the undergrad colleges’ transfer score expectations from “easiest” to “hardest.” check out the list below:

university of minnesota: average gpa for accepted transfer students, by school or major

(source: university of minnesota transfer profile)

the list of schools for transfer student gpa is a little different than the “colleges” lists for university of minnesota sat scores and university of minnesota act scores. there are two reasons for this. first, in any given school year, not every college receives transfer students. second, in any given ear, many transfer students transfer straight into a specific major.

if you are a prospective transfer student and are wondering how to get into university of minnesota, i strongly recommend the university of minnesota admissions transfer profile page. this page gives you information about transfer gpa in even greater detail!

whether you’re an incoming freshman or a transfer student, gpa matters. so make sure you keep track of your gpa–where it is and where it’s going. magoosh can help you do that. use our gpa calculator tool to keep track of your stats as you ponder how to get into university of minnesota.

university of minnesota freshman profile

at this point, you’ve learned a lot about how to get into university of minnesota. so far, we’ve looked at things in terms of university of minnesota act scores, university of minnesota sat scores, gpa, and so on. from there, let’s take a break to look at the “big picture.” let’s talk about what a university of minnesota freshman looks like. how well do you match other successful applicants overall? and once you get accepted, what will your peers be like? (source for this freshman profile: us news and world report.)

university of minnesota has many non-traditional students.

well, relatively many. nearly 10% of the students at the university of minnesota are over the age of 25. non-traditional students are a minority on any campus. but at u of m, they are a sizable, noticeable minority.

university of minnesota freshman are mostly from minnesota.

72% of the university of minnesota’s students went to high school in minnesota. interestingly, however, only 2% of out-of-state students are from the west north central region of the us. so you can expect to meet classmates from a wide variety of regions, even though locals outnumber in-state students nearly 3 to 1.

are you an east asian international student? you just might feel right at home!

international students comprise 8.3% (or nearly one in 10) of the u of m student body. nearly 3/4 of those international students are from east asia, specifically china, south korea, malaysia, and vietnam. so if you are from east asia, there is a good chance you will meet others from your home country or others from a country that borders your home country.

actually, any international student will probably feel at home. even if you’re not from east asia, you’re likely to meet your fellow countrymen/countrywomen at the university of minnesota. this is because the u of m’s international students hail from a staggering 88 different countries!

other university of minnesota admissions requirements and info

i actually live in the shadow of the university of minnesota, in a “border town” in western wisconsin. i have many colleagues and former classmates who have either taught at u of m or attended grad school there. and i visit the campus on a regular basis. as such, i have a little bit of extra information on how to get into university of minnesota that i’d like to share with you.

what we “locals” understand about university of minnesota admissions is this: the u of m is technically not a university. instead, it’s a system of universities.

why is this important to understand? well, some students who apply to the twin cities campus get rejected. in fact, 52% of the students who apply get turned away. but if you can’t get into the university of minnesota-twin cities as a freshman, you often have a better chance as a transfer student from a different university of minnesota campus.

were your university of minnesota act scores or university of minnesota sat scores not good enough? take heart! if at first you don’t succeed in getting into “the” u of m, consider starting at the university of minnesota-morris. or the university of minnesota-duluth. or any of the other lesser-known campuses in the university of minnesota system. all of the campuses are quite good, and who knows? you just might find yourself falling in love with one of the “other” u of ms, and waiting until grad school to apply for the twin cities campus.

how to get into university of minnesota: frequently asked questions

now, let’s look at a few final facts about u of m admissions. here are some other questions students often ask about how to get into university of minnesota.

does university of minnesota require an application essay or references?

yes, an application and references are part of the university of minnesota admissions process. both of these should be submitted to university of minnesota through the common app website (see this web page for details). as you get ready to send these documents in in, i recommend using magoosh’s guide to writing a common app essay, as well as our article on how to ask for a letter of recommendation.

what is the university of minnesota’s ranking?

the university of minnesota is currently ranked number 70 in national universities and number 27 in public universities. this is according to us news and world report’s overall university rankings.

how much does it cost to go to the university of minnesota?

beyond what it takes to meet university of minnesota admissions standards, cost is another very important consideration! the university of minnesota has two different schemes for tuition and fees.

as of this writing, in-state and “reciprocity” students pay $15,236 per year in tuition. so what is a “reciprocity” student? that would be any student who comes from one of the states or provinces that has a tuition reciprocity agreement with minnesota. currently, minnesota offers reciprocal local-rate tuition to applicants from wisconsin, north dakota, south dakota, and the canadian province of manitoba.

out-of-state tuition, charged to non-reciprocity students and international students, is $33,534 per year.

tuition and fees are often subject to change. for the most up-to-date information, keep an eye on the university of minnesota’s official costs and aid web page.

how to get into university of minnesota: conclusion

we’ve just explored university of minnesota sat scores, university of minnesota act scores, and various other aspects of university of minnesota admissions and student life. as you can see, this is a highly competitive school with lots to offer. and it’s a school you certainly can figure out how to get into.

as someone who lives near the u of m (and used to live in minneapolis), i would strongly encourage you to apply. don’t just think of minnesota as a place that gets 7 months of snow per year. instead, think of it as a surprisingly warm and welcoming place where you can start the next exciting stage of your academic career.

