How to Get into Emory University

Emory University, located in Atlanta, GA, was founded in 1836 under a charter received by the Georgia Methodist Conference. Named after Bishop John Emory, the university began a $6 million development program in 1936 and has since continued to grow in size, reputation, and prestige.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter joined the faculty of Emory University in 1982 as a University Distinguished Professor, and the Carter Center was established on campus. In 1988, the XIV Dalai Lama spoke at Emory’s commencement and established an Emory program in Tibetan Buddhist Studies in India.

Today, Emory University serves students who speak 85 different languages and hail from more than 100 countries. It’s one of the most prestigious universities in the world, which also means that Emory University admission rates are some of the most selective in the country.

If you’ve got your heart set on being invited to attend Emory, it’s critical that you learn everything you can about how to get into Emory, what the admission committee is searching for in applicants, and how you measure up to students who have already been accepted to the school.

Below are some common questions regarding how to get accepted into Emory University.

Emory uses a holistic approach when reviewing applications for admission, so make sure your high school experience is well-rounded, including extracurricular and community activities — not just academics. 

The admissions committee looks for students with high educational pursuits, community awareness, and character traits that would complement the campus community. 

Emory University uses the Common Application. There are six factors that Emory cites as “very important” to the admissions process:

1. GPA
2. Rigor of your course record
3. Extracurricular activities
4. Talent/ability
5. Recommendations
6. Personal and character qualities

In addition, the school says standardized test scores, essays, and volunteer work are “important.”

There are two campuses included in Emory University’s system: Oxford College and Emory College. 

Many students applying to Emory each year are accepted to both colleges (Dual Admits). Oxford is about 45 minutes from Atlanta in a more rural setting than Emory. While Emory has four classes on campus, from freshmen to seniors, Oxford has two: freshmen and sophomores. 

Students who choose Oxford typically want early leadership opportunities and a smaller community. They also may value more personal support from teachers. While first-year students cannot have vehicles on the Emory campus, they can at Oxford! 

Oxford may be a good fit for you if you value a quieter, laid-back atmosphere. If you prefer the excitement of Atlanta and a larger college community, you may want to choose the Emory campus.

Emory University received 33,179 undergraduate applications to join the class of 2026, from all 50 states and 112 countries. The university ended up inviting 5,303 students to attend, giving Emory University an overall acceptance rate of just 15.8%.

The admissions numbers for Emory College and Oxford College for the class of 2026 are as follows:

Emory College received 33,179 applications, and the school accepted 3,766 of them. A total of 1,434 students enrolled, 888 of which enrolled under the Early Decision plan. Emory College had an admit rate of just 11%.

Oxford College saw 20,100 applications from hopeful students, many of whom had applied to both campuses at Emory University. Of those applicants, 3,008 were invited to attend and 429 enrolled at the college. About half of the students enrolled under the Early Decision plan. The admit rate for Oxford College was 15%.

It’s always recommended that you begin to prepare for college early in your high school career. It may be a good idea to apply for Early Decision acceptance — the acceptance rate for the early cycle at Emory is 22.5%, which is higher than that of the regular cycle.

However, should you apply Early Decision, you must be absolutely positive that you will enroll at Emory if invited to do so. Your decision is binding, so you would also need to withdraw your applications from any other schools. The school recommends students take this route only if there is no chance of the Early Decision contract being broken.

If you apply Early Decision and change your mind, it is possible to change your decision plan to Regular Decision. However, there are specific deadlines for doing so — these can be found through the application portal.

There is no specific cut-off number or requirement Emory posts for students to be admitted. With that being said, the average high school GPA of applicants accepted to Emory University is about 3.81 (unweighted). The most recent GPA breakdown is as follows:

• 14% of the class had a 4.0 GPA
• 56% had a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99
• 23% had a GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
• 6% had a GPA between 3.25 and 3.49

However, it’s important to remember that several factors impact your chances of being accepted to Emory in addition to your grade point average. 

Along with many other universities, Emory has temporarily changed its SAT and ACT policy to “test optional.” When this policy is in effect, you are not required to submit your scores, and if you choose not to, it will not negatively impact your application for admission.

