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Admissions & selectivity

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# University of Nebraska-Lincoln Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated September 30, 2026

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

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## What is the acceptance rate at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s reported acceptance rate is 87.5%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
87.5%

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

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln admits 87.5% of applicants, a rate that sits above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). This means most students who apply find a place.

## What SAT and ACT scores do University of Nebraska-Lincoln students report?

Enrolled students who submitted SAT scores posted a middle 50% range of 1,098 to 1,330. Among ACT submitters, the middle half scored from 22 to 28.

These figures are the twenty-fifth and seventy-fifth percentiles of recent score submitters, not admission minimums. They describe only the students who provided scores, not the full entering class.

An applicant can weigh their own results against the university's 1,098–1,330 SAT band and 22–28 ACT band, remembering that the bands reflect enrolled submitters rather than a threshold.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 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**
1098

**Approximate upper endpoint**
1330

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**
22

**75th percentile**
28

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Figures cover fall 2024.

## Who enrolls at University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

**Pell Grant recipients**
22.8%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
14.2%

**First-year retention**
86.0%

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.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln enrolls 19,178 undergraduates on its campus in Lincoln, Nebraska. The student body includes 22.8% who receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 14.2% who began their studies elsewhere before transferring in.

The enrollment mix means the university serves students arriving through several different routes, not a single entry path. Pell-eligible applicants can use the cost calculator to see their own estimated net price, and transfer applicants should review the transfer credit policies for their intended program.

Among full-time bachelor's-seeking entrants, 86.0% return for a second year and 67.0% finish within six years. Both figures sit above the peer medians of 83.1% and 65.0% for comparable institutions.

Pell recipients in the same cohort complete at 57.8%, which is 9.2 percentage points below the overall rate. The gap is a fact about who finishes, not an explanation of why.

Enrolled students can expect persistence and completion rates that run ahead of the peer group, though the Pell completion gap means the experience is not uniform across the student body.

## 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/).