Admissions & selectivity
Bucknell University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at Bucknell University?
Bucknell University’s reported acceptance rate is 28.9%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 28.9%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: Bucknell University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
Admission was limited to 28.9% of applicants in the reported entering class. That figure sits below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 11,561 first-year applicants, 3,723 admitted applicants, and 1,037 enrolled students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Bucknell University students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that the SAT scores of enrolled first-year submitters ran from 1170 to 1360; 68% of the entering class submitted SAT scores. ACT scores from enrolled submitters, who made up 18% of the class, ran from 25 to 32.
18% of enrolled first-year students reported a high-school class rank. Among those students, 56% were in the highest tenth of their class, 85% in the highest quarter, and 98% in the highest half.
An SAT score near 1170 falls at the lower edge of the enrolled range, while one near 1360 falls at the upper edge. The ACT equivalents are 25 and 32. The ranges describe enrolled submitters, not required minimums.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Bucknell University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
68% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1170
- Median
- 1270
- 75th percentile
- 1360
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
18% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 25
- Median
- 29
- 75th percentile
- 32
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: Bucknell University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at Bucknell University?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 12.4%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 3.6%
- First-year retention
- 93.7%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 146 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 58 admitted, and 32 enrolled. Bucknell University includes 12.4% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants, alongside an estimated 3.6% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group.
Its federal undergraduate enrollment is 3,876 undergraduates, so the available figures show both grant-aided students and people entering from prior college coursework.
Students who enroll at Bucknell tend to persist and graduate at high rates. The first-year retention rate is 93.7%, and the six-year graduation rate is 86.3%.
Both figures sit well above the peer medians of 83.4% and 68.8% for comparable institutions. Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort complete at 91.7%, which is 5.4 percentage points above the overall six-year rate.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 91% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class. Enrolled students can expect that most of their peers return for the second year and complete a degree within six years.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.