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today, we’ll look at how to get into university of michigan. we’ll take an especially close look at university of michigan sat scores, university of michigan act scores, and university of michigan admissions criteria.

university of michigan: an introduction

the university of michigan is ranked number 24 among national universities in the usa. this puts it in roughly the top 1% of all schools nationwide. u mich particularly prides itself in the high quality of classroom teaching and is ranked number 3 in the nation for top public schools. (sources for these rankings: us news and world report, official university of michigan admissions stats.)

so how do you get in on the great education the university of michigan has to offer? let’s take a quick look at the school’s standards:

(sources: us news and world report, university of michigan official website)

below, i’ll give you a closer look at how to get into university of michigan. we’ll explore the finer points of university michigan sat scores, university of michigan act scores, and other aspects of how to get into university of michigan.

how to get into university of michigan: university of michigan sat scores

as you saw above, the basic expectation for university of michigan sat scores is the 1380-1550 range on the new sat. however, university of michigan also publishes its expectations for scores far greater detail than that. check out the intel in the table below.

table 1: university of michigan sat scores (middle 50% of accepted students)

as you may have noticed, these scores are very high, confined within the 92nd to 99th sat score percentiles for the most part.

but if you’re afraid that you won’t be able to meet this very high middle 50% standard, don’t be. remember, these scores are just for the middle 50%. you can have scores somewhat below this range and still get accepted. also bear in mind that university of michigan has no hard and fast, absolute rule about minimum sat scores. don’t get me wrong. you ideally want your score to be very close to the middle 50% or in/above that range. but the university of michigan will also carefully consider other aspects of your application. scores alone don’t make or break your chances.

how to get into university of michigan: university of michigan act scores

the university of michigan admissions website also offers more details on act scores, posting middle 50% scores for each individual section of the test.

table 2: university of michigan act scores by section (middle 50%)

if you want to make it into the middle 50% of accepted applicants, your composite act score percentile will need to be at least 95th (see the most recent official act report on percentiles). individual section scores can be slightly lower than this, percentile-wise: the middle 50% score for math starts in the 93rd percentile, with english starting in the 92nd percentile.

in general, your act writing score is treated differently than your other act scores. for more details on how university of michigan admissions uses act writing scores, see the faq at the end of this post.

how to get into university of michigan: what you should know about the university of michigan acceptance rate

the university of michigan’s acceptance rate, as mentioned above, is 23% for freshman applicants. but what about transfer applicants?

applying as a transfer student improves your odds… greatly! transfer students have an impressive 42% acceptance rate. so if at first you don’t get into university of michigan as a freshman applicant, you can start at another school and try, try again.

how to get into university of michigan: a closer look at university of michigan gpa

now that we’ve looked at the transfer student acceptance rate, let’s look at transfer applications and gpa. how does it compare to the freshman expectation of 3.9 gpa?

if you’re transferring in from a community college or another university, u mich will hold you to different gpa standards. how to get into university of michigan as a transfer student? among other things, meet the school’s minimum transfer gpa requirement of 3.0.

whether you’ll apply as a freshman or a transfer student, it’s good to keep track of your gpa. to calculate your gpa for your current school work, use magoosh’s “how to calculate your gpa” guide.

university of michigan freshman profile

so what does a typical university of michigan freshman look like? what are the students like as people, and will you fit in? read on to get a food look at the university of michigan freshman profile.

ultimately, university of michigan students are from all over the united states. all 50 states are represented by the university of michigan undergraduate student body. the states of illinois, new york, and california send the most out-of-state students to u-michigan. but by far, the biggest state of origin for university of michigan is michigan itself. more than 16,000 students in michigan’s undergraduate student body are local.

u mich has international students come from all around the international student body is diverse. the university of michigan’s international students come from more than 100 different countries!

how to get into university of michigan: other university of michigan requirements and info

we’ve covered university of michigan sat scores, university of michigan act scores, and the gpa/acceptance rate for university of michigan. but what else do you need to know? below are two additional key facts to consider.

the university of michigan accepts applications through two different websites

when you apply to u mich, you can either use the common app website or the coalition app website. for details and links to both websites, see the university of michigan admissions requirements and deadlines web page.

university of michigan admissions requires 1-2 letters of recommendation

you’ll need one letter of recommendation from a teacher and either one letter of recommendation from a guidance counselor or a school report, depending on which website you choose for submitting your application. the university of michigan requires these letters to be submitted online in a specific format. see this university of michigan admissions web page for details. and before you approach teachers and other high school administrators for references, check out magoosh’s article on how to ask for a letter of recommendation.

how to get into university of michigan: write a topnotch application essay

you will need to submit an application essay to university of michigan admissions. like your other application materials, this essay will be submitted through the common app form or through the coalition app website. both application systems have very similar essay requirements. so you may find magoosh’s tutorial on the common app essay to be helpful in either case.

need some pointers on how to write a stellar essay for university of michigan admissions? lena from transizion has got your back!

how to get into university of michigan: faq

we’ve covered a lot of ground today. but when it comes to helping you get into university of michigan, i want to leave no stone unturned. here is a roundup of other frequently asked questions about how to get into university of michigan.

does university of michigan admissions require the sat with writing or the act with writing?

no. although the essay portion of the sat or act was required in the past, university of michigan admissions stopped requiring this in 2018.

is the university of michigan an ivy league school?

yes and no.

