What are NYU's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:
In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into NYU and build a strong application.
School location: New York, NY
This school is also known as: New York University
If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.
The acceptance rate at NYU is 16.2%. For every 100 applicants, only 16 are admitted.
This means the school is extremely selective. Meeting their GPA requirements and SAT/ACT requirements is very important to getting past their first round of filters and proving your academic preparation. If you don't meet their expectations, your chance of getting in is nearly zero.
After crossing this hurdle, you'll need to impress NYU application readers through their other application requirements, including extracurriculars, essays, and letters of recommendation. We'll cover more below.
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.
The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.
The average GPA at NYU is 3.69.
(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.
With a GPA of 3.69, NYU requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you're able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.
If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.69, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.
Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.
You must take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to NYU. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.
Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.
The average SAT score composite at NYU is a 1440 on the 1600 SAT scale.
This score makes NYU Strongly Competitive for SAT test scores.
The 25th percentile SAT score is 1370, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1510. In other words, a 1370 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1510 will move you up to above average.
NYU's high exam standards can be as imposing as Manhattan's iconic skyscrapers. We'll help you rise to the occasion with our professionals' advice for tutoring in Manhattan
.Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Math | 740 | 690 | 790 |
| Reading + Writing | 700 | 660 | 740 |
| Composite | 1440 | 1370 | 1510 |
The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.
NYU has the Score Choice policy of "Contact School."
This means that the school wants you to contact them to learn more about their Score Choice policies. Keep reading - we may have extra notes about this from our own expert research.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Just like for the SAT, NYU likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.
The average ACT score at NYU is 32. This score makes NYU Strongly Competitive for ACT scores.
The 25th percentile ACT score is 30, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 34.
Even though NYU likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 30 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 32 and above that a 30 will look academically weak.
If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.
Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.
This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 34 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.
By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.
However, from our research, NYU is understood to superscore the ACT. We couldn't confirm it directly from the school's admissions website, but multiple sources confirm that the school does superscore the ACT. We recommend you call their admissions office directly for more information.
Superscoring is powerful to your testing strategy, and you need to make sure you plan your testing accordingly. Of all the scores that NYU receives, your application readers will consider your highest section scores across all ACT test dates you submit.
Click below to learn more about how superscoring critically affects your test strategy.
For example, say you submit the following 4 test scores:
| English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 |
| Test 2 | 16 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 20 |
| Test 3 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 16 | 20 |
| Test 4 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 20 |
| Superscore | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
Even though the highest ACT composite you scored on any one test date was 20, NYU will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. You can raise your composite score from 20 to 32 in this example.
This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and NYU forms your Superscore, you can take the ACT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Your application readers will only see that one score.
Therefore, if your ACT score is currently below a 34, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the ACT and retaking it. You have a very good chance of raising your score, which will significantly boost your chances of getting in.
Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the ACT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on. This will give you the highest Superscore possible.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Both the SAT and ACT have an optional essay section.
NYU requires you to take the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section. They'll use this as another factor in their admissions consideration.
Schools vary in their SAT subject test requirements. Typically, selective schools tend to require them, while most schools in the country do not.
NYU requires SAT Subject Tests if you're submitting an SAT score, not an ACT score. If you submit an ACT score with Writing, you do not need SAT subject tests.
Typically, your SAT/ACT and GPA are far more heavily weighed than your SAT Subject Tests. If you have the choice between improving your SAT/ACT score or your SAT Subject Test scores, definitely choose to improve your SAT/ACT score.
We did more detailed research into this school and found the following information.
NYU has an interesting flexible testing requirement. They offer the following equivalent options for testing, of which you only need ONE:
Because NYU is a competitive school, and they still use these test scores to compare you to other applicants, we recommend you still take the SAT or ACT. However, in the case that your SAT/ACT score is dramatically worse than the other options, you can submit those in lieu of the SAT/ACT.
If you're submitting only SAT Subject Test, AP, or IB scores, not ethere are extra restrictions. You must submit:
For applicants to the Stern School of Business, one of the exams above must be in mathematics. For applicants to the Polytechnic School of Engineering, the exams above must include: one literature or humanities score; one math score; and one science score.
Because this school is extremely selective, getting a high SAT/ACT score and GPA is vital to having a chance at getting in. If you don't pass their SAT/ACT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration.
To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1510 SAT or a 34 ACT. You should also have a 3.69 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score.
For a school as selective as NYU, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. We'll cover those details next.
But if you apply with a score below a 1510 SAT or a 34 ACT, you unfortunately start out with the odds against you and have a tiny chance of getting in. There are just too many students with high SAT/ACT scores and strong applications, and you need to compete against them.
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.
Pick your test:
SAT
ACT
Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?
At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program. We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.
Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:
There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program, or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:
Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of NYU here.
We did more detailed research into this school's admissions process and found the following information:
NYU has two early decision deadlines: November 1 (December 15 notification) and January 1 (February 15 notification), as well as regular decision (January 1). Both early decision options are binding, so only select them if NYU is your top choice.
If you're interested in NYU, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to NYU.
These schools are have higher average SAT scores than NYU. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | 1520 | 34 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | 1510 | 34 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | 1505 | 34 |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | 1505 | 34 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | 1500 | 34 |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | 1500 | 34 |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | 1485 | 34 |
If you're competitive for NYU, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | 1450 | 33 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | 1440 | 32 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | 1435 | 33 |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | 1435 | 33 |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | 1420 | 33 |
| Boston University | Boston, MA | 1420 | 32 |
| Tulane University | New Orleans, LA | 1420 | 32 |
If you're currently competitive for NYU, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If NYU is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova University | Villanova, PA | 1395 | 33 |
| Binghamton University | Vestal, NY | 1375 | 30 |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | 1355 | 29 |
| University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX | 1350 | 30 |
| Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY | 1335 | 29 |
| California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA | 1335 | 29 |
| University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | 1315 | 29 |
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
Our experts have written hundreds of useful articles on improving your SAT score and getting into college. You'll definitely find something useful here.
Visit our blog now.Subscribe to our newsletter to get FREE strategies and guides sent to your email. Learn how to ace the SAT with exclusive tips and insights that we share with our private newsletter subscribers.
You should definitely follow us on social media. You'll get updates on our latest articles right on your feed. Follow us on all of our social networks: