Mills College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Mills Hall at Mills College

Sanfranman59 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Mills College is a private women's liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 86%. Founded in 1852 as the Young Ladies' Seminary in Benicia, Mills College has been located at its current 135-acre campus in Oakland, California, since 1871. The school has earned many accolades for its value and academic quality, and it typically ranks among the top women's colleges in the country. The school also gets high marks for its environmental efforts. Mills College has an 11-to-1 student / faculty ratio and an average class size of 16. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, the school was awarded a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Considering applying to Mills College? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Mills College had an acceptance rate of 86%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 86 students were admitted, making Mills' admissions process somewhat competitive.

Admissions Statistics (2017-18)
Number of Applicants 1,003
Percent Admitted 86%
Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 19%

SAT Scores and Requirements

Mills College has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants to Mills may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 37% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

SAT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
ERW 513 640
Math 495 600
ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

This admissions data tells us that of those students who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of Mills College's admitted students fall within the top 35% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Mills scored between 513 and 640, while 25% scored below 513 and 25% scored above 640. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 495 and 600, while 25% scored below 495 and 25% scored above 600. While the SAT is not required, this data tells us that a composite SAT score of 1240 or higher is competitive for Mills College.

Requirements

Mills College does not require SAT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, note that Mills participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. Mills does not require the essay portion of the SAT.

ACT Scores and Requirements

Mills College has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants to Mills may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 20% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

ACT Range (Admitted Students)
Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile
English 21 31
Math 19 26
Composite 21 29

This admissions data tells us that of those who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of Mills College's admitted students fall within the top 42% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Mills received a composite ACT score between 21 and 29, while 25% scored above 29 and 25% scored below 21.

Requirements

Note that Mills does not require ACT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, Mills College does not superscore ACT results; your highest composite ACT score will be considered. Mills does not require the ACT writing section.

GPA

In 2018, the average high school GPA of Mills College's incoming freshmen class was 3.55, and over 50% of students had average GPAs of 3.5 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Mills College have primarily high B grades.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

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

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Mills 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

Mills College, which accepts more than three-quarters of applicants, has a somewhat selective admissions process. However, Mills also has a holistic admissions process and is test-optional, and admissions decisions are based on much more than numbers. A strong application essay and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. The college is looking for students who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways, not just students who show promise in the classroom. While not required, Mills strongly recommends optional interviews for interested applicants.The interview is a great way to demonstrate your interest in Mills. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and scores are outside of Mills College's average range.

In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had high school GPAs of "B+" or better, combined SAT scores (ERW+M) of 1050 or higher, and ACT composite scores of 21 or better. Grades are much more important than standardized test scores due to Mills College's test-optional admissions policy.

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

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Grove, Allen. "Mills College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/mills-college-gpa-sat-act-data-786551. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 28). Mills College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/mills-college-gpa-sat-act-data-786551 Grove, Allen. "Mills College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/mills-college-gpa-sat-act-data-786551 (accessed March 28, 2024).