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Table 305.40. | Acceptance rates; number of applications, admissions, and enrollees; and enrollees’ SAT and ACT scores for degree-granting postsecondary institutions with first-year undergraduates, by control and level of institution: 2020-21 |
Acceptance rates, applications, admissions, enrollees, and SAT and ACT scores |
All institutions | Public institutions | Private institutions | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 4-year | 2-year | Total | 4-year | 2-year | Total | 4-year | 2-year | Nonprofit | For-profit | |||||
Total | 4-year | 2-year | Total | 4-year | 2-year | ||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
Number of institutions reporting application data1 |
3,553 | 2,265 | 1,288 | 1,551 | 717 | 834 | 2,002 | 1,548 | 454 | 1,350 | 1,268 | 82 | 652 | 280 | 372 |
Percentage distribution of institutions by their acceptance of applications |
100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
No application criteria | 49.5 | 25.0 | 92.5 | 65.8 | 27.8 | 98.4 | 36.9 | 23.7 | 81.7 | 16.8 | 14.0 | 61.0 | 78.4 | 67.9 | 86.3 |
90 percent or more accepted | 10.0 | 13.8 | 3.3 | 7.0 | 14.9 | 0.1 | 12.3 | 13.2 | 9.0 | 14.2 | 14.3 | 13.4 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 8.1 |
75.0 to 89.9 percent accepted | 15.3 | 23.0 | 1.7 | 14.1 | 29.4 | 1.0 | 16.1 | 20.0 | 3.1 | 22.2 | 23.3 | 6.1 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 2.4 |
50.0 to 74.9 percent accepted | 17.6 | 26.6 | 1.8 | 10.1 | 21.5 | 0.4 | 23.4 | 29.0 | 4.4 | 32.4 | 33.6 | 13.4 | 4.9 | 8.2 | 2.4 |
25.0 to 49.9 percent accepted | 5.5 | 8.4 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 5.2 | 0.1 | 7.9 | 9.9 | 0.9 | 9.6 | 9.9 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 10.0 | 0.3 |
10.0 to 24.9 percent accepted | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
Less than 10 percent accepted | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Number of applications (in thousands) |
11,544 | 11,492 | 52 | 6,594 | 6,573 | 20 | 4,951 | 4,919 | 32 | 4,856 | 4,835 | 21 | 94 | 83 | 11 |
Percentage distribution of applications by institutions' acceptance of applications |
100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
No application criteria | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † |
90 percent or more accepted | 7.5 | 7.5 | 16.6 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 24.0 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 3.6 | 10.6 | 3.6 | 64.2 |
75.0 to 89.9 percent accepted | 30.9 | 30.9 | 35.1 | 36.7 | 36.6 | 72.6 | 23.2 | 23.3 | 11.7 | 22.4 | 22.5 | 8.8 | 64.5 | 70.7 | 17.3 |
50.0 to 74.9 percent accepted | 31.7 | 31.8 | 12.8 | 30.2 | 30.2 | 19.5 | 33.6 | 33.8 | 8.7 | 34.1 | 34.2 | 6.8 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 12.3 |
25.0 to 49.9 percent accepted | 16.3 | 16.4 | 2.5 | 19.2 | 19.3 | 3.1 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 2.1 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 1.7 | 15.3 | 16.9 | 2.7 |
10.0 to 24.9 percent accepted | 9.3 | 9.1 | 33.0 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 53.6 | 16.0 | 15.7 | 79.0 | 0.4 | # | 3.5 |
Less than 10 percent accepted | 4.3 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Number of admissions (in thousands) |
7,005 | 6,973 | 32 | 4,361 | 4,345 | 16 | 2,644 | 2,628 | 17 | 2,574 | 2,566 | 7 | 71 | 62 | 9 |
Percentage distribution of admissions by institutions' acceptance of applications |
100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
No application criteria | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † |
90 percent or more accepted | 11.6 | 11.5 | 25.9 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 6.2 | 9.7 | 9.5 | 44.3 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 10.0 | 13.4 | 4.7 | 71.5 |
75.0 to 89.9 percent accepted | 41.5 | 41.5 | 45.8 | 45.4 | 45.3 | 75.0 | 35.1 | 35.2 | 18.6 | 34.1 | 34.2 | 21.3 | 69.5 | 77.5 | 16.4 |
50.0 to 74.9 percent accepted | 33.6 | 33.7 | 13.9 | 29.5 | 29.6 | 17.1 | 40.2 | 40.4 | 10.9 | 41.1 | 41.2 | 12.1 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 10.0 |
