Admissions Factors
What Vassar Looks For
Vassar rates 7 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
How Vassar 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
20.9%
2,327 of 11,118 applicants
Early decision admit rate
38.4%
Early decision admits equal 58% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
5.9%
30 of 510 who stayed on it
79% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Vassar look for in applicants?
Vassar rates 7 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
Does Vassar consider legacy status?
Vassar rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Vassar track demonstrated interest?
Vassar rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Vassar's waitlist acceptance rate?
510 students stayed on the waitlist and 30 were admitted, a rate of 5.9%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Vassar's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 402 of 1,046 applicants were admitted (38.4%), against 20.9% 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: Vassar’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.
