How to Get Into UVA: Acceptance Rate & Strategies

Along with institutions like UNC Chapel Hill, the University of Michigan, and the College of William and Mary, the University of Virginia is considered one of the “Public Ivies.” These schools, UVA included, provide an elite education to high-achieving students for a fraction of the price of a top-tier private school. It’s no wonder the UVA acceptance rate goes down just about every year.

Founded by Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800s, the University of Virginia has long been recognized as a world-class academic institution but, like many of its peers, has seen its degree of selectivity rise rapidly in the past decade. In 2005, the University of Virginia still accepted 38% of applicants; today, that number has been sliced by more than half. Applicants from out-of-state face an even steeper climb. Considering the admissions gauntlet that awaits you, the intent of this article is to give those applying to UVA an idea of:

• UVA’s Class of 2027 acceptance rate
• UVA’s Class of 2027 Early Decision (ED) acceptance rate
• SAT, GPA, and class rank of accepted UVA applicants
• Admissions trends from the Class of 2027
• UVA’s system for rating applicants
• A look at the demographics of current UVA undergraduates
• The percent of accepted students that attend UVA (yield rate)
• Tips for applying to UVA
• UVA supplemental essay prompts/tips
• How to assess whether applying to UVA is even worth the $75 application fee (for you)

Many students applying to UVA may also find the following blogs to be of interest:

How to Get Into:

• William & Mary
• Duke University
• UNC Chapel Hill

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

UVA Acceptance Rate – Class of 2027

There were 56,439 applications for admission into the Cavalier Class of 2027. Only 9,522 individuals were accepted. This means that the UVA acceptance rate is 16.2%. It is important to note that it is far more difficult to gain acceptance to this university if you are not a Virginia resident. In the regular decision cycle, out-of-staters were accepted at just an 8% clip, while Old Dominion residents were accepted 13% of the time in the 2022-23 cycle.

Historical University of Virginia acceptance rates are as follows:

• Class of 2026 UVA acceptance rate: 18.7%
• 2025 University of Virginia acceptance rate: 21%
• 2024 UVA acceptance rate: 21%

UVA: Early Decision Acceptance Rate – Class of 2027

There exists a clear-cut edge to applying Early Decision to UVA. The UVA ED acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 was 25.9%, significantly higher than for the non-binding EA or Regular Decision rounds. For the Class of 2025, ED applicants enjoyed an ever more favorable 32% acceptance rate.

2027 UVA Acceptance Rate (Breakdown)

• In-State: 31%
• Out-of-State: 17%

University of Virginia Admissions – SAT, GPA, and Class Rank

According to the most recent statistics available (Class of 2026), the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled students was 690-750 on the Reading and Writing section and 710-790 on the Math portion. The ACT range was 32-35. Among enrolled 2022-23 first-year students, an exceptional 86% hailed from the top 10% of their high school class. The average unweighted GPA for a UVA freshman is typically around a 3.9.

Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2027

• Students were admitted from 49 states and 77 countries.
• Fewer students gained admission to the Colleges of Arts & Science and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
• 390 Virginia High School had at least one student accepted into the Class of 2027.
• The 56,439 applicants were an all-time school record.
• 1,167 students had their application fees waived.
• 14% of 2026 enrolled students were legacies.

How UVA Rates Applicants

UVA rates six factors as “very important” to the admissions process: rigor of high school course load, class rank, GPA, recommendation letters, character/personal qualities, and state residency (again, being from VA is a major advantage). Items that are “important” as part of the admissions process are: application essays, extracurricular activities, and talent/ability.

You can rest assured that despite receiving in excess of 50,000 applications each year, your application will receive a holistic and in-depth review.

From the committee…

The UVA admission staff reads “the entire application before we render a decision. There are no “cut offs” (remember GPA is not standardized, so that doesn’t make sense in Virginia). We read every file, front to back, before we make our recommendations. We read and double check our files multiple times.” In the words of one admissions officer, the “best way to effectively communicate what holistic admission looks like to me is to compare your application to a puzzle…The largest, most central piece of your puzzle is your transcript. This shouldn’t be a surprise since your transcript represents four years of academic development.”

It is also worth highlighting that recruited athletes enjoy a huge edge. This is because UVA takes great pride in their 27 NCAA Division I sports teams. Overall, approximately 750 student-athletes are presently attending the university. Of course, other outside-the-classroom endeavors can also enhance your application profile. For advice about how to stand out on the extracurricular front, check out our previous blog entitled How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

Who Actually Gets Into the University of Virginia?

Let’s look at the demographics of the current undergraduate student body. Geographically, the greatest percentage of Class of 2026 members are Virginia residents.

• Virginia: 62%
• Out of State: 38%

Among non-residents, competition is stiffest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you hail from the Deep South like Alabama or Mississippi or a less-populated state like Wyoming or North Dakota, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances at UVA.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2026 members was:

• Caucasian/White: 47%
• Asian American: 20%
• Hispanic: 8%
• African American: 8%
• Nonresident Aliens: 5%

Looking at the gender breakdown, the Class of 2026 had significantly more female members:

• Men: 43%
• Women: 57%

UVA’s Yield Rate

UVA’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted is 42%. This figure is just a shade below other powerhouse state universities like the University of Michigan, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UCLA.

Tips for Applying to the University of Virginia

If you plan on joining the 50,000+ Wahoo hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• UVA does not use interviews as part of their evaluation process.
• If you have a parent (or two) that attended the university, you will get special consideration in the admissions process.
• UVA also does not consider “demonstrated interest.” Therefore, you will not be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, etc.
• Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the main Common App Essay and two short supplemental essays required by UVA. For the 2022-2023 cycle, they are as follows:

1. We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in a half page or roughly 250 words.

• College of Arts and Sciences – What work of art, music, science, mathematics, literature, or other media has surprised, unsettled, or inspired you, and in what way?
• Engineering and Applied Sciences – Describe an engineering feat that serves the common good and why it inspires you to study engineering.
• School of Architecture – Describe significant experience that deepened your interest in studying in the School of Architecture.
• School of Nursing – Describe a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying nursing.
• Kinesiology Program – Discuss experiences that led you to apply to the kinesiology major.

2. Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words.

• What’s your favorite word and why?
• We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.
• Student self-governance, which encourages student investment and initiative, is a hallmark of the UVA culture. In her fourth year at UVA, Laura Nelson was inspired to create Flash Seminars, one-time classes which facilitate high-energy discussion about thought-provoking topics outside of traditional coursework. If you created a Flash Seminar, what idea would you explore and why?
• UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?
• Rita Dove, UVA English professor and former U.S. Poet Laureate, once said in an interview that “…there are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.” Describe a time when, instead of complaining, you took action for the greater good.

For advice on how to approach your UVA essay, we recommend reading our blog entitled: UVA Supplemental Essay Prompts and Tips.

Should I Apply to UVA?

Those with SAT/ACT scores within the mid-50% mark for UVA who are also at the very top of their respective high school class are certainly viable candidates to UVA. If you reside in Virginia, your road to acceptance will be much smoother than if you are an out-of-state or international applicant. You will need to bring higher test scores and, possibly, a special skill or “hook” if you do not hail from the university’s home state. Teens applying to a school of UVA’s ilk also need to also have a proper mix or “target” and “safety” schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.