What is the NYU acceptance rate?
New York University admitted 10,340 of 114,125 first-year applicants for fall 2025, the Class of 2029, an acceptance rate of 9.1% by our calculation, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. Of the students admitted, 5,662 enrolled, a yield of 54.8%.
NYU announced a lower figure for the same class. Its March 2025 release said that “Offers of admission to NYU’s New York campus were made to just 7.7% of the more than 120,000 students who applied” (NYU News, March 2025). NYU does not explain the difference. The release gives the share of “more than 120,000 students who applied” who were offered a place at the New York campus in March, while the Common Data Set counts first-year applicants who completed an application and received a decision, and records final admit numbers. We use the Common Data Set rate as the main figure on this page because other universities report the same section with the same definitions.
What is the NYU acceptance rate for the Class of 2030?
As of October 26, 2026, we had not found an NYU release or Common Data Set giving applicant or admit counts for the Class of 2030, which entered in fall 2026. NYU published its Class of 2029 offer rate in a March 2025 release; we found no matching release for the Class of 2030 in its news archive. The most recent Common Data Set posted on the NYU Institutional Research Factbook page is the 2025-2026 edition. We will update this page when NYU publishes figures for the Class of 2030.
How has the NYU acceptance rate changed?
| Entering class | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 (Class of 2029) | 114,125 | 10,340 | 9.1% | 5,662 |
| Fall 2024 (Class of 2028) | 110,807 | 10,232 | 9.2% | 5,666 |
| Fall 2023 (Class of 2027) | 113,578 | 10,693 | 9.4% | 5,818 |
| Fall 2022 (Class of 2026) | 100,662 | 12,539 | 12.5% | 6,184 |
By our calculation, applications rose 13.4% from fall 2022 to fall 2025, while the number of students admitted fell 17.5% and the entering class fell 8.4%. Most of the drop in the acceptance rate came between fall 2022 and fall 2023, and the rate has stayed between 9.1% and 9.4% since. NYU has not explained the smaller entering classes in the sources we reviewed.
What is the NYU Early Decision acceptance rate?
NYU does not publish an Early Decision acceptance rate. The Early Decision application and admit counts are blank in its Common Data Set 2025-2026. For the Class of 2029, NYU reported “more than 25,000 applications” in Early Decision, “a 10% increase in early decision applications from last year” (NYU News, March 2025). Without an admit count, the size of any early advantage at NYU cannot be calculated from official figures.
Early Decision I and Early Decision II are both binding. NYU grants exceptions when an applicant “is not admitted to their first choice NYU school, program, or campus”, or when the aid package “does not meet enough of the financial need for that student to be able to afford to attend”, (NYU Admissions, Early Decision). The same page answers “Unfortunately, you cannot” to the question of whether a student who does not get in through Early Decision can apply Regular Decision. In our view, Early Decision makes sense only for a student who is sure about both NYU and the specific school or program, and whose family has run the net price calculator. Our guide to the NYU Early Decision acceptance rate and our page on Early Decision II cover the choice.
When are the NYU application deadlines for fall 2027?
| Application round | Application due | Decision released | Binding? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I | November 1, 2026 | December 15, 2026 | Yes |
| Early Decision II | January 1, 2027 | February 15, 2027 | Yes |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 | April 1, 2027 | No |
NYU says that for most applicants, supplemental materials are due within one to two weeks of the application deadline, and some are due on the deadline itself (NYU Admissions, first-year applicants).
Which NYU schools are the hardest to get into?
NYU does not publish acceptance rates by school, and its Common Data Set reports only the university total. The one official statement we found is from the Class of 2029 release: “Three of NYU’s undergraduate colleges” (the College of Arts and Science, the Leonard N. Stern School of Business and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing) “offered admission to fewer than 5% of applicants” (NYU News, March 2025). Applicants choose their campus and program on the NYU page of the Common Application, and NYU’s Early Decision rules refer to an applicant’s “first choice NYU school, program, or campus”.
For school-specific advice, see our faculty-by-faculty guide to NYU admissions, our guide to getting into NYU Stern and our guide to getting into NYU Nursing.
Is NYU test optional?
Yes. NYU states that it “will continue to remain test-optional through the 2027-2028 application cycle” (NYU Admissions, standardized tests). Applicants who submit testing can submit only one form: the SAT or ACT, which NYU superscores across test dates, or another accepted option such as three AP exams, the IB Diploma or A-Levels. The AP option requires one humanities exam, one math or science exam and one exam of the student’s choice, and Stern and Tandon applicants need a math exam among the three.
For students who enrolled in fall 2025, 27% submitted the SAT and 10% the ACT. The middle 50% SAT range was 1480 to 1550, with a median of 1520, and the ACT range was 34 to 35 (NYU Common Data Set 2025-2026). In our view, a score at or above the median is usually worth sending. Our page on whether NYU requires the SAT covers the options in more detail.
