Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best Physical Chemistry schools. The average acceptance rate of best Physical Chemistry schools is 22.11% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 29.26%.
California Institute of Technology has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 2.57% and University of Chicago has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 88.29% among best Physical Chemistry schools. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | 124,242 (60,612/63,630) | 13,639 (5,473/8,166) | 6,272 (2,705/3,567) | 11% (9%/13%) | 46% (49%/6%) |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | 13,856 (9,401/4,446) | 356 (166/190) | 218 (107/111) | 3% (2%/4%) | 61% (64%/2%) |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 28,232 (17,210/8,975) | 1,284 (606/612) | 1,102 (542/497) | 5% (4%/7%) | 86% (89%/6%) |
| 4 | Stanford University | 57,326 (29,602/27,724) | 2,067 (1,015/1,052) | 1,693 (835/858) | 4% (3%/4%) | 82% (82%/3%) |
| 5 | Northwestern University | 49,474 (23,774/25,686) | 3,806 (1,735/2,070) | 2,105 (977/1,127) | 8% (7%/8%) | 55% (56%/4%) |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 43,612 (19,195/23,636) | 1,955 (1,070/885) | 1,726 (955/771) | 4% (6%/4%) | 88% (89%/3%) |
| 7 | Harvard University | 54,008 (25,613/28,372) | 1,970 (920/1,050) | 1,647 (767/880) | 4% (4%/4%) | 84% (83%/3%) |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 65,894 (32,837/33,037) | 29,782 (13,832/15,941) | 8,514 (3,779/4,734) | 45% (42%/48%) | 29% (27%/14%) |
| 9 | University of Colorado Boulder | 67,286 (33,451/33,805) | 52,539 (24,316/28,201) | 7,432 (3,666/3,762) | 78% (73%/83%) | 14% (15%/11%) |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 60,115 (26,607/32,507) | 2,400 (1,122/1,226) | 1,558 (795/736) | 4% (4%/4%) | 65% (71%/2%) |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 73,742 (41,597/32,124) | 31,247 (15,134/16,102) | 9,008 (4,538/4,469) | 42% (36%/50%) | 29% (30%/14%) |
| Average | 57,981 (29,082/29,082) | 12,822 (5,944/6,863) | 3,752 (1,788/1,956) | 22.11% (20.4%/23.6%) | 29.26% (30.1%/28.5%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best Physical Chemistry schools is 1504. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 738 and the average SAT Math score is 767.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest SAT scores of 1,560 and University of Colorado Boulder has the lowest SAT scores of 1,340 among best Physical Chemistry schools. The following table compares SAT Scores between best Physical Chemistry schools for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 83% (911) | 1560 | 760 | 800 |
| 4 | Stanford University | 51% (857) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 5 | Northwestern University | 46% (963) | 1540 | 760 | 780 |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 49% (850) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 7 | Harvard University | 54% (892) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 15% (1,241) | 1460 | 710 | 750 |
| 9 | University of Colorado Boulder | 18% (1,372) | 1340 | 670 | 670 |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 45% (680) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 48% (4,310) | 1440 | 700 | 740 |
| Average | 45.44% | 1504 | 738 | 767 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best Physical Chemistry schools is 34. By subject, the average ACT English score is 34 and the ACT math score is 33.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best Physical Chemistry schools for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 29% (322) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 4 | Stanford University | 19% (324) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 5 | Northwestern University | 23% (488) | 34 | 35 | 34 |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 27% (460) | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| 7 | Harvard University | 19% (321) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 29% (2,498) | 31 | 32 | 30 |
| 9 | University of Colorado Boulder | 6% (453) | 31 | 32 | 28 |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 18% (267) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 16% (1,408) | 32 | 34 | 32 |
| Average | 20.67% | 34 | 34 | 33 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best Physical Chemistry schools based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ |
| 4 | Stanford University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 5 | Northwestern University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 6 | University of Chicago | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 7 | Harvard University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 9 | University of Colorado Boulder | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 10 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator.
Top Colleges By Subject
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*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.