Our goal in the admissions review process is to enroll an academically qualified and diverse student body, which is essential to the University's mission. In doing so, the University's educational and social environment prepares students to contribute to and thrive in a global society.
Learn about our review process and admissions decisions:
At the University of Minnesota, we believe that selecting students from a highly talented group of applicants requires an individual assessment of all application materials submitted for each student; every application is read in its entirety.
Admission decisions are based on a very careful, overall assessment of each student's academic and context factors. Note that no single factor is the deciding factor in the decision.
Because the greatest predictor of college success is academic preparation, the strongest consideration in the decision is given to a student's high school record. We know that COVID-19 might have changed your school's course offerings and grading systems. Our promise to you is that we will look at the overall trend of your high school performance—not just a single semester—to understand your academic preparation. The following academic factors are considered:
Individual circumstances are also considered as part of the overall assessment of each application. Enrolling a diverse student body—with students bringing differing experiences, talents, and perspectives to their scholarly community—is essential to achieving the development outcomes of a University of Minnesota education. Our university community is strengthened by our students representing different races, economic backgrounds, geographic origins, genders, religions, ethnicities, sexualities, talents, and beliefs.
Our holistic review takes into consideration the individual circumstances that make each individual student unique. We consider the following context factors in our decision review.
If you are accepted to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as a freshman, you will be admitted to one of the following colleges:
Admission to each of the University's eight freshmen-admitting colleges is very competitive, and the number of available spaces varies by college. Applicants are first considered for admission to the colleges listed in their application, in the order in which they are listed. Then, applicants are automatically considered for other U of M freshman-admitting colleges that may be a good fit with their academic interests and preparation.
Along with your admission to a specific college, we will automatically consider you for these programs:
President's Emerging Scholars is an educational opportunity program which ensures timely graduation of its participants by encouraging and supporting academic, career, and personal well-being through scholarships, programming, professional advising, and peer mentoring. Preference is given to first-generation students and other students whose applications demonstrate evidence of having overcome social, economic, or physical barriers to educational achievement.
The University Honors Program will enhance your University of Minnesota Twin Cities experience through enriched curriculum, interdisciplinary experiences, and exceptional community between your fellow honors students, faculty, and advisors. Honors admission is offered to the overall most competitive applicants from each freshman-admitting college.
This table provides a general overview of the middle 50 percentile high school rank and standardized test scores of freshman applicants admitted for fall 2020. Overall, the middle 50 percent of students admitted for fall 2020:
Please note the data presented in the table are a composite picture of admitted freshman applicants; they are not admission criteria. Admission decisions are based on an individual, overall assessment of each application. Applicants are first considered for admission to the colleges listed in their application, in the order in which they are listed. Then, applicants are automatically considered for other U of M freshman-admitting colleges that may be a good match with their academic interests and preparation. For complete information on our application review factors, please see our admissions overview.
| Biological Sciences | Design | Education & Human Development | Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences | Liberal Arts | Management (Carlson School of) | School of Nursing | Science and Engineering | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High School Rank | ||||||||
| High School Rank (if provided) - Range of the Middle 50 Percentile of Admitted Freshmen | 89 - 98% | 74 - 94% | 73 - 92% | 74 - 94% | 74 - 94% | 87 - 97% | 89 - 98% | 88 - 98% |
| *ACT Composite | ||||||||
| ACT Composite Score | 28 - 33 | 25 - 30 | 22 - 27 | 24 - 30 | 25 - 31 | 28 - 32 | 28 - 32 | 30 - 34 |
| *SAT Total | ||||||||
| SAT Composite Score | 1330 - 1460 | 1280 - 1410 | 1280 - 1380 | 1300 - 1420 | 1310 - 1440 | 1340 - 1460 | 1320 - 1440 | 1370 - 1490 |
*Please note: the University of Minnesota Twin Cities will not be requiring an ACT or SAT score for the 2021 undergraduate application.
Early Action I applicants: Students who submit their complete applications by the November 1 Early Action I Deadline will receive an admission decision on Application Tracker by January 31.
Early Action II applicants: Students who submit their complete applications by the December 1 Early Action II Deadline will receive an admission decision on Application Tracker by February 15.
Regular Deadline applicants: Students who submit their complete applications by the January 1 Regular Deadline will receive an admission decision on Application Tracker by March 31.
Scholarship recipients and students admitted to the University Honors Program will be notified by March 31.
Yes! Each and every application is read very carefully by more than one staff member in the Office of Admissions before a decision is made. We know that your application is important to you and your family, and we do not take your interest in the University of Minnesota for granted.
Because we are committed to ensuring that each application receives very careful consideration, our review does take some time to complete. We work very hard to ensure that we each student is given the time and attention needed to make a fair admission decision. Our comprehensive and individualized review process ensures that each application is given a thorough, fair, and consistent review.
We acknowledge that many elements you intended to include on your application may look different this year. Your activities, sports academics, and family responsibilities have likely changed, and we encourage you to use the short-answer questions on our application to tell us about your circumstances.
Your application will be read in its entirety, and we promise to review your experiences with compassion and understanding. Rather than using equations to grant admission, we get to know your individual story—and that includes the ways in which you faced the challenges of COVID-19.
The U of M has proudly joined 350 colleges across the country in signing Care Counts in a Crisis: College Admissions Deans Respond to COVID-19. Care Counts is a promise to you on what our admissions professionals value as we read your applications this year: self-care, academic work, service and contributions to others, family contributions, and extracurricular activities.
No. Students whose high schools do not provide high school ranks receive full consideration for admission, through an individualized and overall assessment of the application. See our information on holistic review above.
All students, whether or not they choose to have an ACT/SAT score considered as part of their application, will receive full consideration for admission, scholarships, and our University Honors Program. Application review for students who do not submit a score will place greater emphasis on the other academic factors and the context factors in our holistic review process. See our FAQs on ACT/SAT scores for more information.
Scholarship decisions are based on a very careful, overall assessment of each student's academic preparation and performance, as well as the additional information provided in the application. Our freshman scholarship review process ensures that each application is considered individually, based on our academic and context review factors. Although the strongest consideration in the scholarship review is given to the academic factors, no single factor is the deciding factor in the decision.
Students who are admitted to the University Honors Program are notified by the end of March. Admission to the University Honors Program is highly competitive, and the degree of competitiveness varies by college of admission. Honors admission is offered to the overall most competitive applicants from each freshman-admitting college.
Yes. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities welcomes more than 2,000 transfer students each year.
Students admitted as incoming freshmen may request to take a gap year and defer their fall term of admission to the following fall term. Students approved will be admitted to their original college of admission unless otherwise determined. Please note, students approved for gap years may not enroll at another academic institution, including another college, university, or in a program that grants credits through an accredited institution. Students that are approved for a gap year and then choose to enroll at another academic initiation during their gap year will lose their freshman admission status and must re-apply for admission as a transfer student to the University of Minnesota.
Please review our frequently asked questions about defer decisions.
Please review our frequently asked questions about deny decisions.
Please review our frequently asked questions about waitlist decisions.
