St. Ambrose University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 77%, St. Ambrose University is an accessible private college in Iowa. Because it admits most qualified applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what St. Ambrose University weighs, where it ranks among Iowa schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1120, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into St. Ambrose University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into St. Ambrose University?
St. Ambrose University admits most qualified applicants (around 77%), 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 St. Ambrose University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is St. Ambrose University hard to get into?
St. Ambrose University is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 77% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into St. Ambrose University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at St. Ambrose University, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. St. Ambrose University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at St. Ambrose University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1050 SAT?
About 94% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1050 SAT, the middle of St. Ambrose University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1170 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/st-ambrose-university.
How to get into St. Ambrose University
Built from St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at St. Ambrose University carries about a 3.15 core GPA and a 1120 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 930 to 1170 SAT (20 to 25 ACT). Submit a score at 1050 or higher; below 930, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University's exact dates at www.sau.edu.
How many students apply to St. Ambrose University, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, St. Ambrose University received 3,456 applications and admitted 2,534, an acceptance rate of 73.3%. 422 enrolled. Only about 17% 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. St. Ambrose University enrolls about 1,916 undergraduates in total, 53% 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 St. Ambrose University?
Admitted students at St. Ambrose University post SAT scores of 930 to 1170 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1093. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 20 to 25. A score above 1170 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 930 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University looks for
What St. Ambrose University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, St. Ambrose University leans most on 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 St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at St. Ambrose University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $51,141 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $36,658. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $24,691 a year, and it ranges from $22,037 for families earning under $30,000 to $27,807 for families earning over $110,000. 32% 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 St. Ambrose University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for St. Ambrose University students ten years after entry are $59,531 ($51,616 at the six-year mark). 61% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 76% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $25,000; 64% 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 St. Ambrose University compares in Iowa
St. Ambrose University ranks #10 most selective of 21 schools in Iowa in our database.
Among the 21 Iowa schools we track, St. Ambrose University ranks #10 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Grinnell College (15%) and William Penn University (52%) sit nearby, which makes Iowa a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to St. Ambrose University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around St. Ambrose University with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Bradley University, Gardner-Webb University, and Seattle 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 St. Ambrose University's acceptance rate?
St. Ambrose University admitted 2,534 of 3,456 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 73.3% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 17% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for St. Ambrose University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 930 to 1170 on the SAT and 20 to 25 on the ACT. A score above 1170 is in the top quarter of admits. St. Ambrose University is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is St. Ambrose University test-optional?
Yes. St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at St. Ambrose University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $24,691 a year against a sticker price of about $51,141. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $22,037 on average.
What do St. Ambrose University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering St. Ambrose University are $59,531 a year among students who received federal aid, and 61% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does St. Ambrose University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, St. Ambrose University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does St. Ambrose University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose 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 St. Ambrose University specifically.
What are the admission requirements for St. Ambrose University?
St. Ambrose University 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.