College profilesElite Private · NY

New York University

NYU publishes an acceptance rate of 7.7% and is test-optional for the 2026-27 cycle.

Acceptance rate
7.7%
College Scorecard, latest cycle
SAT middle 50%
1170–1340
Section 25th–75th, summed
ACT middle 50%
25–29
Avg. HS GPA
3.81
Fall 2024 first-year class (CDS 2024-2025)
Test policy
Test-Optional
2026-27
Regular deadline
Jan 5, 2027

Acceptance rate

What NYU's 9.1% is made of

The published rate averages groups with very different odds. These are the splits NYU reports itself.

Transfer

39%
Transfer applicants
9.1%
First-year applicants

Fall 2025 degree-seeking transfer admission cycle (CDS 2025-26, Section D2) · as of August 2026 · 4.3× easier than first-year

Read the transfer analysis →

Part of Real Acceptance Rates, our series decomposing published rates from each school's own Common Data Set.

Testing

Test-Optional for 2026-27

Policy

NYU confirms on its official site: 'NYU will continue to remain test-optional through the 2027-2028 application cycle.' If scores are submitted, only one testing format is used; SAT, ACT, APs, IB, A-Levels, and other exams are all accepted flexibly.

SAT middle 50%
1170–1340sum of section 25th–75th percentiles
ACT middle 50%
25–29
Average HS GPA
3.81Fall 2024 first-year class (CDS 2024-2025) · Source

Applying

Deadlines, essays and AI policy

Early deadlines
Nov 1, 2026 (ED1); Jan 1, 2027 (ED2)
Regular decision
Jan 5, 2027Source
Supplemental essays
None beyond the personal statement

NYU requires only the Common App personal essay; there is no NYU-specific supplemental writing prompt.

AI use in essays

Limited Use Allowed — applies to The undergraduate application as a whole, including essays (section titled 'AI use in the Application')

NYU does not use AI detection technology as part of the review process. We trust that applicants are submitting their original work and expect prospective students to uphold the same practices and standards as all NYU students, when incorporating AI in their academic work. While applicants may utilize AI as a tool during the college application process, their final application submission should be their authentic creation.

Full cycle calendar: Application Deadlines.

At a glance

Size and cost

Undergraduate enrollment
6,086
Tuition (out-of-state)
$18,822
Category
Elite Private
Admissions site
www.newpaltz.edu

What should this school mean for your list?

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Sources

Test policy and deadlines last verified 2026-08-17.

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