How to Get Into Fordham University: Acceptance Rate and Strategies

August 1, 2025

Fordham University differs from many in its peer group of selective, academically strong schools located in the Northeast who have seen their acceptance rates plummet over the last decade. In fact, Fordham, a Jesuit Catholic university on a beautiful 85-acre campus in the Bronx, has seen their acceptance rate spike as high as 58% in recent years after dipping into the mid-40s periodically throughout the 2000s.

Given that Fordham remains a very selective institution, we will touch on the following topics:

Fordham University’s Class of 2028 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
Fordham University’s ED acceptance rate
SAT, ACT, GPA, and class rank of accepted Fordham students
Admissions trends at Fordham
The demographics of current Fordham undergraduates
Fordham University’s yield rate
How Fordham University’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
Tips for applying to Fordham University
How to assess whether applying to Fordham is even worth the $80 application fee (for you)

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Fordham University Overall Acceptance Rate – Class of 2028

Fordham received 43,364 applications for a place in the Class of 2027 and accepted 25,719 from that group. This acceptance rate of 59% was a few points higher than the previous year.

Historical Fordham acceptance rates are as follows:

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027	43,663	24,573	56%
Class of 2026	47,203	25,550	54%
Class of 2025	46,160	26,925	58%
Class of 2024	47,936	25,180	53%

Fordham Early Decision Acceptance Rate

For the Class of 2028, ED applicants were accepted at a rate of 52% clip. Of the 595 ED applicants, 307 were admitted.

What GPA do you need to get into Fordham?

The average unweighted GPA for enrolled students was 3.63. Moreover, 13% of enrolled students had a GPA of 4.0 or above, while 43% had a GPA of above 3.75.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Fordham?

34% of 2024-25 freshmen were in the top 10% of their high school class; 69% placed in the top quartile.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Fordham?

Those who enrolled in the Fordham Class of 2027 sported mid-50% SAT scores of 1340-1470 and mid-50% ACT scores of 30-33. However, it’s important to note that only about a quarter of enrolled students submitted test scores.

Admissions Trends & Notes

Though the official numbers haven’t been released, Fordham received approximately 44,000 applications for the Class of 2029.
27% of the Class of 2028 were first-generation college students.
23% of the Class of 2028 were residents of NYC’s five boroughs.
50% of the incoming class identified as students of color.

Who Gets Into Fordham University?

Let’s look at the demographics of current Fordham undergraduates, beginning with the U.S. states with the greatest representation in the Class of 2028:

The Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut)
California
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
Texas
Maryland
Florida
Illinois
Virginia

As at any selective university, competition is toughest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you reside in a less populated state like Idaho, Wyoming, or Alaska, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances. Keep this in mind when you’re thinking about Fordham’s acceptance rate.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of members of the Class of 2028 was as follows:

Asian American: 12.4%
Hispanic: 25.8%
Black or African American: 6.6%
White: 39%
Two or more races: 5%
International: 8%

The religious identity among members of the Class of 2027 was as follows:

Buddhist: 1%
Catholic: 32%
Greek Orthodox: 2.8%
Jewish: 2%
Hindu: 2.4%
Muslim: 5.6%
Protestant: 10.5%

Students in the Class of 2028 attended the following types of high schools:

Public: 52.8%
Private: 26.4%
Jesuit: 5%
Other (Homeschool, Charter, etc): 16%

The breakdown by gender in the Class of 2027 is notably split in favor of women:

Male: 39%
Female: 61%

Though the rather large gender gap might suggest that male applicants are admitted at a higher rate, this is not the case. In fact, for the Class of 2028, the acceptance rate for female applicants was 6% higher than for male applicants.

International students make up 8% of Fordham’s 2024-25 freshman class. The greatest number of students hail from the following countries:

Canada
China
India
Italy
Mexico
Phillipines
Vietnam
Brazil

Yield Rate

Fordham University’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—was an extremely low 9.6% last year. This is due, in part, to the fact that Fordham is competing with the same pool of students as many elite institutions in the Northeast. For comparison, other private institutions have the following yield rates: American University (22%), Georgetown (48%), and Boston University (27%). Bear this in mind when thinking about Fordham’s acceptance rate.

How Fordham Rates Applicants

Fordham ranks only two factors as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record and GPA. There are seven additional factors that Fordham considers “important” to their evaluation: the application essay, recommendations, character/personal qualities, talent/ability, extracurricular activities, paid work, and volunteer work.

Straight from the Fordham admissions staff:

“We honor your school and community context, referencing information provided by your counselor and school profile.”
“Our goal is to find people who aren’t going to sit on the sidelines. Have you been involved in anti-racism work, or in identifying and dismantling anti-Black racism in your school or community (e.g., Black Lives Matter)? Have you been involved in other social causes around the environment or climate change? Have you taken on additional family responsibility in the midst of the pandemic? Do you have a part-time job to help out with expenses?”
“We look at you as a whole person (cura personalis), taking into account your personal characteristics and lived experience, as well as your academic experience and qualifications.”

Additional Tips for Applying to Fordham University

Given Fordham’s acceptance rate, if you plan on joining the 44,000+ Fordham applicants in the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

Fordham has extended its through the 2025-26 application cycle.
There are no evaluative interviews offered at Fordham, so you will need to find other ways to make a personal connection through your essays and recommendations.
Fordham does consider “demonstrated interest” in the admissions process. Therefore, you will be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, follow them on social media, etc.
A teacher recommendation is required. For tips on requesting a letter of recommendation, check out this blog.

Fordham Supplementary Essays

Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the optional supplemental essay required by Fordham. In the 2025-26 cycle, students were invited to submit one optional essay (that you should definitely submit):

Choose to answer 1 of 4 questions below (300 words):

Option 1: At Fordham, we expect students to care for and engage with their communities and be active citizens for positive change. Please share an experience you had that caused you to develop a new perspective, change your point of view, and/or empower you to take an action or be courageous. Your response should include examples of your personal growth (e.g., what did you learn, did your point of view change, did you develop new skills or strengths?).

Option 2: Fordham, as a Jesuit university, recognizes the dignity, uniqueness and potential of each person. A Fordham education is student-centered and rooted in close collaboration among students, faculty, and staff. Describe how you would contribute to our campus community as an actively engaged learner and leader. Specifically draw on your personal story, identity, experiences, strengths, and perspectives.

Option 3: Our motto is “New York is my campus, Fordham is my school.” New York City is a diverse and global city that provides Fordham students with a special kind of educational experience, full of both challenge and opportunity. What has prepared you to embrace the unique opportunity of living and learning in New York City?

Option 4: Is there something that you are proud of that you would like to share with the Admission Committee?

Should I Apply to Fordham University?

Fordham is a selective school, but does not have as cutthroat an admissions process as many of its competitors. Test scores around the 95th percentile and grades that are a mix of A’s and B’s in a rigorous course schedule make you a viable applicant.

Fordham Acceptance Rate — Final Thoughts

Unless you have stats that will blow away the admissions committee, make sure to also have a rock-solid backup plan. All applicants need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of “target” and “safety” schools. You’ll definitely want to do this in conjunction with an admissions professional.

Ready to start crafting your college applications? Consider checking out the following resources:

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College Admissions

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).

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