Grinnell College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 24%. Founded in 1846, and located in Grinnell, Iowa, Grinnell has an endowment of nearly $2 billion and a 9-to-1 student/faculty ratio. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Grinnell was awarded a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Students can choose from 42 areas of study, and the college relies on individualized planning and advising instead of core requirements. In athletics, the Grinnell Pioneers compete in the NCAA Division III Midwest Conference. Popular sports include football, soccer, basketball, and cross country. 

Considering applying to Grinnell College? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students.

During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Grinnell College had an acceptance rate of 24%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 24 students were admitted, making Grinnell's admissions process highly competitive.

Grinnell College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 48% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Grinnell's admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Grinnell scored between 670 and 740, while 25% scored below 670 and 25% scored above 740. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 700 and 790, while 25% scored below 700 and 25% scored above 790. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1530 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Grinnell.

At Grinnell, the SAT writing section is optional. Note that Grinnell participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each section across all SAT test dates. Grinnell does not require SAT Subject test scores.

Grinnell College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 52% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Grinnell's admitted students fall within the top 5% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Grinnell received a composite ACT score between 31 and 34, while 25% scored above 34 and 25% scored below 31.

Note that Grinnell does not superscore ACT results; your highest composite ACT score will be considered. At Grinnell, the ACT writing section is optional.

Grinnell College does not provide data about admitted high school students' high school GPAs.

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Grinnell College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Grinnell College has a highly competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, Grinnell has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong application essay and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. Note that a personal interview is not required, but is strongly encouraged. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside of Grinnell's average range.

In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that most students who got into Grinnell had at least "A-" averages, SAT scores (ERW+M) above 1300, and ACT composite scores above 28. A winning application, however, is about more than good grades and test scores. If you look at the red on the graph (rejected students), you'll see that several students with high grades and test scores were rejected from Grinnell.

• Amherst
• Bowdoin
• Claremont McKenna
• Davidson
• Haverford
• Middlebury
• Pomona
• Swarthmore
• Vassar
• Washington and Lee
• Wellesley
• Wesleyan
• Williams

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Grinnell College Undergraduate Admissions Office.