How to Get Into University of Virginia: Admissions Stats + Tips
Since its founding in 1812 by Thomas Jefferson, the University of Virginia (UVA) has earned a reputation as one of the most prestigious public universities in the nation. UVA prides itself on cultivating leaders and providing education at a reasonable cost on its beautiful and historic campus—it’s one of the few universities in the country that’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s no wonder UVA makes the list of CollegeVine’s top public universities in the U.S. Getting into UVA is hard—only 17% of applicants were admitted during the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. UVA had a staggering 58,951 students apply for admission in the 2024-2025 cycle, and only 9,909 were offered admission. During the 2024-2026 admissions cycle, UVA received 4,461 Early Decision (ED) applications and accepted 1,295 students, resulting in an ED acceptance rate of 29%. UVA also offers a non-binding Early Action (EA) option. While the university does not publish official figures, during the 2024–2025 admissions cycle, approximately 42,000 students applied through EA, and about 7,000 were admitted—an acceptance rate of roughly 17%. While the University of Virginia’s acceptance rate is incredibly low, your personal chances depend on the strength of your profile, and our free admissions calculator can help you understand your odds at UVA. Using a variety of factors, including your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, we estimate your chance of acceptance and offer tips to improve your profile. Slightly over 90% of students admitted to UVA during the 2024-2025 admissions cycle had a GPA of 4.0, and over 95% had GPAs higher than 3.75. The middle 50% SAT and ACT scores for UVA’s Class of 2025 are 1410–1520 and 32–35. UVA is test-optional for undergraduate applicants; approximately 60% of admitted students submitted standardized test scores. An impressive 84% of students accepted to the University of Virginia in the 2024-2025 admissions cycle graduated in the top 10% of their high school class, and 97% graduated in the top 25% of their high school class. The challenge of gaining admission to UVA depends on whether you’re an in-state or out-of-state student. For in-state students, UVA is a top 40-50 college in terms of profile competitiveness, but for out-of-state students, it’s about as competitive as a top 20 school (more than USC and UCLA and slightly less than UC Berkeley). Its acceptance rate for in-state students is 26%, while its acceptance rate for out-of-state students is 14%. Applicants who apply early decision (ED)/early action (EA) at UVA are accepted at a higher rate than those who apply for regular decision. However, applying ED/EA at UVA does not offer the same advantage that it does at other colleges (and carries minimal weight for in-state students). In general, UVA accepts more students from the waitlist than other schools. Waitlisted students should always follow through with the full process. Admissions Cycle Students Admitted from the Wait List 2024-2025 242 2023-2024 320 2022-2023 7 2021-2022 86 2020-2021 165 2019-2020 915 2018-2019 9 2017-2018 13 2016-2017 117 2015-2016 360 According to their 2024-2025 Common Data Set, the University of Virginia considers the following factors “very important”: These factors are “important”: These are “considered”: And these are “not considered”: [amp-cta id="9459"] A competitive applicant to UVA will have great grades in the most challenging coursework available—the university considers course rigor, class rank, and GPA all “very important” to admissions decisions. About nine in ten students accepted during the 2024-2025 admissions cycle had a 4.0 GPA. Students admitted to top-tier schools like UVA will have completed between five and eight AP classes, and out-of-state applicants to UVA will want to err on the high side. Colleges that receive tens of thousands of applications annually, such as UVA, use a tool known as the Academic Index to expedite admissions decisions. Academic Index is a representation of an applicant’s entire academic performance as a single number. If your Academic Index doesn’t meet an institution’s standard, you risk being deemed academically unqualified and not having your entire application read. If your GPA is low but you’re early in your high school career, there’s still time to give your GPA a boost. If you’re a junior or senior, raising your GPA is more challenging, so the most effective way to increase your Academic Index is by earning a high test score. UVA considers letters of recommendation “ important” when making admissions decisions and requires two letters: one from your high school counselor and one from a teacher in a core academic subject. The counselor recommendation provides a broad view of you, while teacher recommendations offer insight into how you’re likely to perform academically. Both counselor and teacher letters of recommendation should speak to your character/personal qualities, which is another factor UVA