the term “ivy league” is used in two senses. in its narrowest definition, an “ivy league” university can only be one of the universities that is officially part of the ivy league collegiate sports conference. (see this wikipedia article for details.)

however, the term “ivy league” is popularly used to refer to any university that is of very top quality. with its high national rank (top 1% of universities nationwide), the university of michigan could be described as “ivy league” in the popular sense.

when will university of michigan admissions decisions be released?

as a general rule, early admissions fall applicants to the university of michigan receive decisions by the end of december. regular fall applications receive a response and decision by april. for the most up-to-date information on admissions response timelines, see this page on the university of michigan admissions website.

what is university of michigan tuition?

because university of michigan is a state school, tuition rates are subject to policy change each year. for the most up-to-date tuition schedules, see the official university of michigan tuition and fees website.

how to get into university of michigan: the takeaway

the university of michigan is an excellent public university with many excellent programs. while the expectations for university of michigan sat scores and university of michigan act scores are high, u mich also tries to be fair. a strong overall application will trump any individual scores. still, it’s a good idea to aim for the highest sat scores, act scores and gpa that you can. an application that is strong in every way can help you wind up on the right side of the university of michigan’s acceptance rate.

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how to get into university of washington? read on to learn all about university of washington sat scores, university of washington act scores, and university of washington admissions.

how to get into university of washington: an introduction to university of washington admissions

the university of washington is ranked number 58 in national universities by u.s. news and world report. this puts u washington at roughly the 97th percentile for university quality, making it very competitive. how competitive? let’s take a quick look at university of washington admissions stats, in terms of university of washington sat scores, university of washington act scores, university of washington gpa, and the school’s acceptance rate.

• university of washington sat scores (whole test, middle 50%):
  1240–1470
• university of washington sat scores (math, middle 50%):
  620–770
• university of washington sat scores (reading and writing, middle 50%):
  600-700
• university of washington act scores (whole-test score, middle 50%):
  27-33
• university of washington acceptance rate (freshman applicants):
  52%
• university of washington gpa range (freshman applicants):
  3.7-4.0

(source: us news & world report)

we’ll go over test scores and gpa in more detail, but don’t forget the other factors university of washington may look into!

university of washington sat scores: a closer look

university of washington admissions superscores your sat scores. but what the heck does this mean?

if you’re picturing an sat score report in tights and a cape, able to do things that ordinary sat score reports can’t, you’re not far off, actually. while your sat score report won’t literally be flying through the sky in heroic garb and colors, u washington allows your sat report to do something no ordinary sat report could do at most schools. sat superscoring allows your sat score report to be combined with another one, so that you get a combination of the best section scores.

if that still sounds confusing, let me give you an example. suppose you took the sat last year and got a 610 in both math and in the reading and writing section. this is frustrating because it puts your score in the middle 50% range for university of washington admissions for reading and writing, but not for math. so close and yet so far!

this is where your superscore can save the day! next, imagine you retook the sat just last month, and this time you got a 630 in math… but a 570 in reading and writing. you just can’t win… or can you? but because the university of washington accepts superscores, you can win there. you can submit both score reports, and uw will accept the highest section scores from each report. you now have a 630 in math and a 610 in reading and writing. it’s an interesting aspect of how to get into university of washington.

university of washington act scores: university of washington admissions allows superscoring here too!

act superscores are also a thing at the university of washington admissions office. university of washington admissions lets you average act section scores from different tests.

again, i’ll illustrate the magic of superscoring with an example. let’s say you get these act section scores on your first attempt: 28 english, 30 reading, 31 math, 29 science. and suppose your retake scores are: 31 english, 33 reading, 29 math, 27 science. university of washington lets you combine the best sections on both tests, as follows: 31 english, 33 reading, 31 math, 29 science.

how to get into university of washington: your odds (university of washington acceptance rate)

as i mentioned above, the university of washington’s acceptance rate is 52% for incoming freshman. however, there is far more to the university of washington acceptance rate than just the freshman numbers. let’s take a closer look.

being a washington resident greatly increases your odds of getting a coveted university of washington acceptance letter. the university of washington is a public university run by the state of washington; as you might expect, they prioritize serving state residents. in-state applicants have a 59 acceptance rate, giving them an advantage.

in contrast, being a transfer decreases your odds when it comes to how to university of washington admissions. transfer students have a 47% acceptance rate. this low acceptance rate is true even for in-state applicants who are transferring from other u washington schools.

want to increases your chances of getting into u washington? according to matt bishop, assistant director at the office of admissions, take the most challenging courses you can:

university of washington gpa and university of washington admissions

university of washington’s gpa for incoming freshmen overall is 3.7–4.0.

it’s helpful to keep track of your gpa as you complete classes, whether you’re a high school u washington hopeful or an aspiring transfer student. to figure out what your gpa will be as your grades come in, use magoosh’s gpa calculator tool.

university of washington freshman profile

some data from this section is from 2020, due to a lack of new information from the school.

one of the most striking things about the mix of washington university freshmen is just how diverse a group they are. although washington state residents make up the majority of the student body, non-residents are almost evenly divided between american students and international ones. this means that 18% of washington state’s students–nearly 1 in 5– are from other countries.

many of the most represented foreign countries on campus are what you’d expect. for example, the university of washington accepts many applicants from india, china, and south korea. but the most represented country for u washington’s international students is canada, a nation that sends relatively few international undergrads to the united states. indonesia and malaysia, two other countries that are usually under-represented in terms of international students, also send many students to study at uw.

