Freshman Admission Decisions Overview

Our goal in the admissions review process is to enroll an academically qualified and diverse student body, which is essential to the University’s mission. In doing so, the University’s educational and social environment prepares students to contribute to and thrive in a global society.

Learn about our review process and admissions decisions:

• Holistic review process
• Freshman-admitting colleges
• Academic profile of admitted students
• Decision timeline and definitions
• Admission decision FAQs

Holistic Review Process

At the University of Minnesota, we believe that selecting students from a highly talented group of applicants requires an individual assessment of all application materials submitted for each student; every application is read in its entirety.

Admission decisions are based on a very careful, overall assessment of each student’s academic and context factors. Note that no single factor is the deciding factor in the decision.

Academic Factors

Because the greatest predictor of college success is academic preparation, the strongest consideration in the decision is given to a student’s high school record. We know that COVID-19 might have changed your school’s course offerings and grading systems. Our promise to you is that we will look at the overall trend of your high school performance—not just a single semester—to understand your academic preparation. The following academic factors are considered:

• Coursework through high school graduation
• (Admitted students typically exceed the University’s high school requirements – see course requirements)
• Grades in academic coursework
• Class rank/Grade Point Average
• Rigor of academic curriculum based on what is available in the high school (including enrollment in honors, AP, IB, or college-level courses when available)
• ACT or SAT scores
  (Submitting an ACT/SAT score is not required for 2021 applicants. All students, whether or not they submit a test score, will receive full consideration for admission, scholarships, and the University Honors Program. For more information and frequently asked questions, please visit our ACT/SAT FAQ.)
• Applicant’s academic interests
  (We review a student’s academic preparation related to the major/college for which they are seeking admission)

Context Factors

Individual circumstances are also considered as part of the overall assessment of each application. Enrolling a diverse student body—with students bringing differing experiences, talents, and perspectives to their scholarly community—is essential to achieving the development outcomes of a University of Minnesota education. Our university community is strengthened by our students representing different races, economic backgrounds, geographic origins, genders, religions, ethnicities, sexualities, talents, and beliefs.

Our holistic review takes into consideration the individual circumstances that make each individual student unique. We consider the following context factors in our decision review.

• Outstanding talent, achievement, or aptitude in a particular area
• Strong commitment to community service and leadership
• Military service
• Contribution to the cultural, gender, age, economic, racial, or geographic diversity of the student body
• Evidence of having overcome social, economic, or physical barriers to educational achievement
• First-generation college student
• Significant responsibility in a family, community, job, or activity
• Family employment or attendance at the University of Minnesota
• Personal or extenuating circumstances
• Information received in open-ended questions

Freshman-Admitting Colleges

If you are accepted to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as a freshman, you will be admitted to one of the following colleges:

• Carlson School of Management
• College of Biological Sciences
• College of Design
• College of Education and Human Development
• College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
• College of Liberal Arts
• College of Science and Engineering
• School of Nursing

Admission to each of the University’s eight freshmen-admitting colleges is very competitive, and the number of available spaces varies by college. Applicants are first considered for admission to the colleges listed in their application, in the order in which they are listed. Then, applicants are automatically considered for other U of M freshman-admitting colleges that may be a good fit with their academic interests and preparation.

Along with your admission to a specific college, we will automatically consider you for these programs:

President’s Emerging Scholars

President’s Emerging Scholars is an educational opportunity program which ensures timely graduation of its participants by encouraging and supporting academic, career, and personal well-being through scholarships, programming, professional advising, and peer mentoring. Preference is given to first-generation students and other students whose applications demonstrate evidence of having overcome social, economic, or physical barriers to educational achievement.

University Honors Program

The University Honors Program will enhance your University of Minnesota Twin Cities experience through enriched curriculum, interdisciplinary experiences, and exceptional community between your fellow honors students, faculty, and advisors. Honors admission is offered to the overall most competitive applicants from each freshman-admitting college.

Academic Profile of Admitted Students

This table provides a general overview of the middle 50 percentile high school rank and standardized test scores of freshman applicants admitted for fall 2020. Overall, the middle 50 percent of students admitted for fall 2020:

• Scored between 26 and 32 on the ACT
• Scored between 1330 and 1460 on the SAT
• Had a high school rank percentile between 80 and 96

Please note the data presented in the table are a composite picture of admitted freshman applicants; they are not admission criteria. Admission decisions are based on an individual, overall assessment of each application. Applicants are first considered for admission to the colleges listed in their application, in the order in which they are listed. Then, applicants are automatically considered for other U of M freshman-admitting colleges that may be a good match with their academic interests and preparation. For complete information on our application review factors, please see our admissions overview.

