Admissions Factors
What Emory Looks For
Emory rates 6 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
How Emory rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Considered
Not considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
10.3%
3,869 of 37,561 applicants
Early decision admit rate
22.2%
Early decision admits equal 73% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
4.3%
274 of 6,422 who stayed on it
Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.80. 76% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Emory look for in applicants?
Emory rates 6 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
Does Emory consider legacy status?
Emory rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Emory track demonstrated interest?
Emory rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Emory's waitlist acceptance rate?
6,422 students stayed on the waitlist and 274 were admitted, a rate of 4.3%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Emory's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 1,049 of 4,728 applicants were admitted (22.2%), against 10.3% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Emory’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
