Admissions Factors
What Rochester Looks For
Rochester rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, extracurricular activities and character and personal qualities.
How Rochester 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
41.9%
9,056 of 21,609 applicants
Early decision admit rate
41.8%
Early decision admits equal 38% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
35.4%
262 of 741 who stayed on it
Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.73. 84.6% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Rochester look for in applicants?
Rochester rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, extracurricular activities and character and personal qualities.
Does Rochester consider legacy status?
Rochester rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Rochester track demonstrated interest?
Rochester rates the level of an applicant's interest as "important".
What is Rochester's waitlist acceptance rate?
741 students stayed on the waitlist and 262 were admitted, a rate of 35.4%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Rochester's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 472 of 1,129 applicants were admitted (41.8%), against 41.9% 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: Rochester’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.