not only that, but just about every region of the u.s. is well-represented at the university of washington, with a near equal amount of students coming from the midwest, the east, and west coasts, the south and southwest, etc. even non-mainland americans are well-represented among incoming freshman, with hawaii as one of the top sources of out-of-state students.

in short, the freshman profile at the university of washington is wonderfully diverse. no matter where you are from, if you attend the university of washington, you’re likely to meet people from home. and at the same time, you’ll get to learn and grow with learners from all over the nation and the world.

how to get into university of washington: other admissions requirements and info

we’ve already discussed gpa and the expectations for university of washington sat scores and university of washington act scores. but what about other requirements, such as letters of recommendation or admissions essays?

let’s start with letters of recommendation. the university of washington takes a strong position against letters of recommendation. university of washington admissions for undergrads will not even consider letters of recommendation. moreover, they actually ask students not to submit reference letters. given uw’s stance, a letter of recommendation could actually hurt your chances of acceptance as an undergrad.

of course, this prohibition on recommendations only applies to baccalaureate studies. university of washington admissions does ask for letters of recommendation for its grad programs. and a number of other top schools will ask for reference letters, both for graduate and undergraduate students. if you’re applying to multiple schools or already thinking of grad school, you may enjoy magoosh’s article on how to ask for a letter of recommendation for college.

now let’s talk admissions essays. these are required by university of washington admissions. in fact, your admissions essays (yes, more than one!) are a vital part of how to get into university of washington. you’ll be expected to write one longer essay (maximum of 650 words), and one “short statement” (maximum of 300 words). the good news is that these aren’t hard-to-write “research essays.” nor are the keys to a successful essay shrouded in mystery. instead, the university of washington has a web page that lists all possible essay questions, with detailed instructions. magoosh offers a secondary resource that may help as well. many aspects of our common app essay tutorial are relevant to the university of washington admissions essay.

how to get into university of washington: frequently asked questions

and now, for a roundup of frequently asked questions about university of washington admissions, university of washington sat scores, university of washington act scores, and how to get into the university of washington.

is a 1200 on the new sat good for university of washington admissions?
it would be fair to describe a 1200 on the new sat as good but not great where university of washington admissions are concerned. this would put you below the middle 50% of applicants.

what is the out of state acceptance rate for the university of washington?
out-of-state applicants have a 51% acceptance rate, compared to the overall average rate of 52%. (this lower acceptance rate for non-washingtonians applies both to students from other states and to international students from other countries.)

where can i find detailed university of washington admissions statistics?
the best place to find university of washington admissions statistics is on the university of washington website itself. an detailed list of the most recent university of washington admissions statistics can be found here.

how to get into the university of washington: conclusion

there’s a perception that public universities are less competitive than private ones–in america at least. while this can sometimes be true, the university of washington does not follow this trend. it’s a highly competitive school that attracts applicants from across the globe.

getting into the university of washington can be a challenge. but to quote dr. kelso on scrubs (a sitcom from 10 years ago, for you young college applicants), “nothing in this world that’s worth having comes easy.” be prepared to work hard to get in. but certainly don’t think of university of washington admissions as “mission: impossible” (or “admissions impossible,” to use a terrible pun). armed with the knowledge in this article, you can crack university of washington admissions, and embark on a diverse, high-quality learning experience.

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what are the georgetown act scores? how about georgetown sat scores? let’s take a closer look at georgetown admissions and how to get into georgetown.

how to get into georgetown: an introduction to georgetown admissions requirements

there are two things that make the georgetown first-year admissions process a bit different from admissions data from other top schools.

first, georgetown does not publish the gpa statistics for their admitted freshman. i actually called georgetown admissions and asked them why they don’t make these stats available. the answer they gave was an interesting one. the georgetown admissions official i spoke with pointed out that high schools really do measure gpa in a variety of ways. there is weighted gpa (4.0 scale), unweighted gpa (5.0 scale), gpa based on classes with and without grade curves, and so on.

because of all this, it’s difficult for any school to publish a single average gpa; georgetown has chosen to simply not list gpa. so when you apply for georgetown admissions, it’ll be a little harder to use your gpa as a predictor of your chances. (i’ll give you more thoughts on this later in the article, in the “georgetown gpa” section.)

this brings me to the second significant difference between georgetown’s admissions practices and those of other schools: georgetown does not have one general application for undergraduate students. instead, georgetown has four different baccalaureate schools. each undergrad school has its own average test scores and class ranks for accepted students. in the table below, you can see the standards for georgetown sat scores, georgetown act scores, and high school class rank percentile.

table 1: georgetown admissions criteria and expectations

(us news & world report)

next, let me tell you a few other important facts about georgetown sat scores and georgetown act scores. read on for even more information about how to get into georgetown.

georgetown sat scores and georgetown admissions

the table in the section above breaks down the expectations for georgetown sat scores in great detail. but be aware that georgetown, like many schools, has implemented flexible testing policies during the covid-19 pandemic. if it is not possible to take the exam due to the pandemic, the admissions officers will still consider your application. however, note that this only applies to applicants in the class of 2025 so far.

how to get into georgetown: a closer look at georgetown act scores

there’s an interesting difference between georgetown’s standards for act and sat. georgetown publishes separate expectations for the two major subsections of the sat: math and reading/writing & language. however, georgetown only posts whole-test score expectations for the act.