	Biological Sciences	Design	Education & Human Development	Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences	Liberal Arts	Management (Carlson School of)	School of Nursing	Science and Engineering
High School Rank
High School Rank (if provided) – Range of the Middle 50 Percentile of Admitted Freshmen	89 – 98%	74 – 94%	73 – 92%	74 – 94%	74 – 94%	87 – 97%	89 – 98%	88 – 98%
*ACT Composite
ACT Composite Score	28 – 33	25 – 30	22 – 27	24 – 30	25 – 31	28 – 32	28 – 32	30 – 34
*SAT Total
SAT Composite Score	1330 – 1460	1280 – 1410	1280 – 1380	1300 – 1420	1310 – 1440	1340 – 1460	1320 – 1440	1370 – 1490

*Please note: the University of Minnesota Twin Cities will not be requiring an ACT or SAT score for the 2021 undergraduate application.

Admission Decision Timeline and Definitions

Early Action I applicants: Students who submit their complete applications by the November 1 Early Action I Deadline will receive an admission decision on Application Tracker by January 31.

Early Action II applicants: Students who submit their complete applications by the December 1 Early Action II Deadline will receive an admission decision on Application Tracker by February 15.

Regular Deadline applicants: Students who submit their complete applications by the January 1 Regular Deadline will receive an admission decision on Application Tracker by March 31.

Scholarship recipients and students admitted to the University Honors Program will be notified by March 31.

POSSIBLE DECISIONS:

• Admit: Based on our holistic review, the student has been admitted to the University of Minnesota.
• Defer: A deferred admissions decision means that although the student met the Early Action I or Early Action II deadline, we need more time and more information about our applicant pool in order to make our final decision. The overall strength of our applicant pool and the number of spaces available in each freshman-admitting college will determine the admission decision. An update will be provided to the student by March 31.
• Deny: We are not able to offer freshman admission. Students who are denied admission are encouraged to apply for transfer admission for a future semester. Transfer admission is also competitive so it is important that students achieve a strong academic record at another college or university.
• Waitlist: The student’s application has been placed on a waitlist. Although we have determined that the applicant is academically prepared to succeed at the University of Minnesota, we must make certain that we do not exceed the number of spaces available in each of the freshman-admitting colleges. Waitlisted applicants will receive an update on the status of their applications by mid-June. If we determine that spaces remain available, the overall strongest applicants will be admitted from the waitlist.

Highlights

Application Portal	UG: Golden Gopher/Common/Coalition Application PG: Varies with every school
Application Fee	UG: 55 USD non-refundable fee PG: 95 USD for international students 75 USD for domestic students
Acceptance Rate	57%
Mode of payment	Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express cards
SAT Score	1320 – 1460
ACT Score	27 – 32
High school Percentile	82 – 97
Academic Calendar	Semester
Intake	Fall and Spring
Financial aid	Only academic scholarships for international students available
International Admissions	Contact UMN

University of Minnesota Admission Deadlines

The application deadlines for range of courses offered by the institute including programs at undergraduate and graduate level are – 

Application Type	Deadline	Decision
Early action application	November 1	By January 31
Regular decision application	January 1	By March 31

Application deadlines vary for graduate programs.

International Student Admissions

The institute accepts international applicants and currently, students from over 130 countries are pursuing their graduation at the university including candidates hailing from countries like India, Bangladesh, China, etc. As an international student, he/she can have several options and can have unique experiences of all students from different countries and U of M values all of them.

Admission at the organization for international students can only take place during fall. A detailed admission process for the same is as compiled below.

Application Portal: Students may apply online at the golden gopher application or the common application.

Application Fee: USD 55

Basic Admission Requirements: 

• A Completed application.
• Self-reported academic record
• High school courses and grades.
• English proficiency test.

For South Korean curriculum students, they need to upload transcripts after filling the application via application tracker. Official document requirement is needed while admitting and the information in self-report is cross checked.

English proficiency test scores 

The institute requires international students to demonstrate English language proficiency by providing scores of any one of the following tests given below to be eligible for admission:

English proficiency tests	Minimum Score (UG)/ Transfer Students	Minimum Score (PG)
IELTS	6.5	6.5
TOEFL (IBT)	79	79
Pearson Test of Academic English (PTE Academic)	59	59
Cambridge Assessment English (CAE) C1 Advanced	180	180
MEFLAB	N/A	80

Undergraduate applicants can be exempted from the English proficiency requirement if they score 500 or greater on the SAT test section evidence-based reading and writing; or

Score 21 or higher on the ACT exam on the English and Reading sections. Another way is to score 28 or greater on the new SAT writing and language test.