considers “very important,” and talent/ability, which the university considers “important.” Because teacher recommendations play a considerable role in admissions at UVA, it’s important to receive the best recommendation possible. Students are advised to follow the nine rules for requesting letters of recommendation from teachers: Remember, teachers aren’t compensated for writing letters of recommendation, and many end up writing letters for multiple students—make it easy on them and make sure to show your appreciation for the time they spend on it. The middle 50% SAT/ACT range of accepted students at UVA is 1410-1520/32-35. Any score in the middle 50% is good, but the higher into the range you score, the better your odds of admission are. UVA practices test-optional admissions, that is, applicants aren’t required to submit standardized test scores. Just because UVA is test-optional doesn’t mean you shouldn’t submit test scores. UVA “considers” them when making admissions decisions, and students who submit scores are accepted at higher rates than those who don’t. About 60% of students accepted in the 2024–2025 admissions cycle submitted standardized test scores—roughly 46% submitted SAT scores and 14% submitted ACT scores. We recommend submitting a score if it falls at or above the 25th percentile for admitted students at a given school (1410 SAT or 32 ACT at UVA). You can get recommendations on whether or not you should apply test-optional using our free chancing engine. UVA has a long-standing policy of accepting an applicant’s best test scores. They use the top score from each SAT section across all administrations of the same exam. If you submit an ACT score, you’re directed to report the composite and sub-scores as they appear on your official score report without any recalculation. Because of this, sitting for either the SAT or ACT two to three times can increase your score. To improve your SAT/ACT score, check out these free CollegeVine resources: The University of Virginia considers both extracurricular activities and talent/ability “important” to admissions decisions. Your application is more competitive at top schools like UVA if you have a highly developed interest known as a “spike” and one or two impressive extracurricular activities that demonstrate substantial achievement or leadership supporting it. Just how impressive is an extracurricular? The four tiers of extracurriculars are a good guide to understand how influential an activity is: Essays are an excellent way to distinguish yourself from other applicants, and the University of Virginia considers them “important” in its admissions decisions. UVA removed its supplemental essay requirement for the 2025–2026 admissions cycle, which means applicants have one opportunity—the Common App essay—to showcase their unique voice and highlight who they are and why they’re a strong fit for the school. Applying to UVA early decision/early action can give your odds of admission a boost, especially if you’re an out-of-state applicant. UVA has a three-phase admissions process that includes early decision, early action, and regular decision, each with its own acceptance rates: Early decision applications offer the best chances of admission but are also the most restrictive. If you apply ED at UVA, you’re agreeing to attend if admitted. Early action doesn’t offer the same acceptance advantage as ED, but it’s far less restrictive; it’s non-binding, which means you’re not committed to attend UVA if accepted and have until May 1 to decide whether or not to attend. Applying for early decision to UVA is a good strategy if UVA is your first choice and you’re positive it’s within your budget. Early action is a good option if you have a strong profile without your senior grades and want to wrap up your college search in advance and gain a slight edge in admissions. If neither of those applies to you, regular decision is a good path to follow. Application Timeline Deadline Notification Early Decision November 1 By December 15 Early Action November 1 By February 15 Regular Decision January 5 By April 1 The University of Virginia accepts the Common Application. You’ll also need: Interested in learning more about UVA? Check out these other informative articles: Want to know your chances at UVA? Calculate your chances for free right now.
What’s Covered:
How Hard Is It to Get Into the University of Virginia?
Average Academic Profile of Accepted University of Virginia Students
GPA
SAT/ACT
Class Rank
What is the University of Virginia Looking For?
How the University of Virginia Evaluates Applications
How to Improve Your Chances of Getting into the University of Virginia
1. Achieve at least a 4.0 average GPA while taking the most challenging classes available
2. Letters of Recommendation
3. Aim for a 1520 SAT or 35 ACT
4. Cultivate one or two Tier 1-2 extracurriculars (find your “spike”)
5. Write Compelling Essays
6. Apply Early Action/Early Decision
How to Apply to the University of Virginia
Deadlines
Application Requirements
Learn more about the University of Virginia
