Grinnell Admission Requirements

How hard is it to get into Grinnell and can I get accepted? The school has a 29% acceptance rate ranking it #2 in Iowa for lowest rate of acceptance. Last year, 1,689 out of 5,850 applicants were admitted making Grinnell a highly competitive school to get into with a lesser chance of acceptance for qualifying applicants.  Academically, it has exceptionally high requirements for admission test scores, generally admitting students who score in the top 6 percent. Grinnell College typically accepts and attracts "A-" average high school students. Only 26% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school. Most incoming freshmen graduated in the top ten percent of their high school class.

Sponsored by Cappex

Find out which students are getting accepted at Grinnell, which are not, and how your GPA, SAT, or ACT scores compare.

Calculate My Chances

SAT Scores you need to get in

What are the SAT requirements for students to be admitted to Grinnell College?

Grinnell College typically requires applicants to be in the top 6 percent of SAT test takers. The school consistently takes SAT composite scores down to 1370 on a 1600 scale, below which admission should be considered a reach. We estimate some students could be accepted with SAT's as low as 1280. The estimated average SAT composite for admitted freshman is 1460 out of 1600. The school ranks #1 in Iowa for highest average SAT composite score. 34 percent of applicants submit SAT scores to the school. Note: SAT scores presented on this page have been adjusted upwards per the College Board's concordance tables for test takers after March 2016.

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

What are the ACT requirements for prospective students to get into Grinnell?

Admission data indicates that Grinnell regularly accepts students with ACT's of 30 and above. Successful applicants typically send ACT scores in the top 7 percent nationally. We estimate the school accepting minimum ACT composite scores around 28 in some instances. Prospective students submitting an ACT composite of 32 or higher should be in the upper half of applicants - and students with a 34 and above have very competitive chances. The school ranks #1 in Iowa for highest average ACT composite score. Scoring well on the ACT is very important as 66 percent of applicants submit ACT scores to Grinnell College.

You will need exceptionally good grades to get into Grinnell College. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at Grinnell College was 3.89 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily A- students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #1 in Iowa for highest average GPA. Even with a competitive GPA, admission to Grinnell will be challenging as the school denies more applicants than it admits.

 What do these ratings mean?

62% of Grinnell College freshman were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class.

What are the requirements for admission to Grinnell College and what considerations affect admission decisions?