What Is Acceptance Rate?
An acceptance rate is the share of applicants who are accepted, expressed as a percentage. It is used across colleges, universities, graduate programs, and job or grant applications to describe how selective a process is.
The rate is the number of accepted applicants divided by the total number of applicants, multiplied by 100. A low acceptance rate indicates a highly selective process, while a higher rate means most applicants are admitted. Because it depends only on the accepted count and the total applicant pool, it is quick to compute — though it says nothing about the quality of the applicants or the program itself.
Formula
Acceptance rate = (Applicants accepted ÷ Total applicants) × 100%
Applications
- Reporting a college or program admission rate
- Comparing selectivity across schools for an application list
- Tracking the hiring funnel for a job posting
- Measuring grant or scholarship award rates
- Estimating admission odds for planning purposes
Sources
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).