Vassar College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Vassar College is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 23.7%. Founded in 1861 as a women's college, Vassar is now a top tier coeducational institution. For strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Vassar earned a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. The college has an impressive 8-to-1 student/faculty ratio and an average class size of 17. Vassar is located about 75 miles from New York City in Poughkeepsie, New York. Vassar's 1,000-acre campus includes over 100 buildings, picturesque gardens, and a farm. In athletics, Vassar competes in the NCAA Division III Liberty League.

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

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Vassar College had an acceptance rate of 23.7%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 23 students were admitted, making Vassar's admissions process highly competitive.

SAT Scores and Requirements

Vassar College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 69% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Vassar'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 Vassar scored between 680 and 750, while 25% scored below 680 and 25% scored above 750. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 690 and 780, while 25% scored below 690 and 25% scored above 780. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1530 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Vassar.

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Requirements

Vassar does not require the optional SAT essay section or SAT Subject tests. Note that Vassar 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

Vassar College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 40% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Vassar's admitted students fall within the top 5% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Vassar received a composite ACT score between 31 and 34, while 25% scored above 34 and 25% scored below 31.

Requirements

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

GPA

In 2019, the mean, unweighted high school GPA of Vassar's incoming freshmen class was A/A-. Of those who provided data, 65% of admitted students indicated that they ranked in the top tenth of their high school class.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

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

Vassar College has a highly competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, Vassar 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. Vassar offers optional off-campus interviews with alumni of the college. If you have other materials you would like to share with Vassar (poetry, artwork, a video), you can use the college's "Your Space" option on the application. Also, keep in mind that Vassar has an Early Decision admissions option for applicants who are certain the school is their first choice. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside Vassar'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 averages in the "A" range, combined SAT scores of 1300 or higher, and ACT composite scores of 28 or better.

If You Like Vassar College, You May Want To Consider These Schools

• Middlebury College
• Wesleyan College
• Swarthmore College
• Haverford College.
• Boston College
• Boston University
• Yale University

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