does this mean that georgetown doesn’t look that closely at individual scores on the four act sections? i also asked that question when i called georgetown admissions. according to the georgetown staffer i spoke to, georgetown really does focus on the whole-test score for the act.

because of this, the act may be the best test to take if you feel weak in one area of testing and strong in another. suppose that you’re a math and science powerhouse, but are only so-so at reading comprehension and grammar tests. on the act, you might get near-perfect scores in act math and act science, yet get less-than-impressive scores in act reading and act english. imagine you get 29s in reading and english, but 35s in math and science. in that case, you’ve gotten a 32 on the test as a whole. this puts you in the middle 50% for any georgetown undergraduate school.

conversely, if you submit georgetown sat scores, your poor reading/writing & language score and you better math score would be looked at separately. this could hurt your chances of acceptance.

keep in mind that georgetown does not take act superscores into consideration.

how to get into georgetown: the georgetown acceptance rate

we won’t lie: georgetown is incredibly competitive. last year, the school accepted only 14% of candidates. however, this comes with a major caveat: this can vary by the school within georgetown you’re applying to. the liberal arts and nursing schools tend to be slightly more competitive, with the business school being slightly less so.

how to get into georgetown: georgetown gpa requirements

as i mentioned in the introduction to this article, georgetown does not publish any gpa data for freshman applicants. this is because high schools really don’t have a uniform way of calculating gpa.

however, gpa still matters. it’s difficult to get into a school as competitive as georgetown without an unweighted high school gpa of at least 3.0. and 3.5 is more ideal, given georgetown’s stats on class rank percentiles (seen in table 1 of this article; in addition, 85% of accepted students were in the top 10% of their class). if you have a different gpa, such as a weighted gpa, an honors gpa, etc., check with your high school guidance counselor for the unweighted equivalent. also, be sure to use magoosh’s handy gpa calculation tool as you track your grades.

interestingly, georgetown does publish average gpa for transfer students. this makes sense since universities do calculate gpa in a uniform way, even though high schools don’t. if you’re already an undergrad and want to transfer to a georgetown bachelor’s program, aim for a 3.89 or higher. according to the official georgetown transfer student profile page, 3.89 is the average gpa of accepted georgetown transfer students.

the georgetown freshman profile

so if you get in, will you fit in? the georgetown freshman profile can give you a sense of what the typical georgetown student looks like.

as you’ve already seen from the information so far, georgetown freshman all have exceptional academic achievement. when you get to georgetown, you’ll be surrounded by students who, like you, have top notch grades and test scores. but there’s more to georgetown students than just their book smarts.

as for the types of high schools your classmates will have gone to, expect the largest proportion of them to be public school alumni (48%). there are, of course, also a significant number of catholic high school graduates in attendance–10% of the student body. this is hardly surprising, given that georgetown itself is a catholic university. (source)

georgetown freshman are, above all, a very diverse bunch. for one thing, they come from every state and region of the usa. in fact, georgetown, located in washington, d.c., is a rare instance of a school where local students aren’t in the majority. most of georgetown’s undergrads hail from america’s southwest, pacific west, and northeast, rather than the states immediately surrounding dc. and ultimately, significant numbers of georgetown freshman come from every region of america. moreover, georgetown’s international students, representing 7% of the student body, come from 45 different countries.

(note: all info in this section comes from the statistics in georgetown’s own official freshman profile pdf.)

how to get into georgetown: other georgetown admissions requirements and info

we’ve covered a lot of ground so far. but there are still a few other aspects of georgetown admissions that i haven’t mentioned yet.

georgetown admissions essays

georgetown requires all applicants to write two admissions essays. one of those essays will be the “general” admissions essay. the other essay will be specific to the undergraduate school that a student is applying to (college of liberal arts and sciences, school of nursing and health studies, school of foreign service, or school of business).

for examples of these essays and what they look like, take a look at admitsee’s list of the 2017-2018 georgetown application essay prompts. and for general tips on how to write a great application essay, check out magoosh’s guide to writing a common app essay. (georgetown doesn’t participate in the common app system, but the tips in our article are very applicable to georgetown admissions’ essays as well.)

a key point from transizion expert jason p: you want to make sure you’re not just focusing on the appeal of washington, dc!!

georgetown letters of reference

like many highly competitive top schools, georgetown requires a letter of reference from both a teacher and a guidance counselor. the teacher’s reference letter should come from the same teacher who fills out your georgetown teacher’s report. if you’re not sure which teacher you should approach or how to approach a teacher for a recommendation, read magoosh’s article on how to ask for a letter of recommendation.

no sat with writing or act essay? no problem

as rigorous as georgetown’s application process can be, there’s some good news here. georgetown doesn’t require you to take the optional essay portions of either the sat or act. not only that, but georgetown doesn’t even look at essay scores. so it’s actually better for you to only take the main tests.

how to get into georgetown: faqs

and now, i’ll address a few remaining questions that georgetown hopefuls often ask.

what is georgetown ranked?

u.s. news and world report ranks georgetown as number 23 in national schools in the usa. this is an excellent rank, one that puts georgetown in the top 2% for school quality nationwide.

is georgetown an ivy league school?

