New York University is a tier-1 university in the United States. Since being founded in the year 1831, NYU has flourished and grown with two sister campuses- NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai- and 15 wonderful study-away sites across the globe from the beautiful city of Florence to the bustling city of London. These opportunities make NYU a top choice for students looking to start anew during their undergraduate journey. And what can be more important to know before you apply than the acceptance rate of this diverse university?
To understand the NYU acceptance rate, one must look at the statistics over the past 5 years. This could help applicants understand patterns, if any, in the type of applicants that NYU tends to admit to its various campuses. Understanding the changes in the acceptance rates would also help applicants comprehend the competition pool and prepare a strong applicant profile before they apply to NYU.
NYU Acceptance Rates Over the Past 5 Years
- Acceptance Rate 2017-18
- Acceptance Rate 2018-19
- Acceptance Rate 2019-20
- Acceptance Rate 2020-21
- Acceptance Rate 2021-22
Acceptance Rate for the 2017-18 Cycle
During the 2017-18 application cycle, NYU received 75,000 applications- seeing a rise of almost 8,000 in the number of applicants from the previous admissions cycle. NYU accepted only 19.0% of applicants from the applicant pool to its New York campus. The admitted pool had one of the highest representations of various countries and regions across the globe.
Acceptance Rate for the 2018-19 Cycle
84,481 candidates applied to NYU during the 2018-19 admissions cycle. This recorded a whooping rise of 10,000 in the number of applicants from the previous year. However, only 16.0% of the students were admitted resulting in NYU recording its lowest acceptance rate in over 16 years.
Acceptance Rate for the 2019-20 Cycle
The application cycle of 2019-20 did not attract a huge rise in the number of applicants and the number stayed almost the same as the previous year with 85,000 students applying to be a part of the NYU community. Despite the not-so-apparent rise in the number of applicants, NYU’s acceptance rate dropped by a whole percent. Thus, NYU accepted only 15.0% of the student body that had applied to the university.
Acceptance Rate for the 2020-21 Cycle
This application cycle observed the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the global community was forced to study and work from home, this year saw a significant rise in the number of applicants to NYU. The number of applicants crossed the 100,000 mark as NYU received applications from 100,131 applicants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. With a new record in the number of applicants, NYU also recorded its lowest acceptance rate- a mere 12.8%. This made the 2020-21 cycle one of the competitive ones.
Acceptance Rate for the 2021-22 Cycle
More than 105,000 students applied to NYU for this application cycle making it the cycle with the highest number of applicants. The acceptance rate dropped for its fifth consecutive year and was also declared the lowest even acceptance rate. NYU accepted only 12.2% of its applicants to the New York campus this year. Jonathan Williams, the Undergraduate Admissions Vice President, commented, “Even with the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, this group inspires us, coming from a wide range of interests, passions, and backgrounds, to make up one of the most diverse applicant pools in NYU history.”
What Else Do We Know?
Each year, the number of applicants to NYU increases, and the acceptance rate goes on decreasing. The representation of various states and countries rises each year in the applicant as well as the admitted students pool- with 49 states of the US and 107 countries being represented by the Class of 2026. NYU has also been observing a significant rise in the number of first generation students, low-income students, and people of color in its admitted class. Thus, NYU has attracted a diverse student community despite its low acceptance rates. This is due to the fact that the benefits of applying to NYU and hopefully being admitted to the university, evidently outweigh the costs.
What About the Different Schools?
It is a well-known fact that the College of Arts and Science, the Leonard. N. Stern School of Business, the Rory Meyers College of Nursing, and the Tisch School of Arts are the most desirable and popular schools for applicants. A majority of the applicants apply to these four schools each year. During the 2021-22 application cycle, the College of Arts and Science and the Leonard. N. Stern School of Business accepted only 7% of the applicants and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing accepted only 3% of the students from the applicant pool making these three schools the most competitive schools for over a decade.
Conclusion
So should one apply to NYU? The answer is simple- YES! NYU offers several opportunities to its students- from access to a huge range of majors and minors across its world-class schools to its global study away sites to inclusion into an eccentric, intelligent and versatile community- the university has so much to offer to its admitted students. Thus, despite the decreasing acceptance rates, one should definitely apply to the university if they believe that they can contribute to this amazing community. The acceptance rate may be dropping, but NYU is indeed accepting the most diverse applicants, the ones potent enough to cash on each and every opportunity that the university has to offer and make gold from it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the different schools at NYU?
Answer. The different undergraduate schools at NYU are the College of Arts and Science, Leonard. N. Stern School of Business, Tandon School of Engineering, Steinhardt School of Culture, Educations and Human Development, School of Professional Studies, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, Silver School of Social Work, Tisch School of the Arts, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and Global Liberal Studies.
- Why should one apply to NYU?
Answer. There are a plethora of reasons to apply to NYU. NYU offers various unique courses such as Peace and Conflict Studies and Social Entrepreneurship and also allows students to explore concentrations such as Policy or Theory in Economics and Econometrics for Finance in the Business degrees. This coupled with the opportunities that New York City has to offer- from Broadway to New York times to the United Nations to Wall Street- make NYU the perfect undergraduate location to get your degree.
- Is the NYU test optional?
Answer. Yes! NYU had a test-optional policy in place for both its Class of 2025 as well as 2026. NYU also plans on continuing this policy for the upcoming admissions cycle of 2022-23 and 2023-24. Thus, students can apply to NYU sans their ACT and SAT scores without their chances of admission being affected.
- Does NYU offer financial support?
Answer. Yes! NYU does offer financial aid as well as full rides to students. Students also get access to school specific scholarships. Several instate students get access to programs such as Higher Education Opportunity Program and many more that aid first generation low income students by covering their costs to attend university.
