Admissions & selectivity
Montclair State University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at Montclair State University?
Montclair State University’s reported acceptance rate is 87.9%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 87.9%
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: Montclair State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
Montclair State University admitted 87.9% of applicants, above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 26,224 applicants, 23,443 admitted, and 3,816 enrolled.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Montclair State University students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores had a composite range from 850 to 1160. 10% of the entering class submitted scores, so the range covers a small fraction of recent enrollees.
Among enrolled first-year students with a reported high-school class rank, 8% placed in the highest tenth and 28% in the upper quarter. 35% of the entering class reported a rank.
Applicants should compare their own scores to the university's 850–1160 range, remembering that these figures reflect recent enrolled submitters rather than a minimum for admission.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Montclair State University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
10% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 850
- Median
- 1000
- 75th percentile
- 1160
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: Montclair State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at Montclair State University?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 47.0%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 26.3%
- First-year retention
- 77.9%
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.
Montclair State University enrolls 18,376 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients make up 47.0% of undergraduates, and an estimated 26.3% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 26,224 first-year applicants, 23,443 admitted, and 3,816 enrolled. For transfer students, it reported 3,640 applicants, 2,959 admitted, and 1,403 enrolled.
The composition suggests a public university that serves a broad range of students, with substantial access for Pell-eligible and transfer populations. Applicants who receive a Pell Grant or plan to transfer should connect with the admissions office early to confirm credit-transfer policies and financial-aid timelines.
Among full-time first-year students, Montclair State University reports a retention rate of 77.9%, which sits below the peer median of 83.1%. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 64.7%, just below the peer median of 65.0%.
Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate of 68.3%, which is above the overall rate by 3.6 percentage points. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 79% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class.
Enrolled students can expect Pell recipients to graduate at a rate that exceeds the institutional average, though overall retention and completion run slightly behind peer institutions.
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.