Admissions Factors
What Tulane Looks For
Tulane rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, extracurricular activities and volunteer work.
How Tulane rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Important
Considered
Not considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
14.5%
4,763 of 32,942 applicants
Early decision admit rate
58.2%
Early decision admits equal 65% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
2%
64 of 3,158 who stayed on it
Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.67. 53% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Tulane look for in applicants?
Tulane rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, extracurricular activities and volunteer work.
Does Tulane consider legacy status?
Tulane rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Tulane track demonstrated interest?
Tulane rates the level of an applicant's interest as "important".
What is Tulane's waitlist acceptance rate?
3,158 students stayed on the waitlist and 64 were admitted, a rate of 2%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Tulane's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 1,209 of 2,077 applicants were admitted (58.2%), against 14.5% 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: Tulane’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.
