Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best Photography schools. The average acceptance rate of best Photography schools is 23.59% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 27.89%.
Yale University has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 3.87% and Yale University has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 69.78% among best Photography 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 | Yale University | 57,517 (24,951/32,540) | 2,227 (1,136/1,091) | 1,554 (782/772) | 4% (5%/3%) | 70% (69%/2%) |
| 2 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 6,626 (1,373/5,235) | 5,133 (995/4,125) | 604 (133/471) | 77% (72%/79%) | 12% (13%/9%) |
| 3 | Rhode Island School of Design | 6,692 (1,406/5,279) | 1,249 (287/962) | 518 (134/384) | 19% (20%/18%) | 41% (47%/7%) |
| 4 | California Institute of the Arts | 2,004 (570/1,235) | 648 (186/398) | 181 (45/109) | 32% (33%/32%) | 28% (24%/9%) |
| 5 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 12,269 (5,086/7,146) | 11,678 (4,818/6,823) | 3,642 (1,572/2,055) | 95% (95%/95%) | 31% (33%/29%) |
| 6 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 27,911 (16,374/11,507) | 18,682 (10,916/7,742) | 3,042 (1,954/1,081) | 67% (67%/67%) | 16% (18%/9%) |
| 6 | School of Visual Arts | 3,140 (731/2,409) | 2,909 (652/2,257) | 604 (142/462) | 93% (89%/94%) | 21% (22%/19%) |
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles | 146,272 (67,788/78,484) | 13,114 (5,468/7,646) | 6,610 (2,629/3,981) | 9% (8%/10%) | 50% (48%/5%) |
| 9 | California College of the Arts | 2,371 (558/1,802) | 2,160 (489/1,662) | 172 (51/117) | 91% (88%/92%) | 8% (10%/6%) |
| 10 | Columbia College Chicago | 7,079 (2,651/3,905) | 6,333 (2,299/3,559) | 959 (387/463) | 89% (87%/91%) | 15% (17%/12%) |
| Average | 27,188 (12,149/12,149) | 6,413 (2,725/3,627) | 1,789 (783/990) | 23.59% (22.4%/29.9%) | 27.89% (28.7%/27.3%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best Photography schools is 1346. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 670 and the average SAT Math score is 676.
Yale University has the highest SAT scores of 1,540 and University of New Mexico-Main Campus has the lowest SAT scores of 1,020 among best Photography schools. The following table compares SAT Scores between best Photography schools for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | 61% (950) | 1540 | 760 | 780 |
| 2 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Test Score is NOT considered for School of the Art Institute of Chicago admission. | |||
| 3 | Rhode Island School of Design | 15% (80) | 1480 | 720 | 760 |
| 4 | California Institute of the Arts | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of the Arts admission. | |||
| 5 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 48% (1,758) | 1020 | 520 | 500 |
| 6 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 40% (1,212) | 1370 | 680 | 690 |
| 6 | School of Visual Arts | 7% (42) | 1320 | 670 | 650 |
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Los Angeles admission. | |||
| 9 | California College of the Arts | Test Score is NOT considered for California College of the Arts admission. | |||
| 10 | Columbia College Chicago | Test Score is NOT considered for Columbia College Chicago admission. | |||
| Average | 34.20% | 1346 | 670 | 676 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best Photography schools is 30. By subject, the average ACT English score is 31 and the ACT math score is 29.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best Photography schools for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | 25% (384) | 34 | 35 | 34 |
| 2 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Test Score is NOT considered for School of the Art Institute of Chicago admission. | |||
| 3 | Rhode Island School of Design | 3% (17) | 32 | 35 | 30 |
| 4 | California Institute of the Arts | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of the Arts admission. | |||
| 5 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 8% (286) | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| 6 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 9% (283) | 32 | 32 | 30 |
| 6 | School of Visual Arts | 0% (3) | |||
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Los Angeles admission. | |||
| 9 | California College of the Arts | Test Score is NOT considered for California College of the Arts admission. | |||
| 10 | Columbia College Chicago | Test Score is NOT considered for Columbia College Chicago admission. | |||
| Average | 11.25% | 30 | 31 | 29 | |
*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 Photography schools based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 2 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 3 | Rhode Island School of Design | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 4 | California Institute of the Arts | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 5 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 6 | Rochester Institute of Technology | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 6 | School of Visual Arts | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 9 | California College of the Arts | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 10 | Columbia College Chicago | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ |
✔: 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
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
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- Colleges with Most Students
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- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
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- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
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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.