How to Get into New York University

New York University, often abbreviated as NYU is a private research university located in New York City. The University was chartered in 1831 by the New York legislation and started its first class In 1832 around the idea of secular education. The university moved to Greenwich Village surrounding Madison Square Garden in 1833, where the main campus has remained ever since. The university has since added more schools including engineering. 

What is New York University?  

New York University as a private chartered university located on Manhattan Island in New York City. It is the largest private university in the United States in terms of enrollment in 2019. NYU is considered highly selective and prestigious. It has 10 undergraduate schools and 15 postgraduate schools. It is also a global University, with campuses and academic centers in cities such as Shanghai, London, Madrid, & Paris. 

Testing Scores for Admission

According to the college, the average SAT score ranges from 1390 to 1510, while the average ACT score is between 31 and 34. The average weighted GPA of acceptance is around 3.71 with 21% of the class of 2024 earning a perfect 4.0, which means that GPA is just as important as the main two standardized tests.

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Acceptance & Graduation Rate

NYU received over 100,000 applications for the 2022-2023 freshman year and accepted just 12.2%, which is an all-time low for the university. In addition, some schools within the college had a less than 10% acceptance rate, those being the College of Arts and Science, the Stern School of Business, & the Rory Meyers College of Nursing. NYU is plenty rigorous with the graduation rate of 85% reflecting that. 

How Are Applicants Rated? 

NYU considers four factors as “very important” for their application process; which are the rigor of secondary school, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, and ability. It considers application essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities as “important”. NYU merely “considers” other factors such as interviews, first generation status, racial or ethnic status, volunteer experience, and work experience.   

Tips to Get Into New York University 

  • The University’s Admissions Office states that they are looking for future Oscar winners, butting entrepreneurs, and groundbreaking scientists. However, if students aren’t looking to become famous, NYU also states that they want a diverse class with a wide array of skills and experience.
  • NYU only offers interviews for the School of Arts. They are in-person in New York, but the other nine undergraduate schools do not have or require interviews
  • Make sure to dedicate sufficient time to work on the supplemental essay required by NYU. This 400 word essay asks students “Why NYU?” 
  • NYU also considers demonstrated interest as one of its admission factors so make sure to reach out to the school or the admissions office. 

How Does NYU Compare to Other Top Universities? 

NYU’s yield rate — the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted — was 40% last year. For comparison, schools like Stanford, Harvard were over 80%, and the University of Chicago, MIT, and Yale all sported 70%+ yield rates. NYU finished in the company of schools like Vanderbilt (40%), Rice (44%), and Carnegie Mellon (37%). NYU is also a very diverse school, with them accepting around 76% minorities. 

Are you or will you be attending New York University?

Stock up on gear to show your pride for NYU. Grab this sweatshirt, decals for your laptop, or this NYU pennant.

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