Knox College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Knox College, a private college in Illinois, reports a 71% acceptance rate and sits in the moderately selective band. In practice that means it admits more applicants than it rejects, so a strong application is judged against an applicant pool that is already self-selected.
Use this page to see what Knox College weighs, where it ranks among Illinois schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1280, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Knox 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 Knox College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Knox College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Knox College?
Your odds at Knox College are not the same as its 71% acceptance 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 Knox College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Knox College hard to get into?
Knox College is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 71% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Knox College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Knox College, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Knox College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Knox College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Knox 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 Knox College with a 3.1 GPA and a 1310 SAT?
About 93% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1310 SAT, the middle of Knox College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1440 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/knox-college.
How to get into Knox College
Built from Knox College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
There is no formula that guarantees a spot at Knox College, but the applicants who get in tend to do the same four things. Here is what the numbers say each one looks like.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Knox College carries about a 3.22 core GPA and a 1390 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1180 to 1440 SAT (21 to 32 ACT). Submit a score at 1310 or higher; below 1180, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Knox College 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 Knox College's exact dates at www.knox.edu.
How many students apply to Knox College, and how many get in?
Knox College admitted 2,942 of the 4,136 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 71.1%. 249 enrolled. Only about 8% 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. Knox College enrolls about 1,127 undergraduates in total, 50% 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 Knox College?
Admitted students at Knox College post SAT scores of 1180 to 1440 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1326. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 21 to 32. A score above 1440 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1180 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Knox 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 Knox College looks for
What Knox College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
The factors that carry the most weight at Knox College are 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 Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Knox College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $68,134 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $57,903. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $24,595 a year, and it ranges from $17,134 for families earning under $30,000 to $31,983 for families earning over $110,000. 31% 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 Knox College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Knox College students ten years after entry are $54,820 ($37,757 at the six-year mark). 68% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 83% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $27,000; 67% 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 Knox College compares in Illinois
Knox College ranks #19 most selective of 37 schools in Illinois in our database.
Among the 37 Illinois schools we track, Knox College ranks #19 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like University of Chicago (4%) and Northwestern University (8%) sit nearby, which makes Illinois a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Knox College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Applicants targeting Knox College often weigh University of the Pacific, Caldwell University, and Calvin University, which sit at a similar level. 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 Knox College's acceptance rate?
Knox College admitted 2,942 of 4,136 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 71.1% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 8% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Knox College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1180 to 1440 on the SAT and 21 to 32 on the ACT. A score above 1440 is in the top quarter of admits. Knox College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Knox College test-optional?
Yes. Knox 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 Knox College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Knox College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $24,595 a year against a sticker price of about $68,134. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $17,134 on average.
What do Knox College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Knox College are $54,820 a year among students who received federal aid, and 68% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Knox College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Knox College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Knox College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox College specifically.
What are the admission requirements for Knox College?
Knox 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.