What GPA do NYU students have?
NYU reports an average high school GPA of 3.81 for students who enrolled in fall 2025, and 17.2% had a GPA of 4.0, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. The class rank section of its Common Data Set is blank.
The same Common Data Set lists how NYU weighs each part of the application. The rigor of the high school record, academic GPA, the application essay, recommendations and character are rated very important; standardized test scores are rated important; and extracurricular activities, talent, first generation status and geographical residence are considered. Class rank, the interview, alumni relation and state residency are listed as not considered.
How does NYU financial aid work?
Under the NYU Promise, “For first-time, first-year undergraduate students admitted to the New York campus, NYU will meet 100% demonstrated need, and families with income less than $100,000 and typical assets will not have to pay tuition” (NYU Financial Aid). NYU also says scholarships will be adjusted to meet tuition increases each year. Aid applicants complete the CSS Profile for NYU scholarships and grants and the FAFSA for federal aid, and the NYU net price calculator gives an estimate before applying.
How does the NYU acceptance rate compare with other selective universities?
| University | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 60,646 | 2,302 | 3.8% | 1,839 |
| Harvard | 47,893 | 2,003 | 4.2% | 1,675 |
| UChicago | 45,533 | 2,039 | 4.5% | 1,786 |
| Yale | 50,264 | 2,387 | 4.7% | 1,633 |
| Penn | 72,544 | 3,570 | 4.9% | 2,420 |
| NYU | 114,125 | 10,340 | 9.1% | 5,662 |
| Boston University | 76,776 | 9,853 | 12.8% | 3,449 |
NYU received more first-year applications than any other university in this table, and it also enrolled the largest class. Its acceptance rate was higher than those of Stanford, Harvard, Yale, UChicago and Penn, which ranged from 3.8% to 4.9%, and lower than Boston University’s 12.8%.
What does the NYU acceptance rate mean for applicants?
In the view of Oriel Admissions, NYU is a reach for nearly every applicant at a 9.1% overall rate, and the choice of school or program matters as much as the overall number, because applicants apply to a specific school or program and NYU says three of its colleges admitted fewer than 5% for the Class of 2029. In our view, with testing optional and no Early Decision admit data, the parts of the application that matter most are the choice of program, the rigor of the transcript, the essays and the recommendation. Families comparing New York options can read our NYU vs Columbia comparison and our overview of what NYU is known for; for waitlist outcomes, see our page on the NYU waitlist.
Frequently Asked Questions About the NYU Acceptance Rate
NYU admitted 10,340 of 114,125 first-year applicants for fall 2025, the Class of 2029, an acceptance rate of 9.1% by our calculation from its Common Data Set 2025-2026. The NYU March 2025 release gave a 7.7% offer rate for the New York campus, counting more than 120,000 applicants.
As of October 26, 2026, we had not found applicant or admit counts for the Class of 2030 from NYU. The latest official figures are for the Class of 2029, which had a 9.1% acceptance rate by our calculation.
NYU does not publish one, and the Early Decision counts in its Common Data Set are blank. NYU reported more than 25,000 Early Decision applications for the Class of 2029, a 10% increase from the year before.
Yes. NYU will remain test optional through the 2027-2028 application cycle. Enrolled students who submitted the SAT in fall 2025 had a middle 50% range of 1480 to 1550, and NYU superscores the SAT and ACT.
For fall 2027 entry, Early Decision I closed November 1, 2026, with decisions on December 15, and Early Decision II closes January 1, 2027, with decisions on February 15. Regular Decision closes January 5, 2027.
NYU does not publish a minimum GPA. Students who enrolled in fall 2025 had an average high school GPA of 3.81, and 17.2% had a 4.0.
The NYU Common Data Set 2025-2026 lists alumni relation as not considered in first-year admission decisions. First generation status and geographical residence are listed as considered.
Tuition can be, for families who qualify. Under the NYU Promise, families with income less than $100,000 and typical assets will not have to pay tuition, and NYU will meet 100% of demonstrated need for first-year students admitted to the New York campus. In the view of Oriel Admissions, families should run the NYU net price calculator before applying Early Decision.
Sources: NYU Common Data Set 2025-2026, NYU Common Data Set 2024-2025, NYU Common Data Set 2023-2024, NYU Common Data Set 2022-2023, NYU Institutional Research Factbook, NYU News, March 2025, NYU Admissions, first-year applicants, NYU Admissions, Early Decision, NYU Admissions, standardized tests, NYU Financial Aid, first-year applicants, UChicago Common Data Set 2025-2026, BU Common Data Set 2025-2026.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
