Vassar College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Vassar College, a private college in New York, reports a 19% acceptance rate and sits in the highly selective band. In practice that means it turns away most applicants, so a strong application is judged against an applicant pool that is already self-selected.
Use this page to see what Vassar College weighs, where it ranks among New York schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1490, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
Does vassar have supplemental essays?
Vassar College admitted 2,153 of 12,145 first-year applicants for fall 2023, an acceptance rate of 18.6%. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1450 to 1550 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT.
Source: IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 29, 2026.
Vassar College application deadlines, 2026-27
What do students study at Vassar 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 Vassar College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Vassar College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Vassar College?
Your odds at Vassar College are not the same as its 19% 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 Vassar College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Vassar College hard to get into?
Vassar College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 19% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Vassar College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Vassar College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Vassar College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Vassar College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Vassar College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 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 Vassar College with a 3.7 GPA and a 1500 SAT?
About 32% (Target), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1500 SAT, the middle of Vassar College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1550 SAT comes out near 39%. 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/vassar-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Vassar College
From Vassar 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 Vassar College?
38.4%. Vassar College admitted 402 of 1,046 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, against 20.9% of all 11,118 first-year applicants (Vassar College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Vassar College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 38.4% versus about 19.1% for everyone who applied another way, 2x the rate, and Early Decision filled 17.3% 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 Vassar College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Vassar College?
30 for fall 2025. Vassar College offered 918 applicants a waitlist spot, 510 accepted one, and 30 were admitted from it: 5.9% of those who stayed on (Vassar College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Vassar College?
14.8%: 54 of 365 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (Vassar College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: Vassar College Common Data Set 2025-26. Read from the document twice independently; only matching figures are shown. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Vassar College
Built from Vassar 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 Vassar 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 Vassar College carries about a 3.79 core GPA and a 1500 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 1450 to 1550 SAT (33 to 35 ACT). Submit a score at 1500 or higher; below 1450, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Vassar 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.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Vassar 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 Vassar College's exact dates at www.vassar.edu.
How many students apply to Vassar College, and how many get in?
Vassar College admitted 2,153 of the 12,145 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 17.7%. 689 enrolled. Only about 32% 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. Vassar College enrolls about 2,444 undergraduates in total, 62% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Vassar College?
Admitted students at Vassar College post SAT scores of 1450 to 1550 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1494. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 33 to 35. A score above 1550 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1450 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Vassar 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 Vassar College looks for
What Vassar College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
The factors that carry the most weight at Vassar College are rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Vassar 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 Vassar 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 Vassar College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Vassar College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $87,419 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $71,030. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $39,343 a year, and it ranges from $15,953 for families earning under $30,000 to $56,615 for families earning over $110,000. 19% 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 Vassar College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Vassar College students ten years after entry are $71,366 ($49,177 at the six-year mark). 91% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 95% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $18,625; 39% 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 Vassar College compares in New York
Vassar College ranks #7 most selective of 59 schools in New York in our database.
Among the 59 New York schools we track, Vassar College ranks #7 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Columbia University (4%) and Cornell University (9%) sit nearby, which makes New York a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Vassar College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Applicants targeting Vassar College often weigh University of Miami, Berea College, and College of the Holy Cross, 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 Vassar College's acceptance rate?
Vassar College admitted 2,153 of 12,145 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 17.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 32% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Vassar College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1450 to 1550 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT. A score above 1550 is in the top quarter of admits. Vassar College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Vassar College test-optional?
Yes. Vassar 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 Vassar College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Vassar College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $39,343 a year against a sticker price of about $87,419. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $15,953 on average.
What do Vassar College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Vassar College are $71,366 a year among students who received federal aid, and 91% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Vassar College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Vassar College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Vassar College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Vassar 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 Vassar 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 Vassar College specifically.
What makes an application stand out at Vassar College?
Beyond strong academics, Vassar College rewards a clear, specific story: focused activities with real impact, essays in an authentic voice, and recommendations that corroborate it. Depth beats a long list of unrelated activities.
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.