What are University of Wisconsin - River Falls'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:
- GPA requirements
- Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
- Application requirements
In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into University of Wisconsin - River Falls and build a strong application.
School location: River Falls, WI
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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls is 84.7%. For every 100 applicants, 85 are admitted.
This means the school is
lightly selective. The school will have their expected requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If you meet their requirements, you're almost certain to get an offer of admission. But if you don't meet University of Wisconsin - River Falls's requirements, you'll be one of the unlucky few people who gets rejected.
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University of Wisconsin - River Falls GPA Requirements
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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls is 3.44.
(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.
With a GPA of 3.44, University of Wisconsin - River Falls
requires you to be around average in your high school class. You'll need a mix of A's and B's, and very few C's. If you have a lower GPA, you can compensate with harder courses like AP or IB classes. This will help boost your weighted GPA and show your ability to take college classes.
SAT and ACT Requirements
Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls recommends that you take the SAT or ACT. This means the test might be optional, but submitting a good SAT/ACT score will boost your application chances, especially since most other students will be submitting their scores.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls SAT Requirements
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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls is a 1110 on the 1600 SAT scale.
This score makes University of Wisconsin - River Falls Competitive for SAT test scores.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)
The 25th percentile SAT score is 1010, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1210. In other words, a 1010 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1210 will move you up to above average.
Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
Math | 550 | 490 | 610 |
Reading + Writing | 560 | 520 | 600 |
Composite | 1110 | 1010 | 1210 |
SAT Score Choice Policy
The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls ACT Requirements
Just like for the SAT, University of Wisconsin - River Falls 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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls is 21. This score makes University of Wisconsin - River Falls Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.
The 25th percentile ACT score is 18, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 25.
ACT Score Sending Policy
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 18 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.
ACT Superscore Policy
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.
We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to University of Wisconsin - River Falls, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 18.
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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements
Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require or recommend it.
What are your chances of admission at University of Wisconsin - River Falls?
Chances of admission with these scores:
Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.
Pick your test:
SAT
ACT
Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
- 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
- 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
- 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
- 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
- 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.
How would your chances improve with a better score?
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:
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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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls here.
Application Requirements Overview
-
Common Application
Not accepted
-
Electronic Application
Available
-
Essay or Personal Statement
Required for all freshmen
-
Letters of Recommendation
2
-
Interview
Not required
-
Application Fee
$44
-
Fee Waiver Available?
Available
-
Other Notes
Rank in upper 40% of high school class recommended for freshmen
Testing Requirements
-
SAT or ACT
Recommended
-
Scores Due in Office
August 1
Coursework Requirements
-
Subject
Required Years
-
English
4
-
Math
3
-
Science
3
-
Foreign Language
-
Social Studies
3
-
History
-
Electives
4
Deadlines and Early Admissions
-
-
Offered?
Deadline
Notification
-
Regular Admission
-
Early Action
-
Early Decision
Admissions Office Information
If you're interested in University of Wisconsin - River Falls, 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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into
These schools are have higher average SAT scores than University of Wisconsin - River Falls. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into
If you're competitive for University of Wisconsin - River Falls, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.
Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into
If you're currently competitive for University of Wisconsin - River Falls, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If University of Wisconsin - River Falls is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.
Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.
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