If you’re wondering how to get accepted into Tulane University, be warned: it’s not exactly as straightforward as you think.
Like other elite private research schools, they boast a slim acceptance rate. And, over the past few years, their admit rate has only dipped. Additionally, more students are applying every year. However, good grades and ECs alone won’t get you in. Unlike other schools, Tulane has a special metric outside the Common Data Set.
Great.
This article will covers everything you need to know to get accepted into Tulane University. We’ll discuss the admissions factors they value most, the GPA needed, admissions stats throughout the years, and more.
Table of Contents
- What GPA Do You Need to Get Into Tulane?
- Tulane Acceptance Rate Over Time.
- What Kind of Student Does Tulane Look For?
- “Engagement”: Tulane’s Super Sneaky Admissions Factor.
- How Demonstrated Interest in Essays Change Everything.
- You Need to Reassure Tulane’s Yield Rate.
- Lastly… Stand Out.
What GPA Do You Need to Get Into Tulane?
Here’s Tulane’s most recent Freshman profile of admitted students for the class of 2027 (2023-24 admissions cycle.)
| Average Unweighted GPA | 3.7 |
| Average SAT | 1448 |
| Average ACT | 33 |
If you want to have a very solid shot at getting accepted into Tulane University, expect to have a GPA of 3.7 or higher.
If you don’t have a high GPA, consider taking the SAT or ACT. Aim for a 1450 SAT score or higher. For the ACT, aim for a 33 or higher.
Below we’ve also provided what percentage of students fell under certain GPA ranges.
For the 2023-24 admissions cycle, most enrolled Tulane Freshman had a 3.5 GPA or higher. Nonetheless, some still had a GPA between 3.25 and 3.5. And, there are even outliers who have lower GPAs than that.
For instance, you can still get accepted into Tulane with a GPA of 3.6. But, for the best admissions chances, aim for a 3.7 GPA or higher. It doesn’t mean you’ll be the most competitive. But, there are a good number of enrolled students who fall under that range!
Tulane Acceptance Rate Over Time
To get accepted into Tulane, you must account for their admissions rate over time. The school has endured major dips in acceptance rate throughout the past few years.
Thus, you must act accordingly to compensate for this ever-decreasing trend.
Here is a visualization of Tulane’s acceptance rate over the past 7 years.
Below we’ve provided a table of Tulane’s acceptance rate trend as well.
| Year | # of Students Admitted | # of Students Applied | Acceptance Rate |
| 2017-18 | 7657 | 35622 | 21.49% |
| 2018-19 | 6724 | 38816 | 17.32% |
| 2019-20 | 5431 | 42185 | 12.87% |
| 2020-21 | 4877 | 43892 | 11.11% |
| 2021-22 | 4385 | 45525 | 9.63% |
| 2022-23 | 3621 | 31615 | 11.45% |
| 2023-24 | 4077 | 27936 | 14.59% |
While Tulane’s acceptance rate slightly increased over the past 2 years, their overall acceptance rate halved in just a matter of 3 years. Yikes. Be sure to stand out from the rest of the admissions pool by showing that you have what the school is looking for.
We’ll show you how to do that below.
What Kind of Student Does Tulane Look For?
Tulane weighs academic factors very heavily. These 3 elements are the most important factors for getting accepted into Tulane.
- Academic Rigor (How many advanced classes you took.)
- Class Rank
- Academic Performance (GPA)
Additionally, you’ll need other elements like strong extracurriculars and demonstrated character/personal qualities to truly stand out.
Now, don’t take Tulane’s Common Data Set at face value.
There is a bit of deceptive information here. Specifically, pay attention to the “Essay” and “Level of Applicant’s Interest” (demonstrated interest, or DI for short) section.
Notice how they’re labeled “Important” but not as important as Rigor, Class Rank, and GPA? It’s easy to presume the essay and DI are just about as important as other stuff like volunteer work and first-gen status. But, this is not true. Both the essays and DI are very, very, very important to Tulane’s admissions process.
In fact, Tulane even gave it its own name. It’s called “Engagement.”
“Engagement”: Tulane’s Super Sneaky Admissions Factor.
So, WTF is engagement?
Engagement is essentially Tulane’s way of saying demonstrated interest. However, it’s different from demonstrated interest because you must “prove intent” to attend the school instead of just checking a box.
In Owen Knight’s —Tulane’s Director of Admissions— article, he writes…
“Engagement (also known as demonstrated interest) is the process of keeping an eye on a student’s interactions with a school… We started to refer to this as engagement rather than demonstrated interest to try to emphasize that we are looking for more than just “checking the box” and going through the motions…
Owen Knight: Tulane Director of Admissions
The distinction between Engagement and demonstrated interest is that demonstrated interest can be faked. Engagement typically can’t
Engagement must prove intent to attend once admitted through dedication and interest. That may come from attending events, engaging with the community, etc.
Owen Knight provides an interesting example of Engagement vs demonstrated interest below.
…The example I always share to explain the difference between “demonstrating interest” and “engaging” came from a college fair a few years back
A student walked up to me at a college fair and literally said “I’d like to demonstrate my interest.” He filled out a card to share his information and sign in for the event. While he was doing so, I asked him if he had any questions about Tulane. He said no, handed me his card, and walked away. It was very bizarre and a prime example of what I’m talking about. Sure, his application reflected that he took the time to swing by the table at the college fair, but he did not actually do anything to learn more about Tulane or use it as an opportunity to add some humanity to his application. See the difference?”
