How to Get into the University of Rochester: Acceptance Rate and Strategies

August 19, 2025

The University of Rochester is a mid-sized private school with approximately 6,500 undergraduate students. This is a university where the vast majority of students live on campus (76%), are involved in student organizations (90%), gain research experience as undergrads, and play for one of their 22 NCAA Division III teams. Rochester—also called U of Rochester, UR, or U of R—has a lot to offer and high-achieving students around the world have taken notice. Now attracting around 21,000 applicants per year, the University of Rochester sees acceptance rates in the 29-40% range, landing it in the “highly selective” category from an admissions perspective.

To help prepare U of R hopefuls for the challenging process ahead, we will touch on the following topics:

University of Rochester’s Class of 2028 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
University of Rochester’s Class of 2028 ED acceptance rate
SAT, ACT, GPA, and class rank of accepted University of Rochester applicants
Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
The demographics of current University of Rochester undergraduates
Rochester’s yield rate
How U of R’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
Tips for applying to the University of Rochester
How to assess whether applying to the University of Rochester is even worth the $50 application fee (for you)

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University of Rochester Overall Acceptance Rate – Class of 2028

For the Class of 2028, 21,384 students applied. Of these Yellowjacket-hopefuls, 8,570 were accepted. This means that the University of Rochester acceptance rate is 40%, which is a few points higher than the previous year.

Historical Rochester acceptance rates are as follows:

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027	21,680	7,773	36%
Class of 2026	19,933	7,750	39%
Class of 2025	19,543	7,924	41%
Class of 2024	19,607	6,947	35%

University of Rochester Early Decision Acceptance Rate – Class of 2028

Those who are serious about attending the University of Rochester may want to consider applying via binding early decision. The acceptance rate for ED applicants for the Class of 2028 was 38%, as 527 of the 1,385 ED hopefuls were successful. Surprisingly, this figure was slightly lowere than the acceptance rate during the regular round.

What GPA do you need to get into the University of Rochester?

The average GPA of enrolled Class of 2028 freshmen was 3.72. Moreover, 55% earned a GPA over 3.75.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to the University of Rochester?

Among enrolled 2023-24 first-year students, an impressive 71% hailed from the top 10%, while 93% earned a place in the top quarter.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for the University of Rochester?

Rochester continues to be test-optional; only 36% of enrolled students elected to submit test results last year. Of that group, the mid-50% SAT range was 1420-1500, and the ACT range was 32-34.

Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2028

Applications were down slightly from last year.
International students made up 25% of the incoming class.
Only half of the enrolled Class of 2028 submitted test scores along with their applications.
First-gen students comprise 21% of the Class of 2028.
31% of enrolled students were from NY state
42 states were represented along with 33 countries.
40% of the entering freshman class comprised students who applied ED.

Who Gets Into the University of Rochester?

Rochester is a very popular school for international students to pursue their undergraduate education. Historically, the following countries have the strongest representation on campus:

China
Vietnam
South Korea
India
Canada

For domestic students, competition is toughest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you hail from a less populated state like Hawaii, the Dakotas, or Montana, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2028 was as follows:

Asian American: 18%
Hispanic: 9%
Black or African-American: 6%
White: 36%
Two or more races: 4%

The breakdown of the Class of 2028 was split fairly evenly between male and female students:

Male: 49%
Female: 51%

Yield Rate

The University of Rochester’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—was very low 15% last year. This is due, in part, to the fact that Rochester is often used as a backup plan for those applying to even more selective universities.

How the University of Rochester Rates Applicants

Four factors are viewed by the University of Rochester as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, extracurricular activities, and character/personal qualities. The six factors rated as “important” are: the interview, talent/ability, the essays, recommendations, and demonstrated interest.

In the admissions office’s own words:

“The University of Rochester employs a holistic application review process to identify curious, capable, and engaged students from across the globe.”
“We seek to understand each applicant’s academic ability, extracurricular engagement, and ethical character in order to determine their ability to improve both their campus and the world around them.”
“We seek and embrace the most tenacious and unconventional applicants from around the world to join our community of doers and disrupters.”

Tips for Applying to the University of Rochester

If you plan on joining the almost 20,000+ aspiring U of R undergrads for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

As mentioned previously, UR continues to operate as a test-optional institution.
This school offers two rounds of early decision—ED I on November 1 and ED II on January 5.
The University of Rochester strongly recommends an interview. For tips on acing the college interview, visit this blog.
The University of Rochester does consider “demonstrated interest” in the admissions process. As such, it would be a good idea to visit campus, contact an admissions officer, follow them on social media, etc.
U of R does consider legacy status in the admissions process so if your mother or father attended, it may help your chances.
Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essay(s) required by the University of Rochester. In the 2025-26 cycle, students must respond to one essay prompt. It is as follows:

The University of Rochester benefactor, entrepreneur, photography pioneer and philanthropist George Eastman said, “The progress of the world depends almost entirely upon education.” In what ways do you envision using the curricular flexibility and co-curricular opportunities at the University of Rochester to promote progress and change within the communities you inhabit? (250 words)

Should I Apply to the University of Rochester?

With acceptance rates frequently dipping under 40%, the University of Rochester is primarily seeking candidates who possess standardized test scores in the 95th percentile and have earned mostly A’s in a highly rigorous high school curriculum. However, they are a genuinely test-optional school that will give serious consideration to applicants with a fantastic transcript who didn’t happen to score well on standardized tests.

University of Rochester Acceptance Rate — Final Thoughts

If the University of Rochester is among your top-choice schools, make sure to also have a rock-solid backup plan. 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 conjunction with your high school counselor or other admissions professional.

Need additional resources? Consider checking out the following:

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College Admissions

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).