How to Get Into Texas A&M: Acceptance Rate and Strategies

The oldest university in the state of Texas, A&M has long outgrown the “Agricultural & Mechanical” portion of its name. More than 40,000 students applicants have applied for the opportunity to attend the College Station campus in each of the past six admissions cycles; back in the year 2000, fewer than 17,000 applied. The Texas A&M acceptance rate has remained steadily under 65%, but this is not a particularly strong indicator of just how selective A&M is in 2023.

Due to a policy that grants Texas residents who finish in the top 10% of their high school class automatic admission, roughly two-thirds of attendees hail from the top decile. As a result, competition for the remaining spots tends to be fierce.

Given the increasing level of competition in the quest to become an Aggie, students really need to do their homework before submitting the application. Toward that aim, this article will provide applicants with:

• Texas A&M’s Class of 2026 acceptance rate
• SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted A&M applicants
• Admissions trends from the Class of 2026
• The demographics of current Texas A&M undergraduates
• Texas A&M’s yield rate
• How A&M’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
• Tips for applying to Texas A&M
• How to assess whether applying to A&M is even worth the $75 application fee (for you)

Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.

Texas A&M: Acceptance Rate – 2023

A&M received 43,422 applications for a place in the Class of 2026, one of the highest totals in school history; 27,203 were admitted for an acceptance rate of 63%. For the Class of 2025 (most recent data available), the in-state acceptance rate was 66% compared with a 56% acceptance rate for out-of-state applications.

All students must apply by December 1st at the very latest, but students can apply as early as August 1. Engineering students should always aim to meet the early action deadline of 10/15.

Texas A&M Admissions – SAT, ACT, and Class Rank

The middle-50% SAT scores for the Class of 2026 were 1160-1380; the math range was 580-700. SATs were submitted by 76% of applicants. ACTs were submitted by 24% of applicants and the middle-50% ACT Composite score was 25-31. The median ACT Composite score was 28 and the median SAT score was 1270. An impressive 61% of those attending placed in the top 10% of their high school class while 88% were in the top quartile.

Admissions Trends & Notes

• Students who are in the top 10% of the high school class earn automatic admission into A&M. Prior to 2021, students could be in the top 25%.
• 25% of those presently attending Texas A&M are the first member of their family to attend college.
• 21% of incoming students were awarded Pell Grants.
• Just 1% of current undergrads are international students.
• In a typical year, there are 250 National Merit Finalists in the freshman class.

Who Gets Into Texas A&M?

Let’s look at the demographics of the Aggie undergraduate student body.

Most A&M students hailed from the Lone Star State and paid in-state tuition. In fact, 96% of the student body are Texas residents.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown is:

Men

• Asian American: 10%
• White: 57%
• Hispanic: 25%
• African American: 2%
• International: 1%
• Multiracial: 4%

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate (Continued)

International students came from the following countries in the greatest numbers:

1. Mexico
2. China
3. India
4. South Korea
5. Vietnam

The breakdown by gender shows more men than women enrolled at A&M:

• Male: 52%
• Female: 48%

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Students in one recent class came from the following locations:

• Number of US high schools: 1,281
• Number of Texas counties: 192
• Number of US States: 44

Texas A&M’s Yield Rate

A&M’s yield rate was 46% last year. To compare this school to other top-notch public STEM-focused institutions, Georgia Tech is at roughly 40%, Virginia Tech has a 33% yield, and Purdue is at just 23%.

How Texas A&M Rates Applicants

There are five factors that Texas A&M ranks as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, extracurricular activities, and talent/ability. Essays, first-generation status, geographical residence, state residency, volunteer work, and work experience are rated as “important”.

In the admissions office’s own words: “If you do not qualify for top 10%, but meet the State of Texas Uniform Admission Policy, your application file, which includes all factors you noted, will be reviewed in a holistic manner. Academic factors include all high school courses attempted and grades earned, rigor of coursework, GPA and class rank. Non-academic factors include involvement in extracurricular activities, community service, leadership, employment and summer activities as well as extraordinary opportunities, challenges and hardships experienced during high school career.”

Possessing a top-notch athletic program, it most definitely helps if you are recruited as an athlete to join one of A&M’s 20 Division I sports teams. There are roughly 650 student athletes competing at A&M and 75% receive some level of scholarship. In general, recruited athletes possessed GPAs and SATs far below the average for the pool of general admits.

Tips for Applying to Texas A&M

If you plan on joining the 43,000+ Aggie hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• While a holistic process, A&M does not offer interviews.
• Texas A&M does consider “demonstrated interest” so be sure to take steps toward that aim.
• Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by Texas A&M. In the 2023-24 cycle, you will encounter a number of essays prompts, so save plenty of time prior to the deadline to write, revise, and polish your responses.

This year’s prompts are as follows:

• Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today? (Required, 500 – 750 words)
• Describe your academic and career goals in the broad field of engineering (including computer science, industrial distribution and engineering technology). What and/or who has influenced you either inside or outside the classroom that contributed to these goals? (for engineering)

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate (Continued)

• Describe a life event which you feel has prepared you to be successful in college. (Required)
• You have selected a major in the College of Engineering for either your first or second choice major; therefore, please address the following prompt: Describe your academic and career goals in the broad field of engineering (including computer science, industrial distribution, and engineering technology). What and/or who has influenced you either inside or outside the classroom that contributed to these goals? It is important to spend time addressing this question as it will be considered as part of the engineering review process. If you have chosen an engineering major for both your first and second choice majors, you will see the same question twice and may provide the same response to both questions. (Required for Engineering applicants)

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts 

Getting into Texas A&M has never been more of a selective process, as it now requires either a) finishing in the top 10% of your Texas-based high school class or b) possessing other supremely impressive attributes that blow away admissions committee. As such, all students need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of “target” and “safety” schools. You’ll definitely want to do this in collaboration with an admissions professional who is aware of the latest trends and strategies associated with your prospective colleges.