Denison University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 17%, Denison University is a highly selective private college in Ohio. Because it turns away most applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Denison University weighs, where it ranks among Ohio schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1400, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Denison 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 Denison University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Denison University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Denison University?
Denison University admits roughly 17% of applicants, 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 Denison University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Denison University hard to get into?
Denison University is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 17% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Denison University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Denison University, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Denison University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Denison University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Denison University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 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 Denison University with a 3.7 GPA and a 1410 SAT?
About 29% (Target), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1410 SAT, the middle of Denison University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1490 SAT comes out near 36%. 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/denison-university.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Denison University
From Denison University's own 2024-25 Common Data Set (fall 2024 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Denison University?
18.3%. Denison University admitted 356 of 1,941 Early Decision applicants for fall 2024, against 17.4% of all 15,012 first-year applicants (Denison University's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Denison University?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 18.3% versus about 17.3% for everyone who applied another way, 1.1x the rate, and Early Decision filled 13.6% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Denison University is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Denison University?
76 for fall 2024. Denison University offered 2,213 applicants a waitlist spot, 464 accepted one, and 76 were admitted from it: 16.4% of those who stayed on (Denison University's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Denison University?
22.6%: 61 of 270 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2024 (Denison University's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Source: Denison University Common Data Set 2024-25. Read from the document twice independently; only matching figures are shown. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Denison University
Built from Denison 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 Denison University, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Denison University carries about a 3.81 core GPA and a 1440 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Landing at or above it makes you competitive; the rest of the file decides.
The admitted middle 50% is 1320 to 1490 SAT (30 to 33 ACT). Submit a score at 1405 or higher; below 1320, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Denison 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.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Denison University is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Denison University's exact dates at www.denison.edu.
How many students apply to Denison University, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Denison University received 14,580 applications and admitted 2,468, an acceptance rate of 16.9%. 636 enrolled. Only about 26% 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. Denison University enrolls about 2,380 undergraduates in total, 52% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Denison University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Denison University scored between 1320 and 1490 on the SAT (average 1410). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 30 to 33. A score above 1490 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1320 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Denison 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 Denison University looks for
What Denison University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Denison University leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Denison 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 Denison 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 Denison University cost after financial aid?
Denison University's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $81,900 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $67,000. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $40,007 a year, and it ranges from $16,656 for families earning under $30,000 to $48,472 for families earning over $110,000. 13% 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 Denison University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Denison University student who received federal aid earns $67,753 a year, up from $51,352 at six years. 79% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 89% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $26,000; 51% 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 Denison University compares in Ohio
Denison University ranks #1 most selective of 45 schools in Ohio in our database.
Among the 45 Ohio schools we track, Denison University ranks the most selective by acceptance rate. Nothing else in the state is harder to get into; the next tier down includes Kenyon College at 31%.
Similar to Denison University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Denison University with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Babson College, College of the Holy Cross, and Colorado College. 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 Denison University's acceptance rate?
Denison University admitted 2,468 of 14,580 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 16.9% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 26% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Denison University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1320 to 1490 on the SAT and 30 to 33 on the ACT. A score above 1490 is in the top quarter of admits. Denison University is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Denison University test-optional?
Yes. Denison 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 Denison University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Denison University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $40,007 a year against a sticker price of about $81,900. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $16,656 on average.
What do Denison University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Denison University are $67,753 a year among students who received federal aid, and 79% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Denison University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Denison University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Denison University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Denison 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 Denison 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 Denison 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.