in the strict definition of “ivy league,” no, georgetown is not. this is because the ivy league is officially a sports conference of northeast coast private schools, and georgetown is a washington dc school outside of the conference. however, the term “ivy league” also informally refers to any top quality american school. in that respect, it could be argued that georgetown is indeed ivy league.

where is the georgetown admissions portal?

the instructions for starting your georgetown admissions application and signing up for the georgetown admissions portal can be found here.

how to get into georgetown: some final thoughts

it’s especially important to remember all the ways in which the georgetown admissions process is different from that of most other schools. remember to select and take three sat subject tests. be mindful of the fact that the act whole test score is all that matters, while georgetown sat scores are separated by math and reading/writing & language. and don’t forget to aim for the admissions criteria of the specific undergrad school you’re applying to. today, we’ve gone over some other unique steps in georgetown’s application process as well. feel free to use this article as a checklist of the finer points on how to get into georgetown.

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table of contents

how to get into unc: 16 campuses, one great system, many different unc admissions policies

the university of north carolina, as i mentioned, a set of 16 campuses within the state of north carolina. the jewel of the system is, without question, unc-chapel hill. within the state of north carolina, unc-chapel hill holds the number two university rank, second only to duke. and in us news and world report’s national rankings, unc is in the 98th percentile of the 1,829 ranked american schools, at #28 for national universities.

needless to say, the question of how to get into unc has a unique answer for this especially elite unc campus. as you can imagine, chapel hill has the highest unc admissions standards. and to be sure, how to get into unc varies, depending on which unc school you hope to attend.

a full list of unc’s campuses can be found here. for this article, we’ll focus on the five unc schools that are classified as national universities in u.s. news and world report’s rankings. these schools are: unc-chapel hill, unc-asheville, unc-carlotte, east carolina university, and north carolina state university. for the matter of how to get into unc, this article will focus on these top-ranked campuses and their unc admissions criteria.

let’s look at a snapshot of how to get into unc at each of these top 5 unc schools. the table below lists the various unc sat scores, unc act scores, gpa requirements, and acceptance rate. each school’s us news and world report national rank is also listed.

(note: all data in this table about how to get into unc, including unc sat scores and unc act scores, comes either from us news and world report, the national association of college admissions counseling or the universities themselves.)

sources for the above table
us news and world report college rankings and data
unc admissions class profile
ecu school counselor guide
quick facts: unc asheville
north carolina state university admissions profile
cappex: university of north carolina at asheville
unc admissions: charlotte

unc sat scores: a closer look at this aspect of unc admissions

so let’s talk a little bit about the deeper meaning of the unc sat scores in the table above (note that the info for sat is more complicated than the unc act scores!). you may notice that not every school posts either average or mid-range scores, without any unc admissions office explicitly stating minimum unc sat scores.

this does not mean that there is no minimum sat score at these schools, however. in fact, every single unc campus has a minimum score. remember, these are state-run schools. this means that even when a unc campus doesn’t set its own minimum, it still has to follow the minimum standards for the statewide system. and the minimum statewide unc sat scores are 1010 for sat. see this link for details. (this link also includes state minimums for unc act scores, as well as other helpful information.)

while most of the campuses in the table above don’t have their own local minimum unc sat scores, it’s worth noting that all of the unc admission offices have a middle range or average accepted score significantly above those state minimums.

in any case, you definitely don’t need the perfect sat score to get into any of the unc schools. but for the schools that post middle 50% ranges for unc sat scores instead of minimums, is it possible to get accepted with an sat score that’s below mid-range? absolutely! these schools look at the “big picture” of your application. if other aspects of your application such as extracurriculars, reference letters, gpa, etc. are strong, a lower-end sat score may still be acceptable. you’ll still need to get at least a 1010 on the sat to attend though. the state regulations on unc sat scores are firm, even if individual schools are flexible regarding unc admissions!

unc act scores: an important aspect of how to get into unc

unc act scores, like their counterpart unc sat scores, are subject to the state minimums. in the case of act, no unc campus can accept a student whose score is below 19; this is the immutable rule for unc admissions when it comes to your act results.

as with unc sat scores, we see a preferred range or preferred average at all unc campuses. most schools in the system use the middle 50% act score range for accepted students when they set their unc admissions preferences.

once again, you don’t need a perfect act score. you can certainly get a score below mid-range and still be considered for acceptance. some people with less than 28 on the act are accepted into unc-chapel hill, in spite of its preferences for 28+ unc sat scores. remember though, below a 19 is too low by any unc admissions standard on any campus.

keep in mind that unc also takes act superscores into consideration, so you may want to consider taking the test multiple times!

unc gpa: how to get into unc involves more than just testing

the average gpa scores and ranges you see in the table above are subject to the statewide unc admissions minimums, just like unc sat scores, and unc act scores. you can possibly get in with a gpa below that of the average accepted student. you’re only absolutely ineligible if you drop below the state minimum of 2.5.

another important note on gpas: in the chart above, note that unc’s various campuses may list expectations for weighted gpa, unweighted gpa, or both. most high schools use unweighted gpas, but some high schools weight their gpas. weighted gpas are “curved,” taking the difficulty of a given course into account. such weighted gpas usually have a 0-5.0 scale. we won’t really look at curved gpas in this post since they’re not common. but if your gpa is weighted, i have good news. most unc schools post their requirements for weighted gpa on their websites. and the ones that don’t still do have weighted gpa standards that you can get by contacting the admissions office.

