1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [University of Memphis](/school/university-of-memphis/) 4. / 5. Admissions & selectivity Admissions & selectivity Copy linkPrint brief # University of Memphis Acceptance Rate & Admissions Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/university-of-memphis/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-memphis/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/university-of-memphis/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/university-of-memphis/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-memphis/similar/) **On this page**+ ## What is the acceptance rate at University of Memphis? University of Memphis’s reported acceptance rate is 72.0%. **Acceptance rate · Fall 2024** 72.0% 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 At 72.0%, University of Memphis admitted a substantial share of applicants in the reported entering class. This rate is the share of that year’s applicants who were admitted, not a prediction for an individual applicant. It is below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). ## What SAT and ACT scores do University of Memphis students report? The academic profile among score submitters covers a broad range, so SAT and ACT results are best read as reference points rather than thresholds at University of Memphis. The central span of submitted SAT scores runs from 915 to 1,180. For submitted ACT scores, the corresponding range is 18 to 24. These figures describe enrolled students who submitted scores, not admission minimums or every member of the enrolled class. Applicants can compare their own SAT score with 915 and 1,180, or their ACT score with 18 and 24, when deciding whether to apply. The separate test ranges provide context for recent enrolled score submitters rather than a single academic cutoff. The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at University of Memphis. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle. SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Approximate lower endpoint** 915 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1180 Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters. ACT: enrolled-student score range **25th percentile** 18 **75th percentile** 24 Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. Figures cover fall 2024. ## Who enrolls at University of Memphis? **Pell Grant recipients** 41.2% **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group** 33.9% **First-year retention** 77.4% 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. Access is a defining feature of University of Memphis, where 41.2% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. The public university has undergraduate enrollment of 12,701, and an estimated 33.9% of its undergraduates entered after beginning college elsewhere. Those figures describe a campus serving both grant-aided undergraduates and people arriving through more than one college pathway, rather than only a traditional first-year cohort. Pell-eligible and transfer applicants should ask before enrolling how grant aid and prior coursework will be handled for their own plans. At University of Memphis, returning after the first year is more common than finishing within six years, though both outcomes sit below those at comparable institutions. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time full-time cohort is 50.9%, compared with a peer median of 65.0% for comparable institutions. First-year retention is 77.4%, against 83.1% for the same peer group. Pell recipients in the cohort have a six-year completion rate of 50.3%, below the overall rate by 0.6 percentage points. Enrolled students can expect most full-time beginners to return for year two, but only about half of the entering cohort to complete within six years. The lower peer comparisons for both measures point to a less favorable persistence picture than at similar institutions. ## 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/).