Lafayette College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Autumn on Lafayette College campus

drewbee / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 31.5%. Located in Easton, Pennsylvania, Lafayette has the small size and feel of a traditional liberal arts college, but is unique in that it also has several engineering programs. Lafayette's strengths in the liberal arts earned it a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Quality instruction is central to Lafayette's mission, and with a 10-to-1 student/faculty ratio, students will have significant interaction with faculty. On the athletic front, the Lafayette Leopards compete in the NCAA Division I Patriot League.

Considering applying to this highly selective school? Here are the Lafayette College admissions statistics you should know.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Lafayette College had an acceptance rate of 31.5%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 31 students were admitted, making Lafayette's admissions process highly competitive.

Admissions Statistics (2018-19)
Number of Applicants 8,521
Percent Admitted 31.5%
Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 26%

SAT Scores and Requirements

Lafayette College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 71% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

SAT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
ERW 620 700
Math 630 740
ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

This admissions data tells us that most of Lafayette's admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Lafayette scored between 620 and 700, while 25% scored below 620 and 25% scored above 700. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 630 and 740, while 25% scored below 630 and 25% scored above 740. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1440 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Lafayette.

Requirements

Lafayette does not require the optional SAT essay section or SAT Subject tests. Note that Lafayette participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates.

ACT Scores and Requirements

Lafayette College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 35% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

ACT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
English 29 34
Math 27 32
Composite 28 33

This admissions data tells us that most of Lafayette's admitted students fall within the top 12% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Lafayette received a composite ACT score between 28 and 33, while 25% scored above 33 and 25% scored below 28.

Requirements

Lafayette College does not require the optional ACT writing section. Unlike many universities, Lafayette superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered.

GPA

In 2019, the average high school GPA Lafayette College's incoming freshmen class was 3.52, and over 55% of incoming students had average GPAs of 3.5 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Lafayette College have primarily A and high B grades.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

Lafayette College Applicants' Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph.
Lafayette College Applicants' Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex.

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Lafayette College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Admissions Chances

Lafayette College has a competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average GPAs and SAT/ACT scores. However, Lafayette has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. Strong application essays and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule.

Applicants should use Lafayette's supplemental essays to convey unique qualities and interests. Interested students should also note that Lafayette considers interviews in admissions decisions. Lafayette has an Early Decision program that can improve admission chances for students who are sure the university is their top choice school. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and test scores are outside of Lafayette's average range.

In the scattergram above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. The graph shows that the majority of admitted students had high school grades of "A-" or better, combined SAT scores of 1200 or higher, and ACT composite scores of 26 or better.

If You Like Lafayette College, You May Also Like These Schools

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Lafayette College Undergraduate Admissions Office.

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Grove, Allen. "Lafayette College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/lafayette-college-gpa-sat-act-data-786528. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 28). Lafayette College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/lafayette-college-gpa-sat-act-data-786528 Grove, Allen. "Lafayette College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/lafayette-college-gpa-sat-act-data-786528 (accessed March 28, 2024).