not sure what your gpa is? use our gpa calculator to help you figure it out!

the unc freshman profile, and what it says about how to get into unc

i’ve already told you that unc looks at the “whole picture” when considering applications; they don’t just look at unc act scores, or just focus on sat performance, for example. but even if your unc act scores or sat scores are great, you may be wondering if you look like the “picture” unc wants to see. how much do you resemble a typical unc freshman? well, let’s look at the unc freshman profile.

every unc campus has its own unique freshman profile, one that extends far beyond unc act scores or sat scores. but rather than looking at each of the top 5 ranked unc schools, it may be useful to just look at the most competitive one. unc-chapel hill, with its 23% acceptance rate, is the hardest unc school to get into. if you match what they’re looking for, you will likely be a competitive applicant anywhere in the unc system. needless to say, chapel hill’s high standards have some interesting implications for unc admissions.

interested in only applying to unc-chapel hill? ashley c. from transizion has some advice for you!

check out more from ashley here!

unc freshman profile: where are unc-chapel hill students from?

being “local” works in your favor if you’re applying to chapel hill. on this campus, the overall unc acceptance rate is 23%. however, historically, being a north carolina high school student nearly doubles your chances of acceptance.

unc-chapel hill students have a wide geographical distribution, despite that. the entering class of 2020 came from 52 countries, 44 states and washington d.c. within north carolina, 97 counties were represented, 36% of them rural.

unc freshman profile: academic background at unc-chapel hill

are you the “leader of your pack” in high school when it comes to grades? then unc-chapel hill might just be the place for you. aside from its high gpa for applicants, unc also looks for high-ranking students.

in the 2020 entering class, 12% were ranked 1st or 2nd in their graduating class. 41% were in the top 10 students, with 74% in the top 10% of the class. 92% were in the top 20% of their class.

unc freshman profile: family background of unc-chapel hill students

in america, students whose parents also attended university are much more likely to attend university themselves; this makes a difference not just in unc admissions but in all school admissions. and chapel hill’s freshmen are no exception to this rule. 80 of all unc-chapel hill freshman had parents who graduated from university.

still, the number of first-generation university students at chapel hill is significant. 20% of accepted students–more than 1/5 of the student body–are the first people in their family to attend college.

for more information on the unc freshman profile at chapel hill, go to chapel hill’s official freshman profile page. other unc campuses offer similar profiles on their own official websites.

how to get into unc: other unc admissions requirements and info

now that we’ve gone over general requirements and the freshman profile, i’d like to emphasize that “whole picture” isn’t the same as “perfect picture.” while the requirements and profile give you an idea of the kind of students that are most often accepted into unc, there is the “wrong” type of student. even if you don’t perfectly match what unc seems to be looking for, you still have a chance of getting in. and in fact, once you’re on any school campus, you’ll find plenty of people who don’t perfectly match the freshman profile…and may even be very different from a “typical” admitted student.

here are a few other things to be aware of as you consider your unc candidacy:

unc is looking for diversity.

yes, unc’s students are typically local, and often have parents who also attended college. however, every unc campus is always looking for a wider range of students. each campus has a goal of increasing its number of first-generation students, international students, and minority students.

every unc campus excels in different ways.

while it’s tempting to just go for the unc schools that are ranked the very highest, university rank isn’t everything. sure, unc-chapel hill is a fine school. but every school has its own special niches. for example, while chapel hill itself is renowned for its biology education, many feel that the lower-ranked unc-charlotte has a better engineering program.

the non-national campuses are worth looking into.

don’t let the non-national unc campuses fly completely under your radar. for one thing, these campuses have some very unique offerings. appalachian state university is doing some very intriguing psychological research. the unc school of the arts is a vibrant learning community for students who want to cultivate their artistic talent. fayetteville state university has an excellent nursing program.

not only that, but these lower-profile schools also have cheaper tuition and higher acceptance rates. so these places are certainly something to think about as you look at getting into unc.

how to get into unc (conclusion)

if you’ve read this far, you’re probably a very interested unc hopeful. i’m glad magoosh has been able to show you so much helpful information today.

i’ve already touched on this in the article, but i’d like to emphasize it again: if you fall short of the exact requirements we’ve discussed, or don’t “look” like a unc “profile” freshman, this does not mean you don’t have a good chance at getting in. you’ll want to do your best of course. aim for the highest sat or act score that you can get. (and it really is an “or;” you don’t need both exams.) do your best to excel in high school.

but in amongst all that effort, remember that the unc system is a big one, hungry for students who bring new perspectives to the table, as well as students who are much like the excellent learners they’ve already accepted. no matter who you are, unc just might have a place for you.

so apply with confidence! and to help you with that confidence, magoosh has three great tools: our guide on how to ask for a letter of recommendation, our gpa calculator, and our tutorial on writing a college application essay that will delight unc admissions officers.

