NYU’s acceptance rate dropped to 7.7% for the 2024-25 admissions cycle, the lowest ever recorded at the university’s New York campus. Newly admitted students were selected from a pool of over 120,000 applicants — the highest number of applicants received by any private university.  

The College of Arts & Science, the Stern School of Business and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing all saw acceptance rates of less than 5%. The university also saw a new record for the largest early decision applicant pool in its history, considering over 25,000 applications — a 10% uptick from last year. Students entering the class of 2029 come from 128 countries, 50 states and around 1,000 come from New York City public schools. According to NYU, about 20% of the class of 2029 will be federal Pell Grant recipients, and 20% will be first-generation students. 

“Year after year, we are in awe of the talent and ambition of the many students who aspire to join the NYU community and are thrilled to offer admission to this group of students,” Carol Kim, the vice president for global recruitment, admissions and financial aid, said in a press release. “The perspectives of these remarkable individuals will enrich our classrooms, their curiosity will fuel groundbreaking research, and most importantly, their commitment to collaboration reflects the very essence of our mission — building bridges of understanding and cooperation.”

Last year, NYU maintained an acceptance rate of 8% from a pool of over 118,000 applications, which marked the first time the pool decreased in 17 years. This year’s admitted students will be the second class at the university eligible for President Linda Mills’ NYU Promise, which makes tuition free for families with incomes of less than $100,000. The incoming class will also benefit from NYU’s commitment to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial aid for every student — a policy the university has followed since 2021. 

NYU has placed more emphasis on its admitted Pell Grant recipients since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-sensitive admissions in 2023. The university’s first admitted class following the decision saw a sharp drop in enrollment of underrepresented minorities — with Black student admissions falling to 4% from 7% and Latino student admissions falling to 10% from 15% — while its portion of Pell Grant recipients rose to 23% from 19%. 

Over the weekend, a hacker took over NYU’s website to accuse the university of “illegally” considering race in its latest admissions cycle, displaying graphs that showed lower average GPAs, SAT and ACT scores for Black and Latino students. Executive Vice President Martin Dorph later said in a Thursday statement that the graphs were “inaccurate and misleading” and that the university “scrupulously complies with the law.”

The acceptance rate record comes after NYU rose five spots in this year’s U.S. News and World Report’s national rankings, placing it at No. 30 out of 436 schools after a 10-spot drop in 2023. The university peaked at No. 25 in 2022, but dropped to No. 35 when the outlet changed its methodologies to put more emphasis on SAT scores and graduation rates. 

Contact Yezen Saadah at [email protected].