NYU's Admit Rate Hit 9.1% — and Three of Its Colleges Are Now Harder to Get Into Than Yale
NYU's Stern School now admits roughly 3% of applicants — and the university has quietly rebuilt its entire admissions rubric to prioritize essays and recommendations over class rank and test scores.
NYU received 114,125 completed applications for Fall 2025, up nearly 20% from five years ago, and its overall admit rate has dropped to 9.1% — but that headline number understates the real selectivity. Three colleges within NYU — the College of Arts and Science, Stern School of Business, and Rory Meyers College of Nursing — now admit fewer than 5% of applicants, with Stern hovering near 3%. In a significant rubric shift for the 2023–24 cycle, NYU elevated essays, recommendations, and character to 'Very Important' while dropping class rank entirely and demoting test scores — meaning the file you build now matters more than your transcript rank. NYU also replaced its long-running 'Why NYU' supplement with a new 250-word prompt about bridging differences across people and ideas, so any recycled school-fit essay will hurt you. If you're applying, know which college you're targeting (the institutional rate is meaningless for Stern or Nursing), treat the optional supplement as required, and understand that Early Decision fills roughly half the class.
This issue draws on reporting and data from College Transitions.