Owen Knight: Tulane Director of Admissions
So, if you want to show Tulane that you’re really dedicated to attending their campus, actually engage with the community. Communicate with the admissions office. Attend events.
Show admissions officers that you’re actually passionate about attending instead of just doing it for the sake of gaining favor.
How Demonstrated Interest (DI) in Essays Change Everything.
The Engagement factor (demonstrated interest/applicant’s interest) becomes very important in the admissions process when you factor in the essay. This is because the essays are one of the main vehicles with which you share your Engagement.
Take a look at the Director of Admissions’ statement.
“We absolutely want students to attend our events and do research, but it is about how you use that research to write a great Why Tulane essay and explain why you are a good fit for Tulane, and Tulane a good fit for you. We want students to actively participate in their search.”
Owen Knight: Tulane Director of Admissions
Attending the events and doing extensive research on the school is all fine and dandy. Tulane likes that.
However, you need to show what you’ve learned in your “Why Tulane” essay if you truly want to demonstrate Engagement. Engagement and the Tulane essay are inexorably tied up.
In other words, if you’re not writing the Why Tulane essay, you’re missing out on a lot of much-needed Engagement to get in. That’s why we say that while the Common App labels it as “optional”, you should ALWAYS fill it out anyway.
Why Showing Demonstrated Interest in the Tulane Essay is Impossible.
Below we’ve pasted the Tulane “Why Us” essay that Director Owen Knight was referring to. He mentions you should use what you’ve learned about Tulane to answer this prompt.
Except… notice anything wrong?
Take a look at the red box we drew. Tulane’s “Why Us” prompt only gives us a measly 250 words.
Keeping Owen Knight’s suggestion, your 250-word essay should include the following.
- Write about the cool stuff you learned about the school to demonstrate your interest.
- Connect why those things make us interested in joining Tulane.
- On top of that, we need to illustrate how to contribute to the Tulane community.
That’s where the problem is. The prompt is simply too short to fit in all 3 of these factors. You could “technically” shoehorn 80 words per item here. But, both fulfilling Director Owen Knight’s consideration and answering the prompt in full is virtually impossible without stretching your content thin.
The Solution.
The solution is to be spikey.
To be “spikey” in admissions terms means to focus on one big and impressive factor rather than many small ones. For instance, a chess grandmaster is spikey; but, a student who is a cabinet member of 12 clubs they attend casually is not spikey.
In this context, you want to focus on just one major significant element about Tulane to write about. You should choose just one; and, make sure it’s a very hard-hitting topic too. If you do this, you can have a solid reason backing your demonstrated interest without having to sacrifice too much of your word count.
Often, this involves one aspect of Tulane that is inexorably tied up with your future career aspirations. A good question to ask yourself would be, “What does Tulane have that, if I didn’t have in my career, would leave me helpless?
This is one of the best ways to show demonstrated interest in Tulane; for, it also connects Tulane to a rational reason behind your admissions decision. It also shows you’re not just carelessly applying to schools without consideration.
Now, we know what you may be thinking.
“Why can’t we just write a separate email to Tulane’s admissions office showing our demonstrated interest?”
Well, it’s because they said so. It’s literally in their “Not Engaging” list.
We know. It sucks. But, no emailing the school just to get that check box! Remember: it’s about actually showing a love for the school, not about checking boxes!
You Need to Reassure Tulane’s Yield Rate.
Tulane weighs Engagement (demonstrated interest) very heavily because it helps them enforce yield. Yield measures the number of accepted students who enroll.
By seeing who is truly interested in attending Tulane, they can accept students who are truly committed to attending after acceptance. It lets the school provide space for students who actually want to attend.
To get accepted into Tulane, you’ll must reassure admissions officers you won’t skew their yield rate. Your application essay should show you’re someone who will attend if admitted. The best way to do this is to align your essay with logic and reason. Show that Tulane is the most suitable, rational choice. That way, admissions officers will believe your demonstrated interest holds weight. You’re essentially making a case for the school and showing how not attending would be a stupid idea.
Additionally, it helps to show that your character and personality align with Tulane’s philosophy and culture. For, if you’re someone who would fit in the community, you likely know what you’re getting yourself into. By showing you’re a great fit, you’ll clearly demonstrate that you did your research.
Lastly… Stand Out.
For a solid chance of getting accepted into Tulane, you must stand out.
Aside from engagement and demonstrated interest, you can stand out by having strong extracurriculars, doing volunteer work, and conducting personal passion projects.
Then, there’s the essays. Listen to this.
“Be yourself! Whether it is your activities or essays, you need to be authentic. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not just to “look good for college…””
Owen Knight Director of Admissions
Authenticity is the key to having a unique college application. Most students are writing their college essays with the threat of rejection hanging over their head. So, many of their essays turn out disingenuous. They end up making their essays about “making” the admissions officers see them as unique and special.
To be unique, you must be authentic. This means deconstructing all the interesting and meaningful elements of your life and translating them honestly. This “real you” will be more than unique enough to stand out from the rest of the admissions pool so long as you analyze the important themes and motifs surrounding your life.
Here’s an example: you’re writing your Common App essay about your Asian American background. While this topic is common, YOUR experience has unique minute details. You struggle with accepting the discriminatory traditional Chinese practices. However, you also respect your Asian culture and don’t political beliefs to clash with your cultural heritage. These complex themes and motifs help you stand out in the Tulane essays because they dig at deeper ideas.
If you’re still struggling to get accepted into Tulane or need help with the application essays, don’t worry. We’ve helped countless students such as yourself get into T20 schools. Schedule a free consultation with us today; and, we’ll get back to you within 24 hours with free advice and consulting!
