Butler University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 85%, Butler University is an accessible private college in Indiana. Because it admits most qualified applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Butler University weighs, where it ranks among Indiana schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1340, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Butler University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Butler University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Butler University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Butler University?
Butler University admits most qualified applicants (around 85%), but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Butler University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Butler University hard to get into?
Butler University is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 85% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Butler University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Butler University, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. Butler University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Butler University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Butler University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Butler University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1260 SAT?
About 98% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1260 SAT, the middle of Butler University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1350 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/butler-university.
How to get into Butler University
Built from Butler University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into Butler University, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Butler University carries about a 3.07 core GPA and a 1300 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1160 to 1350 SAT (26 to 31 ACT). Submit a score at 1255 or higher; below 1160, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Butler University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Butler University's exact dates at www.butler.edu.
How many students apply to Butler University, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Butler University received 9,431 applications and admitted 8,098, an acceptance rate of 85.9%. 1,151 enrolled. Only about 14% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Butler University enrolls about 4,317 undergraduates in total, 60% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Butler University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Butler University scored between 1160 and 1350 on the SAT (average 1274). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 26 to 31. A score above 1350 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1160 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Butler University is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Butler University looks for
What Butler University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Butler University leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Butler University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Butler University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Butler University cost after financial aid?
Butler University's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $65,970 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $47,560. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $36,041 a year, and it ranges from $25,278 for families earning under $30,000 to $41,134 for families earning over $110,000. 15% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Butler University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Butler University student who received federal aid earns $77,235 a year, up from $61,627 at six years. 80% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 87% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $26,000; 43% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Butler University compares in Indiana
Butler University ranks #31 most selective of 40 schools in Indiana in our database.
Among the 40 Indiana schools we track, Butler University ranks #31 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like University of Notre Dame (11%) and Purdue University (50%) sit nearby, which makes Indiana a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Butler University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Butler University with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as California Baptist University, University of St. Thomas, and Edward Waters University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Butler University's acceptance rate?
Butler University admitted 8,098 of 9,431 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 85.9% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 14% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Butler University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1160 to 1350 on the SAT and 26 to 31 on the ACT. A score above 1350 is in the top quarter of admits. Butler University is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Butler University test-optional?
Yes. Butler University reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Butler University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Butler University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $36,041 a year against a sticker price of about $65,970. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $25,278 on average.
What do Butler University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Butler University are $77,235 a year among students who received federal aid, and 80% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Butler University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Butler University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Butler University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Butler University's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Butler University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Butler University specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.