By the same token, if you take one test or the other (or both) and do well, you should submit your scores as part of your application. Of the applicants for the class of 2026 who did submit scores, the results are as follows:

• The 25th–75th percentile score range for SAT reading/writing was 690–750
• The 25th–75th percentile score range for SAT math was 730–790
• The ACT composite score range for the 25th–75th percentile was 32–34

While Emory University does not superscore the ACT, it does superscore the SAT. This means that you can take the test multiple times, and your best section scores will be used in consideration for admission. Therefore, it’s recommended that you take the SAT at least a few times.

Yes, letters of recommendation are required. You should carefully select which teachers you want to write your letters — they should be written by those who taught you a core academic subject. It’s especially beneficial if your letters are written by teachers who taught you in a subject that aligns with your intended major or main area of interest. 

Choose teachers who can relay information and details about your ability to overcome obstacles, your strengths, and any talents they’ve witnessed in you.

One of the application tips that Emory University provides has to do with the required essay. The essay and short answers are intended to help the admissions staff get to know you as a person, not just as a student. 

Some example essay prompts for Emory in the past have included:

• Describe an experience that allowed you to intentionally grow your cultural awareness
• What academic areas interest you?
• Describe a time you questioned something you had always thought was true
• What historic event would you want to witness first-hand, and why?
• What piece of work (book, song, etc.) seems made for you?
• Discuss a time when you were awestruck

Ensure that your essay and short answers are completely original and written in your voice. The committee doesn’t want to read about all the things you’ve added to your application in other sections, so don’t talk in detail about your GPA or test scores. 

Instead, be honest and allow the committee to get a peek inside who you are personally. Your answers need to be compelling; the university offers a five-part series on writing well to help you boost your application.

The short answer is yes, Emory does award credit for some courses students take during high school. A total of 18 credit hours can be granted for the following types:

• College courses (unless credit has already counted toward a high school diploma)
• IB and AP test credits (up to 12 hours)
• French Baccalaureate, A-Level, and other international credits (up to 12)

There are some other additional courses and exams that might fulfill the requirements for a student to be able to take higher-level courses. However, it’s important to know that no additional waivers or credits for the General Education requirements will be given. 

As for AP and IB credit, up to three hours of credit for exam scores can be given as long as the score on an exam is four or five. If you want your test scores reviewed for college credit, make sure to have the results sent directly from the College Board and the IB Board to Emory’s admission office.

Specific requirements must be met in order for dual-enrollment classes to earn you some college credit at Emory. The courses must be:

• Open to both college and high school students
• Taught at a credit-granting university
• Taught by a faculty member of that university
• Not counted toward your high school diploma
• Comparable to a course at Emory

You must earn at least a C in your classes, and no credit will be given for any courses that are taken as credit/no credit, pass/fail, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Online courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the university.

Many colleges and universities stopped requesting or even offering alumni interviews as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emory University currently does not offer evaluative interviews as part of the admission process.

However, the school does still encourage applicants to speak informally with an alumnus to gain an “insider’s perspective” on the university. If you’re interested in connecting with an alumnus, you can contact the admission office.

No, the university does not keep track of the interest you show in the school, nor does it use information about your interest when making admission decisions. Demonstrated interest includes things like talking with an admission counselor, visiting the campus, and attending a virtual information session.

However, it’s still recommended that you take part in these activities if you are interested in attending Emory. Doing so will help you become more familiar with the school so you can decide whether it’s the right fit for your goals.

It’s vital to understand that while extracurricular and community activities are important in the admissions process, it’s not the number of activities that counts. Emory wants to see examples of leadership in the activities — it wants to see that you took opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of others.

Therefore, it’s recommended that you choose a couple of activities, groups, or organizations you are passionate about and get involved with them. It’s not the type or number of activities that matters; Emory is interested in what you do within these activities.

It’s important that you begin preparing for your Emory University admissions early in your high school career. This way, you can ensure that you take all of the recommended courses and that you have met the requirements for any dual-credit courses, AP/IB classes, or exams.

Consider carefully whether you want to apply Early Decision or Regular Decision, and review the stipulations that ED requires. If you are able to personally visit the campus or participate in virtual events, do so! If you want to get as much Emory application help as possible, don’t hesitate to reach out to the university itself.