Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Emory University Admissions: The SAT, ACT Scores and GPA You Need to Get In

emory university admissions emory university sat scores emory university act scores -magoosh

Ready to tap into your inner (modern-day, progressive) Scarlett O’Hara or Rhett Butler? Emory University in Atlanta just might be for you. The second-oldest university in Georgia, and among the 50 oldest in the country, Emory’s full of history. What else does it offer? Aside from top-notch academics, there’s a strong Greek system. There are some great scholarships. And if you value being in shape, you’re in luck: the school requires two physical education classes to graduate. Intrigued? Here’s what you need to know about Emory University admissions and how to get into Emory University: Emory University SAT scores, Emory University ACT scores, and more!

What do you need to know about how to get into Emory University? Here are the basic stats.

Emory University at a Glance

Emory University SAT Scores (middle 50%) 1420-1550
Emory University ACT Scores (middle 50%) 32-35
Emory University admissions rate 19%
Emory University GPA average (unweighted) 3.79–4.00

Emory University SAT Scores

You may have seen in the table above that the middle 50% of Emory University SAT scores ranged from 1420-1550. That’s pretty dang high.

If you scored below this range on the SAT, do you still have a shot of getting in to Emory? Sure—25% of students did. However, you don’t know what else they had going for them (perfect grades, parents donating a building…), and so if Emory is your dream school, it’s a good idea to get your scores into the Emory University SAT scores range.

Take a closer look at the score breakdown for more info.

Math 730–790
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 690–760

By section, you can see precisely how high Emory University SAT scores really are. 25% of students scored an 800 on SAT math. What?! And 25% of students scored above 760 on verbal.

The breakdown of Emory University SAT scores also shows that the range of math scores was wider than the range of verbal scores (not by much, but slightly). You can definitely compensate for a low score in one category with a high score in another…but don’t count on this too much. At the end of the day, Emory University SAT scores of accepted students were pretty even across sections.

Emory University ACT Scores

Emory University SAT scores are super high…but what about Emory University ACT scores? The two tests are given the same weight (the school doesn’t prefer one to the other), so it’s probably no surprise that Emory University ACT scores are in a similarly high range.

What are we looking at in terms of Emory University ACT scores? A middle 50% range of 32-35.

Again, that means that 25% of accepted students nailed a perfect ACT score. And again, it also means that 25% scored below 32. So if it’s too late to retake the exam and you have your heart set on Emory, by all means, apply! Just keep in mind that Emory University ACT scores are high and you may need to compensate for lower scores by making the rest of your application as great as possible.

Emory University Acceptance Rate

Given the high Emory University SAT scores and Emory University ACT scores, you probably won’t be too shocked to learn that the acceptance rate is pretty low: 19%.

What can you do to increase your shot of getting in? Great essays, letters of recommendation, and test scores will help. A passionate, demonstrated interest in a particular field will also be a big factor in your favor!

Here’s some advice from Mike M. from Transizion on how to further stand out in your application:

how to get into emory university -magoosh

“Make sure you take part in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities and events that play to your academic interests. Emory is looking for well-rounded students who are not afraid of taking chances. Force yourself to have educational experiences that place you outside of your comfort zone. Are you unsure of what you really want to do, or what major you want to study? Don’t worry. These experiences can help you to nail down some more specific goals. As a plus, being more confident in your ultimate goal will help you to more clearly articulate your personality and aspirations in your application essays. After all, that self-assuredness is what will help your application catch the eye of your admissions officer.”

Emory University GPA Average

When you look at Emory University admissions’ given GPA, you might be confused: it’s 3.79–4.00, which looks significantly lower than some GPAs at less-competitive schools. Why is that?

Primarily, it’s because this is an unweighted average. Sometimes, high schools grade higher-level classes out of a 5.0 (rather than a 4.0) scale, which means that their students can graduate with GPAs of 4.01 up to 5.0 (the latter is almost unheard of, though—nobody can take all AP classes for all four years!). That’s great, and Emory University admissions office will definitely look upon your taking those harder classes as a point in your favor…but they’re not going to give you the extra points on your GPA. Sorry.

Emory University Freshman Profile

Does everybody at Emory come from the South? Hardly. In fact, almost 17% of students are international, which is huge! 27% of students do come from the Southeast, with another 18.4% from Mid-Atlantic states. To be fair, a lot of students do want to stay close(ish) to home during college! Other regions are still represented, though: 10.8% of students from the Midwest, 15.5% from the West, 5% from New England, and 6.8% from the Southwest.

FAQ

Funding, you say?

Oh yes! Many elite schools (notably Ivies) don’t tend to award merit-based scholarships. Not so at Emory! Here, you’ll find the Emory Scholars Programs, which give out full and partial scholarships based on merit. There are also the Robert W. Woodroof Scholarship and the Goizueta Scholars Program.

Common App or Coalition?

Either!

I was waitlisted. Do I still have a shot at getting in?

You still have a shot, yes. But out of 2,000+ students accepting a place on the waitlist last year, only 41 got in…so it might be worth thinking about applying again as a transfer.

So transfer applications are accepted?

Yep! And there’s a pretty good acceptance rate: around 25%.

Wait…a 19% acceptance rate? I’ve read 23%/28%/31%.

The truth is that Emory’s more competitive now than in the past few years. These are the most recent stats. However, it looks like there is a slight edge to applying early decision, so if Emory’s your first chance school…go for it!

How to Get Into Emory University

How to get into Emory University? Make sure you know why you want to go there and why it’s a good fit for you—and make sure this shines through in your application. Beyond your GPA and letters of recommendation, make sure that you control the factors that you can still change: getting your test scores in the Emory University SAT scores and Emory University ACT scores ranges and writing awesome essays. Good luck!

Author

  • Rachel Kapelke-Dale

    Rachel is a Magoosh Content Creator. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book. Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel, THE BALLERINAS, is forthcoming in December 2021 from St. Martin’s Press, while her memoir, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND, co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn’t strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

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