SAT/ACT Score for International Students 

The SAT/ACT for international students is a little higher as compared to that for Domestic students.

Test type	Score required
ACT	27 – 32
SAT I	1320 – 1460

Conditional Admission

The University of Minnesota also admits international students whose English proficiency doesn’t meet the required scores by giving them conditional admission. Candidates are automatically considered for conditional admission to the University of Minnesota based on a review of their completed international application for admission.

Visa Requirements for International Students

International applicants can apply for a student F-1 or J-1 visa to study in the USA right after an application letter is issued. Students whose applications have been approved will need to request for I-20 Form from the University of Minnesota. For more information about any visa students can refer to international students help desk or contact your councilor and avoid unnecessary confusion or problems.

Aspirants will be required to submit the following documents while applying for a visa:

• Candidates on a temporary student visa are required to submit a Financial Certification Statement.
• The I-20 document is issued by the university after confirming enrollment.
• Candidates need to demonstrate that they have enough funds to cover their cost of attendance for the first year of study.
• After admission, the candidates are required to submit a copy of their passport.
• The university can also ask to make a deposit in a local U.S. bank before issuing the I-20 form.
• Admitted applicants are responsible for providing or obtaining health insurance and covering applicable international student fees assessed by the University.

University of Minnesota Undergraduate Admissions

More than 150 undergraduate courses are offered by 8 different schools and colleges of UMN Twin Cities. Application requirements for various undergraduate programs are mentioned below.

Checklist for admission at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Application Portal: Either common application portal or coalition application portal or Golden Gopher application

Application Fee: 55 USD

Eligibility Requirements

• Self-reported academic records
  • High school courses and grades
  • English language proficiency scores
  • ACT/SAT score (optional)
• The application fee

University of Minnesota Graduate Admissions

More than 3,000 international students are enrolled at various graduate and professional programs at UMN Twin Cities. A number of graduate programs in more than 150 fields are offered by the University of Minnesota.

Application Portal: Differs with each school

Application Fee: 95 USD

Application Requirements

• Candidates need to have a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution in the U.S. or a comparable degree from outside the U.S.
• The applicant needs to depict a point average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0. 
  • This requirement changes with specific courses.
• GRE score which is course-specific needs to be submitted
• English language proficiency for international students.
• Recommendation letters
• Transcripts

Popular courses at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities

These are some of the popular courses at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities for domestic as well as international students.

Computer Science M.S. at University of Minnesota 

A degree in any major with a substantial background in computer science is required; a computer science major is preferred for getting admission at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Application Deadline	March 1
Application Portal	School’s website
Academic Requirements	GPA: 3.25/4.0
Additional Requirements for International Students	IELTS:6.5 MELAB:80 TOEFL:85

MSSE: Master of Science in Software Engineering at the University of Minnesota

This is a highly competitive program and applicants must apply early.

Application Deadline	February 28
Application Portal	School’s website
Academic Requirements	B.S. or B.A. degree in computer science GPA of 3.0
Supporting Documents	Applicants should be currently employed and must have at least one year of full-time professional work experience in software development. Two letters of recommendation. One professional and one academic reference.
Additional Requirements for International Students	IELTS:6.5 MELAB:80 TOEFL:85 International students: H1-B Visa preferred; This program is intended for SE professionals working and living in the Twin Cities area.

M.S. Management of Technology at the University of Minnesota

Application Deadline	August, reviewed on rolling basis followed by an interview
Application Portal	School’s website
Academic Requirements	Undergraduate degree Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher GMAT or GRE
Supporting Documents	Corporate endorsement Demonstrated tech-based managerial/leadership experience; Minimum of five years of full-time work experience in a science, engineering or technology-related area (applicants with at least three years of work experience and demonstrated leadership ability will be considered)
Additional Requirements for International Students	IELTS:7 or higher MELAB: above 83 TOEFL:90(minimum)
Course Fee	75,600 USD p.a.

Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Twin cities have coursework that provides a solid foundation and an opportunity to conduct cutting edge research with world-famous neuroscientists.

Application Deadline	November 15
Application Portal	School’s website
Academic Requirements	GPA of at least 3.5, GRE(at least 80-85th percentile)
Supporting Documents	Two statements of interest, the first one is a personal statement and the second one is a diversity statement. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation.
Additional Requirements for International Students	English proficiency IELTS:6.5 TOEFL(iBT):107 TOEFL(Paper): 625

Admissions at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities are quite competitive as they don’t depend on a single aspect. Admission deadlines, a complete review of each application and the scores all matter collectively. Even in the case of multiple attempts, the admissions committee will consider each of your composite and subsection scores to identify trends based on each attempt and then proceed.