Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best Astrophysics schools. The average acceptance rate of best Astrophysics schools is 18.67% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 29.68%.
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 Astrophysics 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 | Princeton University | 40,468 (20,563/19,883) | 1,868 (903/965) | 1,410 (693/717) | 5% (4%/5%) | 75% (77%/4%) |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | 13,856 (9,401/4,446) | 356 (166/190) | 218 (107/111) | 3% (2%/4%) | 61% (64%/2%) |
| 3 | University of Chicago | 43,612 (19,195/23,636) | 1,955 (1,070/885) | 1,726 (955/771) | 4% (6%/4%) | 88% (89%/3%) |
| 4 | Harvard University | 54,008 (25,613/28,372) | 1,970 (920/1,050) | 1,647 (767/880) | 4% (4%/4%) | 84% (83%/3%) |
| 5 | 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 | 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%) |
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 28,232 (17,210/8,975) | 1,284 (606/612) | 1,102 (542/497) | 5% (4%/7%) | 86% (89%/6%) |
| 8 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 110,259 (50,112/60,147) | 36,347 (14,725/21,622) | 5,008 (1,918/3,090) | 33% (29%/36%) | 14% (13%/5%) |
| 9 | The University of Texas at Austin | 72,885 (35,912/36,750) | 19,417 (8,101/11,264) | 9,210 (3,847/5,343) | 27% (23%/31%) | 47% (47%/15%) |
| 10 | Johns Hopkins University | 45,895 (20,391/25,469) | 2,954 (1,419/1,527) | 1,389 (625/762) | 6% (7%/6%) | 47% (44%/3%) |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 88,478 (40,752/47,118) | 53,579 (23,582/29,600) | 9,169 (4,459/4,645) | 61% (58%/63%) | 17% (19%/10%) |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | 65,226 (30,339/34,887) | 3,523 (1,634/1,889) | 2,395 (1,108/1,287) | 5% (5%/5%) | 68% (68%/4%) |
| Average | 62,041 (29,975/29,975) | 11,580 (4,968/6,569) | 3,437 (1,547/1,877) | 18.67% (16.6%/21.9%) | 29.68% (31.1%/28.6%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best Astrophysics schools is 1509. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 741 and the average SAT Math score is 768.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest SAT scores of 1,560 and Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus has the lowest SAT scores of 1,330 among best Astrophysics schools. The following table compares SAT Scores between best Astrophysics schools for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University | 56% (783) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | University of Chicago | 49% (850) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 4 | Harvard University | 54% (892) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 5 | Stanford University | 51% (857) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 83% (911) | 1560 | 760 | 800 |
| 8 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Santa Barbara admission. | |||
| 9 | The University of Texas at Austin | 56% (5,189) | 1390 | 690 | 700 |
| 10 | Johns Hopkins University | 50% (691) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 31% (2,848) | 1330 | 660 | 670 |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | 50% (1,204) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| Average | 53.33% | 1509 | 741 | 768 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best Astrophysics 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 Astrophysics schools for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University | 21% (303) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | Test Score is NOT considered for California Institute of Technology admission. | |||
| 3 | University of Chicago | 27% (460) | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| 4 | Harvard University | 19% (321) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 5 | Stanford University | 19% (324) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Berkeley admission. | |||
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 29% (322) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 8 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Test Score is NOT considered for University of California-Santa Barbara admission. | |||
| 9 | The University of Texas at Austin | 18% (1,686) | 31 | 32 | 29 |
| 10 | Johns Hopkins University | 18% (254) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 5% (494) | 30 | 30 | 28 |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | 17% (416) | 35 | 35 | 35 |
| Average | 19.22% | 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 Astrophysics schools based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 3 | University of Chicago | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 4 | Harvard University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ |
| 5 | Stanford University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ |
| 8 | University of California-Santa Barbara | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| 9 | The University of Texas at Austin | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Johns Hopkins University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✔: 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.
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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.