McKendree University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
McKendree University, a private college in Illinois, reports a 72% 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 McKendree University 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 1150, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at McKendree 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 McKendree University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into McKendree University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into McKendree University?
Your odds at McKendree University are not the same as its 72% 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 McKendree University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is McKendree University hard to get into?
McKendree University is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 72% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into McKendree University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at McKendree University, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. McKendree University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for McKendree University?
McKendree University does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1150. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at McKendree University.
Your chances at McKendree University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at McKendree 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 McKendree University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1090 SAT?
About 90% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1090 SAT, the middle of McKendree University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1150 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/mckendree-university.
How to get into McKendree University
Built from McKendree University'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 McKendree University, 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 McKendree University carries about a 3.21 core GPA and a 1100 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
McKendree University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores 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 McKendree University's exact dates at www.mckendree.edu.
How many students apply to McKendree University, and how many get in?
McKendree University admitted 1,694 of the 2,652 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 63.9%. 436 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. McKendree University enrolls about 1,752 undergraduates in total, 54% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for McKendree University?
McKendree University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What McKendree University looks for
What McKendree University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
The factors that carry the most weight at McKendree University are rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from McKendree 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 McKendree 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 McKendree University cost after financial aid?
McKendree University's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $48,845 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $34,740. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $24,717 a year, and it ranges from $21,928 for families earning under $30,000 to $29,066 for families earning over $110,000. 34% 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 McKendree University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median McKendree University student who received federal aid earns $58,572 a year, up from $49,439 at six years. 53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 67% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $23,250; 42% 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 McKendree University compares in Illinois
McKendree University ranks #21 most selective of 37 schools in Illinois in our database.
Among the 37 Illinois schools we track, McKendree University ranks #21 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 McKendree University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Applicants targeting McKendree University often weigh Canisius University, Quinnipiac University, and Stetson 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 McKendree University's acceptance rate?
McKendree University admitted 1,694 of 2,652 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 63.9% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 26% of admitted students enrolled.
Is McKendree University test-optional?
McKendree University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does McKendree University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at McKendree University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $24,717 a year against a sticker price of about $48,845. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $21,928 on average.
What do McKendree University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering McKendree University are $58,572 a year among students who received federal aid, and 53% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does McKendree University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, McKendree University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does McKendree University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. McKendree 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 McKendree 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 McKendree 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.