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first, let’s look at the basics. below is a quick rundown of boston university’s test scores, gpa expectations, acceptance rate, and national ranking. (all information below is taken either from us news and world report or from the boston university website.)

boston university admissions statistics

(sources for the stats: boston university admissions student profile, us news and world report)

boston university sat scores: what they mean for boston university admissions

note that boston university posts the middle 50% score range for its most recently accepted students; it does not post sat score requirements. while boston university doesn’t have any minimum acceptable score for the sat, it is still a highly competitive school. to maximize your chances of being accepted, it’s best to have an sat score that is falls in or above bu’s mid-50% range of 1420-1540. ideally, you’ll want a score that is near, at, or above 1530, so there’s no harm in aiming for the coveted perfect sat score

boston university act scores

as with the boston university sat scores, boston university act scores have no minimum. or at least, in theory, there’s no minimum. in reality, you’ll need a very competitive score. note that 32, the lowest boston university’s middle 50% of scores, is in the 97th percentile. so your surest bet at getting into boston university is to be in the top 3% of act test takers.

if you’re not in the top 3%, don’t feel bad. by necessity, lots of people fall outside of the 98th percentile for act scores. with a lower act score, you still certainly have a chance of being admitted. an act score that’s below 32 but still in the high 20s or low thirties may still be acceptable. and even a lower act score is not absolutely forbidden. with that said, the lower your boston university act scores are, the stronger the rest of your application should be.

boston university gpa

what’s interesting about boston university’s gpa is that it’s equivalent to an a- letter grade average. this is a surprisingly manageable standard, something any hard working student has a chance of pulling off. an a- is actually far easier to maintain than a near-perfect a or perfect a+, both of which are equivalent to a 4.0. (for more information, see magoosh’s guide to calculating gpa).

but again, if you fall short of one of boston university’s average standards, you still have a shot at acceptance. the lower your gpa, the better the rest of your application will need to be, but a gpa of 3.5 or 3.6 is by no means a deal-breaker.

boston university freshman profile

so what does a typical boston university freshman look like, and what are your odds of fitting the profile and getting in?

one thing immediately worth noting is boston university admissions for freshman are especially competitive, given the 19% acceptance rate for first year students. in keeping with that competitiveness, boston university freshmen are high academic achievers who stand out among their high school classmates. successful first-year applicants are, on average, in the top 7% of their high school cohorts. (source: boston university admissions: academic profile.)

boston university freshmen are, above all, diverse. boston university students come from 150 countries and from all 50 states within the u.s.a., and a full 17% of boston university’s students are the first in their family to attend college (source: boston university facts and rankings). so no matter where you’re from or what your personal background is, you’re likely to find other people from your home state, town, or country when you attend boston u.

boston university admissions: other requirements and info

so, beyond boston university sat scores, boston university act scores, and boston university gpa, what else do you need, when it comes to how to get into boston university?

one thing you’ll need is two recommendations. one recommendation should come from your guidance counselor, and the other should come from a teacher. both recommendations will be submitted through a form that you can send either through the common application website or the coalition application website– your choice. these are a third-party websites that processes applications for many different university admission offices, including boston university admissions. and you can find the common and coalition links on this bu admissions web page. if you’ve never had to get a letter of recommendation before, magoosh has you covered! check out our guide to getting a letter of recommendation for university admissions purposes.

since boston university uses the common application and coalition application sites, you’ll also need to write an essay suitable for the coalition or common app. here, again, magoosh can help. we have a tutorial on how to write a winning common app essay that is also applicable to coalition applications.

here are some additional tips from jcante, from admitsee, for how to write your essay:

for additional details on boston university admissions requirements, you can go to the official boston university admissions undergraduate checklist.

how to get into boston university: the boston university admissions faq

what is the early decision acceptance rate at boston university?
boston university’s early decision program allows students to apply earlier than the standard application timeline, so that they can receive a decision from bu well before other applicants do. the catch is that students accepted under early decision are contractually obligated to attend boston university and not apply to other schools.

one benefit is that these early applicants tend to have a greater chance of getting accepted. although boston university doesn’t publish separate acceptance rate data for early decision students, schools that offer early decision tend to accept a higher number of students who take that option. there are actually two early decision periods offered by boston university admissions: the earliest “early decision 1,” and the slightly less early “early decision 2.” for more information on these two windows for early application to the school, see boston university’s early decision web page, and the early decision timelines on the boston university admissions list of important deadlines.

does boston university require sat subject tests?
for the most part, boston university doesn’t require or even recommend subject tests. however, applicants to boston university’s seven-year accelerated medical program (a combined pre-med and medical degree program) will need qualifying sat subject test scores for chemistry and math 2. applicants to this program are also encouraged to submit an sat subject test score for a foreign language.

at boston university, do art majors need to submit a portfolio or perform an audition?
yes! applicants to boston university’s college of fine arts will need to either submit a portfolio or undergo an audition, depending on their chosen major. in addition, cfa applicants actually do not need to submit sat or act scores.

is boston university an ivy league school?
in the colloquial sense of the term “ivy league,” boston university fits the definition. it is an elite, highly selective coastal school in the u.s. however, boston university is not ivy league officially. the eight schools formally listed as part of the ivy league are: brown, columbia, cornell, dartmouth, harvard, princeton, university of pennsylvania, and yale.

how to get into boston university: the takeaway

boston university is, to be sure, a highly competitive school. you’ll need to submit excellent act and sat scores to boston university, and have a top-notch gpa and class rank. and even if you’re an art major and don’t need to submit test scores, you’ll still need an impressive portfolio or audition performance.

with those high hurdles, of course, comes great reward. boston university degrees command a level of respect comparable to degrees form the official ivy league schools. and you’re bound to have a very enriching and diverse social experience there as well, interacting with the best and brightest from across the nation and around the world.

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