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Admissions & selectivity

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# Chapman University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/chapman-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/chapman-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/chapman-university/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/chapman-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/chapman-university/similar/)

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## What is the acceptance rate at Chapman University?

Chapman University’s reported acceptance rate is 65.4%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
65.4%

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.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

With an admission rate of 65.4%, Chapman University admits applicants at a rate below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). This figure describes admissions outcomes for the reported entering class, rather than a prediction for an individual applicant.

## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Chapman University students report?

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, Chapman University reported score ranges based on a limited share of enrolled first-year students. Applicants should treat the SAT range of 1280 to 1410 as a description of enrolled submitters, not a minimum; 14% submitted SAT scores.

The ACT range for enrolled submitters was 28 to 31, and 5% submitted ACT scores. Among first-year students who reported a class rank, 39% were in the upper tenth and 71% were in the upper quarter; 19% of the entering class reported a rank.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Chapman University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

**14% of entering students submitted SAT scores**

SAT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
1280

**Median**
1355

**75th percentile**
1410

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

**5% of entering students submitted ACT scores**

ACT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
28

**Median**
30

**75th percentile**
31

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Source: Chapman University Common Data Set 2024-25, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.

## Who enrolls at Chapman University?

**Pell Grant recipients**
19.4%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
15.4%

**First-year retention**
91.8%

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.

Chapman University has a campus composition that includes 19.4% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants and an estimated 15.4% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group. Its undergraduate enrollment is 7,478, so the school serves both students entering directly and those arriving from prior college study.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 1,474 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 896 admitted, and 293 enrolled. Pell-eligible applicants and transfer applicants should compare the school’s aid details and transfer-credit policies with their own plans before applying.

The federal composition figures and the reported transfer counts both point to multiple entry paths into the university.

For first-time full-time students, Chapman University’s reported retention and completion figures both exceed the middle value for comparable institutions. 91.8% return for a second year, compared with 83.4% at comparable institutions of the same type and size.

The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 81.9%, above the comparable-institution median of 68.8%. Pell recipients in this cohort have a 73.9% six-year completion rate, below the overall rate by 8.0 percentage points.

Enrolled students can expect published cohort-level persistence and completion rates above the comparable-institution middle values, alongside a lower completion rate for Pell recipients.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).