Grinnell College
What Grinnell College's own numbers say, from its Common Data Set 2024-25.
See your odds at Grinnell College →All 6 insights at Grinnell College PRO
Early DecisionGrinnell College
Grinnell College's ED number is inflated.
34% of Early Decision applicants get in, but that pool includes recruited athletes and legacies, admitted at far higher rates. Without them, our estimate is about 28%. Everyone else: 13%.
ED, as reported34%
ED, without hooks (estimate)≈28%
Everyone else13%
Source: Grinnell College's Common Data Set 2024-25; hooked share is an estimate (A12)
Getting harderGrinnell College
Getting into Grinnell College is 1.7× harder than in 2018.
The admit rate fell from 24% (2018-19) to 15% (2024-25).
2018-1924%
2024-2515%
Source: Grinnell College's Common Data Set 2024-25
Women and menGrinnell College
At Grinnell College, women get in 1.3× as often.
Women are admitted at 16%, men at 13%.
Women16%
Men13%
Source: Grinnell College's Common Data Set 2024-25
WaitlistGrinnell College
Grinnell College's waitlist is a long shot: 3.1%.
36 of 1,180 students who stayed on the list got in.
Admitted off the list3.1%
Not admitted97%
Source: Grinnell College's Common Data Set 2024-25
Early DecisionGrinnell College
65% of Grinnell College's class is filled in Early Decision.
That leaves about 155 seats for 8,930 applicants outside ED.
Admitted Early Decision65%
Everyone else35%
Source: Grinnell College's Common Data Set 2024-25
MoneyGrinnell College
Grinnell College meets 100% of need.
The average need-based grant is $64,543 a year, against tuition of $71,788.
Average grant$65k
Tuition$72k
Source: Grinnell College's Common Data Set 2024-25
9 more things the data says PRO
- Early Decision filled about 65% of the 2024-25 first-year class, more than 86% of similar colleges.
- After ED, 155 of 438 seats were left for 8,930 other applicants: about one seat for every 58.
- The admit rate has moved down steadily, from 24.4% in 2018-19 to 14.5% in 2024-25. If the trend holds, expect about 8.0% in 2025-26.
- ED applicants were admitted at 34%, against 12.7% for everyone else: 2.7 times the rate.
- It reports meeting 100% of financial need for first-years who have need.
- Only 29% of enrolled first-years sent an SAT score, so its SAT range describes a minority of the class.
- 1,180 students stayed on the waitlist and 36 were admitted from it (3.1%).
- Men were admitted at a lower rate: 16.4% for women against 12.6% for men.
- Applications rose 33% from 2018-19 to 2024-25 (7,349 to 9,758), faster than 53% of colleges here.
What students say PRO
From students' own posts on Reddit and admissions forums: self-reported, unverified, never used in your odds.
- Almost all admits who named a round (12 of 13) applied Regular Decision; one used Early Decision.
- About 8 admits did speech, debate, Model UN, mock trial or quiz bowl, many as captain or president.
- About 15 admits held a top role built over years: founder, president, captain or editor of a club, team or nonprofit.
- About 13 admits did real research or published work, such as lab projects, research internships, papers or conference talks.
- About 12 admits had a paid job or family responsibilities, such as caring for relatives or working in a family business.
- Students report Grinnell is generous with aid, especially to internationals (about 200 grants averaging near $55K), and ED admits get a guaranteed $20K a year.
- Students report full-ride awards are still rare at Grinnell, so aid should not be the plan for getting in as an international applicant.
- Students report Grinnell waitlists applicants instead of rejecting them, with updates not expected until May, and a continued-interest letter is enough.
- Students report pre-committee interview invitations are not a reliable signal either way, and Grinnell may email a short why-Grinnell essay request near decision time.
Every number, year by year: Grinnell College on Open College Data. Something wrong? Suggest a correction.