Guilford College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Guilford College is a private college in North Carolina that admits most qualified applicants (around 80%), which puts it in the accessible range. A rate like this means it admits most qualified applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Guilford College weighs, where it ranks among North Carolina schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1230, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Guilford College?
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 Guilford College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Guilford College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Guilford College?
At Guilford College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 80% admit rate. 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 Guilford College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Guilford College hard to get into?
Guilford College is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 80% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Guilford College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Guilford College, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. Guilford College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Guilford College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Guilford College 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 Guilford College with a 3.1 GPA and a 1190 SAT?
About 97% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1190 SAT, the middle of Guilford College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1260 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/guilford-college.
How to get into Guilford College
Built from Guilford College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Guilford College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Guilford College carries about a 3.12 core GPA and a 1210 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1120 to 1260 SAT (18 to 24 ACT). Submit a score at 1190 or higher; below 1120, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Guilford College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities 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 Guilford College's exact dates at www.guilford.edu.
How many students apply to Guilford College, and how many get in?
3,775 students applied to Guilford College for fall 2023; 3,162 were admitted (83.8%). 366 enrolled. Only about 12% 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. Guilford College enrolls about 1,001 undergraduates in total, 48% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 12 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Guilford College?
Admitted students at Guilford College post SAT scores of 1120 to 1260 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1105. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 18 to 24. A score above 1260 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1120 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Guilford College 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 Guilford College looks for
What Guilford College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Guilford College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Guilford College'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 Guilford College
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 Guilford College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Guilford College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $55,689 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $41,362. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $22,270 a year, and it ranges from $18,367 for families earning under $30,000 to $49,368 for families earning over $110,000. 44% 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 Guilford College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Guilford College students ten years after entry are $47,590 ($40,401 at the six-year mark). 46% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 65% 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 Guilford College compares in North Carolina
Guilford College ranks #25 most selective of 38 schools in North Carolina in our database.
Among the 38 North Carolina schools we track, Guilford College ranks #25 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Duke University (6%) and Davidson College (13%) sit nearby, which makes North Carolina a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Guilford College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Guilford College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Creighton University, Arcadia University, and Cornell 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 Guilford College's acceptance rate?
Guilford College admitted 3,162 of 3,775 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 83.8% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 12% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Guilford College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1120 to 1260 on the SAT and 18 to 24 on the ACT. A score above 1260 is in the top quarter of admits. Guilford College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Guilford College test-optional?
Yes. Guilford College 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 Guilford College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Guilford College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $22,270 a year against a sticker price of about $55,689. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $18,367 on average.
What do Guilford College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Guilford College are $47,590 a year among students who received federal aid, and 46% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Guilford College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Guilford College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Guilford College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Guilford College'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 Guilford College?
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 Guilford College specifically.
What are the admission requirements for Guilford College?
Guilford College 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.