New York University, a private school founded in 1831, currently enrolls over 29,000 undergraduate students, including the largest number of international students at any American university. In addition to its flagship campus in New York City, NYU has degree-granting campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai and sends the largest number of students to study abroad.
NYU ACCEPTANCE RATE: CLASS OF 2029
New York University’s overall acceptance rate was just 7.7% this year. Three of NYU’s undergraduate colleges had a sub-5% acceptance rate — the College of Arts and Science, the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing. NYU also saw its largest early decision applicant pool in history, with more than 25,000 applications, a 10% increase from last year.
NYU offered admission to 8% of applicants overall to the Class of 2028. Meanwhile, its transfer acceptance rate was around 22%. NYU does not release its Early Decision admissions data, although historically it is more than double its overall acceptance rate.
Around 20% of the Class of 2029 will be Pell Grant recipients and 20% will be first-generation students, according to NYU, the same as last year’s class. Families with an income of less than $100,000 a year will not pay any tuition.
NYU is test-recommended but not required. Enrolled NYU students who submitted test scores have a median SAT of 1520 or ACT of 34. However, only 28% of enrolled students submitted SAT scores and 10% submitted ACT scores, according to the Fall 2024 Common Data Set. The average high school GPA was 3.81.
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TTA TOP TIP: With NYU’s overall acceptance rate down to 7.7% — and even lower for CAS, Stern, and Nursing — it’s clear that submitting a strong, tailored application is non-negotiable. A high GPA or test score alone won’t cut it. Students need compelling essays, a focused academic narrative, and a smart strategy if opting to maximize their chances with Early Decision. Our team at Top Tier Admissions works one-on-one with students to build standout applications that reflect their unique strengths.
At Top Tier Admissions, we are committed to making the college admissions process more transparent. Easy access to clear data helps families understand trends in college admissions to make more informed decisions. This year we’re once again collecting acceptance rate data at selective schools and providing insight and analysis of our own.
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