Cairn University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 88%, Cairn University is an accessible private college in Pennsylvania. 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 Cairn University weighs, where it ranks among Pennsylvania schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1120, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Cairn 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 Cairn University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Cairn University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Cairn University?
Cairn University admits most qualified applicants (around 88%), 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 Cairn University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Cairn University hard to get into?
Cairn University is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 88% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Cairn University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Cairn University, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. Cairn University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Cairn University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Cairn 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 Cairn University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1080 SAT?
About 98% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1080 SAT, the middle of Cairn University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1160 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/cairn-university.
How to get into Cairn University
Built from Cairn 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 Cairn University, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Cairn University carries about a 3.03 core GPA and a 1110 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1000 to 1160 SAT. Submit a score at 1080 or higher; below 1000, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Cairn University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, 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 Cairn University's exact dates at www.cairn.edu.
How many students apply to Cairn University, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Cairn University received 505 applications and admitted 422, an acceptance rate of 83.6%. 260 enrolled. A yield that high means most admitted students choose Cairn University over their other options, a sign the school is a first choice rather than a backup. Cairn University enrolls about 775 undergraduates in total, 49% 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 Cairn University?
Admitted students at Cairn University post SAT scores of 1000 to 1160 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1110. A score above 1160 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1000 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Cairn 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 Cairn University looks for
What Cairn University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Cairn University leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Cairn 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 Cairn 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 Cairn University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Cairn University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $46,233 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $34,009. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $27,642 a year, and it ranges from $24,029 for families earning under $30,000 to $33,129 for families earning over $110,000. 32% 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 Cairn University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Cairn University students ten years after entry are $44,172 ($37,077 at the six-year mark). 60% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 77% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $26,926; 53% 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 Cairn University compares in Pennsylvania
Cairn University ranks #48 most selective of 62 schools in Pennsylvania in our database.
Among the 62 Pennsylvania schools we track, Cairn University ranks #48 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like University of Pennsylvania (5%) and Swarthmore College (7%) sit nearby, which makes Pennsylvania a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Cairn University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Cairn University with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Bethune-Cookman University, Wagner College, and Azusa Pacific 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.
More data for Pennsylvania: Penn State University engineering admissions
Frequently asked questions
What is Cairn University's acceptance rate?
Cairn University admitted 422 of 505 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 83.6% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 62% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Cairn University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1000 to 1160 on the SAT. A score above 1160 is in the top quarter of admits. Cairn University is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Cairn University test-optional?
Yes. Cairn 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 Cairn University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Cairn University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $27,642 a year against a sticker price of about $46,233. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $24,029 on average.
What do Cairn University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Cairn University are $44,172 a year among students who received federal aid, and 60% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Cairn University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Cairn University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Cairn University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Cairn 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 Cairn 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 Cairn University specifically.
What are the admission requirements for Cairn University?
Cairn University reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
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.