25.0 to 49.9 percent accepted | 10.3 | 10.3 | 1.5 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 1.6 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 1.3 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 1.5 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 1.1 |
10.0 to 24.9 percent accepted | 2.6 | 2.5 | 12.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 24.9 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 55.1 | 0.1 | # | 0.9 |
Less than 10 percent accepted | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Number of enrollees (in thousands) |
1,556 | 1,542 | 14 | 1,047 | 1,041 | 6 | 509 | 502 | 8 | 487 | 485 | 2 | 22 | 17 | 5 |
Percentage distribution of enrollees by institutions' acceptance of applications |
100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
No application criteria | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † | † |
90 percent or more accepted | 13.1 | 13.0 | 32.0 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 7.5 | 12.8 | 12.2 | 52.6 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 21.2 | 21.4 | 7.3 | 66.9 |
75.0 to 89.9 percent accepted | 39.1 | 39.0 | 46.8 | 44.6 | 44.4 | 73.4 | 27.6 | 27.7 | 24.4 | 26.6 | 26.5 | 32.0 | 51.6 | 61.1 | 21.0 |
50.0 to 74.9 percent accepted | 30.9 | 31.0 | 14.0 | 28.4 | 28.5 | 15.7 | 36.0 | 36.3 | 12.6 | 37.2 | 37.2 | 21.2 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 8.7 |
25.0 to 49.9 percent accepted | 11.2 | 11.3 | 2.9 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 3.4 | 10.6 | 10.7 | 2.4 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 4.0 | 17.7 | 22.6 | 1.8 |
10.0 to 24.9 percent accepted | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 7.9 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 21.6 | 0.4 | # | 1.7 |
Less than 10 percent accepted | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Average institutional-level SAT scores of enrollees |
|||||||||||||||
Evidence-based reading and writing (ERW), 25th percentile2 |
516 | 516 | 497 | 507 | 508 | 462 | 522 | 522 | 566 | 522 | 522 | 594 | 524 | 528 | 511 |
ERW, 75th percentile2 | 614 | 614 | 595 | 606 | 607 | 565 | 618 | 618 | 656 | 618 | 618 | 712 | 604 | 623 | 546 |
Mathematics, 25th percentile2 | 510 | 511 | 482 | 502 | 503 | 446 | 516 | 516 | 554 | 516 | 516 | 572 | 517 | 517 | 519 |
Mathematics, 75th percentile2 | 610 | 610 | 581 | 602 | 603 | 545 | 615 | 614 | 654 | 615 | 614 | 709 | 614 | 637 | 544 |
Average institutional-level ACT scores of enrollees |
|||||||||||||||
Composite, 25th percentile2 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 18.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 16.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 20.0 | 20.5 | 18.0 |
Composite, 75th percentile2 | 26.2 | 26.3 | 22.4 | 25.7 | 25.8 | 20.8 | 26.6 | 26.6 | 24.8 | 26.6 | 26.6 | 26.0 | 24.6 | 25.5 | 21.0 |
English, 25th percentile2 | 19.6 | 19.7 | 14.8 | 18.9 | 19.0 | 14.0 | 20.1 | 20.1 | 16.3 | 20.1 | 20.1 | 15.5 | 18.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 |
English, 75th percentile2 | 26.6 | 26.6 | 21.3 | 26.0 | 26.1 | 20.5 | 26.9 | 27.0 | 23.0 | 27.0 | 27.0 | 24.0 | 24.3 | 25.3 | 21.0 |
Mathematics, 25th percentile2 | 19.3 | 19.3 | 16.0 | 18.9 | 18.9 | 15.8 | 19.5 | 19.6 | 16.3 | 19.6 | 19.6 | 16.0 | 18.0 | 18.3 | 17.0 |
Mathematics, 75th percentile2 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 19.7 | 25.2 | 25.3 | 19.8 | 25.7 | 25.7 | 19.3 | 25.7 | 25.8 | 19.5 | 22.3 | 23.3 | 19.0 |
†Not applicable. | |||||||||||||||
#Rounds to zero. | |||||||||||||||
1 The total on this table differs slightly from other counts of institutions with first-year undergraduates because approximately 1.0 percent of these institutions did not report application information. | |||||||||||||||
2 Data are only for institutions that require test scores for admission. Relatively few 2-year institutions require test scores for admission. The SAT evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) and mathematics scales range from 200 to 800. The ACT composite, English, and mathematics scales range from 1 to 36. | |||||||||||||||
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Excludes institutions not enrolling any first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. | |||||||||||||||
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Winter 2020-21, Admissions component. (This table was prepared October 2021.) |