Lafayette College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 31%, Lafayette College is a selective private college in Pennsylvania. Because it admits a minority of applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Lafayette College 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 1410, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Lafayette College?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Lafayette College admitted 38% of Early Decision applicants (356 of 937), against about 30.5% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 31.2%.
Source: Lafayette College Common Data Set 2025-26, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 31, 2026.
Lafayette College application deadlines, 2026-27 · Lafayette College supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at Lafayette 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 Lafayette College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Lafayette College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Lafayette College?
Lafayette College admits roughly 31% 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 Lafayette College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Lafayette College hard to get into?
Lafayette College is selective: it admits a minority of applicants, with about a 31% acceptance rate. A solid academic record puts you in good position, and the rest of your profile can tip the result either way.
What GPA do you need to get into Lafayette College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Lafayette College, but admitted students commonly present roughly a 3.5 to 3.9 GPA. Lafayette College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Lafayette College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Lafayette 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 Lafayette College with a 3.7 GPA and a 1430 SAT?
About 54% (Likely), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1430 SAT, the middle of Lafayette College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1500 SAT comes out near 65%. 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/lafayette-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Lafayette College
From Lafayette College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set (fall 2025 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Lafayette College?
38%. Lafayette College admitted 356 of 937 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, against 31.2% of all 10,556 first-year applicants (Lafayette College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Lafayette College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 38% versus about 30.5% for everyone who applied another way, 1.2x the rate, and Early Decision filled 10.8% 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 Lafayette College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Lafayette College?
171 for fall 2025. Lafayette College offered 2,660 applicants a waitlist spot, 1,316 accepted one, and 171 were admitted from it: 13% of those who stayed on (Lafayette College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Lafayette College?
22.7%: 53 of 233 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (Lafayette College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: Lafayette College Common Data Set 2025-26. Every figure appears verbatim in the document. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Lafayette College
Built from Lafayette College'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 Lafayette College, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Lafayette College carries about a 3.66 core GPA and a 1450 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 1350 to 1500 SAT (31 to 33 ACT). Submit a score at 1425 or higher; below 1350, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Lafayette College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and recommendations highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: recommenders who have seen you work, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Lafayette College 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 Lafayette College's exact dates at www.lafayette.edu.
How many students apply to Lafayette College, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Lafayette College received 9,874 applications and admitted 3,107, an acceptance rate of 31.5%. 697 enrolled. Only about 22% 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. Lafayette College enrolls about 2,757 undergraduates in total, 50% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Lafayette College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Lafayette College scored between 1350 and 1500 on the SAT (average 1424). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 31 to 33. A score above 1500 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1350 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Lafayette 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 Lafayette College looks for
What Lafayette College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Lafayette College leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and recommendations. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Lafayette 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette College cost after financial aid?
Lafayette College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $83,133 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $65,398. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $34,433 a year, and it ranges from $12,716 for families earning under $30,000 to $52,608 for families earning over $110,000. 12% 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 Lafayette College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Lafayette College student who received federal aid earns $91,410 a year, up from $80,614 at six years. 88% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 90% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $16,000; 20% 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 Lafayette College compares in Pennsylvania
Lafayette College ranks #10 most selective of 62 schools in Pennsylvania in our database.
Among the 62 Pennsylvania schools we track, Lafayette College ranks #10 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 Lafayette College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Lafayette College with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Kenyon College, Bucknell University, and Fairfield 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 Lafayette College's acceptance rate?
Lafayette College admitted 3,107 of 9,874 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 31.5% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 22% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Lafayette College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1350 to 1500 on the SAT and 31 to 33 on the ACT. A score above 1500 is in the top quarter of admits. Lafayette College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Lafayette College test-optional?
Yes. Lafayette 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 Lafayette College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Lafayette College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $34,433 a year against a sticker price of about $83,133. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $12,716 on average.
What do Lafayette College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Lafayette College are $91,410 a year among students who received federal aid, and 88% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Lafayette College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Lafayette College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and recommendations most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Lafayette College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Lafayette 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette College 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.