Syracuse University

Syracuse is moderately selective: it admitted about 42% of applicants in the most recent cycle, offering admission to roughly 17,545 of more than 42,000 applicants and enrolling about 3,672 first-years. Strong grades and rigor matter most — academic GPA, the rigor of your course load, and class rank are all weighed as very important factors.

Enrolled first-years at Syracuse report an average high school GPA of about 3.80 on a 4.0 scale. There is no hard cutoff, but academic GPA and the rigor of your high school record are both rated very important in the admission decision, so a transcript with mostly A's in challenging courses is what competitive applicants present.

No — Syracuse is test-optional, so you can apply without submitting scores and still be considered for admission and merit scholarships. Among enrolled students who did submit, the middle 50% scored 1280–1410 on the SAT and 28–32 on the ACT; standardized test scores are only 'considered' rather than required.

Yes — a 1400 is a strong score for Syracuse. It sits near the 75th percentile (1410) of enrolled first-years, whose middle 50% scored between 1280 and 1410 on the SAT (28–32 ACT). Because Syracuse is test-optional and treats scores as 'considered,' a 1400 only strengthens an application that already shows strong grades and rigor.

Applying Early Decision is binding but tends to admit at a higher rate: Syracuse's ED I and ED II rounds together received 2,182 applications and admitted about 1,439, an early-round admit rate near 66% versus the roughly 42% overall rate. Syracuse offers two binding rounds — ED I (deadline Nov. 15) and ED II (deadline Jan. 5) — and no Early Action.

Admitted first-years average about a 3.80 GPA. Among the roughly 20% of enrolled students who reported a class rank, about 34% were in the top tenth of their graduating class and about 68% in the top quarter. Class rank, academic GPA, and course rigor are all weighed as very important factors.

Tuition and required fees run about $65,528 per year, with the total cost of attendance higher once on-campus food and housing (around $19,188) are added. About 39% of first-years receive need-based scholarship or grant aid, the average need-based package is near $53,222, and Syracuse meets about 98% of demonstrated need on average.

Yes — Syracuse rates the application essay as a very important factor in its holistic review, alongside grades, course rigor, recommendations, and extracurriculars. With essays weighted that heavily and test scores only 'considered,' a specific, well-revised essay is one of the clearest ways to stand out in the applicant pool.

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