Emory University

Emory University placed 23rd in the 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking, holding a steady position near the low twenties since its rank of 21st in 2018. Gaining admission is competitive, with an overall undergraduate admit rate of 10.6% in 2025. While this rate is higher than 63% of 30 peer private research universities, it still reflects rigorous screening as tens of thousands of applicants are turned away each cycle. Once admitted, students do not always choose to matriculate. Emory's yield rate stood at 40.4% in 2025, which is higher than only 17% of peer institutions in its comparison group. Because fewer than half of admitted candidates enroll, prospective students should recognize that Emory actively competes with other top-tier universities for accepted applicants. A competitive profile requires stellar credentials, but admissions committees must also contend with admitted candidates weighing multiple prestigious options.

Emory University operates under a test-optional policy, meaning standardized test scores are optional and considered if submitted. For 2025, the university reported a middle score range of 32 to 35 on the ACT, while its median SAT score of 1520 was higher than 34% of peer schools in its private research university comparison group. In that same year, 43% of entering students submitted SAT scores. High school academic performance is equally critical; in the 2023-2024 academic year, the vast majority of admitted students achieved top-tier grades in rigorous secondary school coursework. Additionally, applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway, which are not official university data, show admitted international students with a median unweighted GPA of 3.82. In practice, this means applicants face an exacting evaluation where sustained academic excellence in school is essential, backed by test scores near the top national percentiles when candidates choose to report them.

Emory's academic offerings are heavily weighted toward business, natural sciences, and health professions. Undergraduate degree completion shows noticeable concentration, with the top three bachelor's majors accounting for 40.2% of all graduating seniors in 2025. Management Science led bachelor's conferrals with 529 graduates, followed by Neuroscience and General Biology. These popular areas align directly with the university's strongest national reputations. In U.S. News program rankings, Emory's undergraduate nursing school achieved the 1st rank for 2027, while its research medical school ranked 1st for 2026. High student demand is supported by solid compensation in analytical and healthcare fields. Based on 2023 earnings data, bachelor's degree recipients in Computer Science achieved median first-year earnings of $99,840, while Business Administration graduates earned a median of $87,830. For prospective students, these figures show that Emory's most enrolled programs coincide with its highest-ranked disciplines and lead directly into well-compensated career paths.

Emory University maintains a student body where graduate enrollment slightly exceeds the undergraduate population. In 2025, the university enrolled 15,175 total students across all divisions. The undergraduate community comprises first-year students, continuing upperclassmen, and transfer cohorts, while graduate students account for more than half of campus enrollment. Asian and international students form substantial communities across every level. Among first-year undergraduates, Asian students accounted for 24.4% of the class, while international students represented 16.6%. Continuing undergraduate cohorts mirror these proportions closely, alongside strong White, Hispanic, and Black representations. Within the graduate division, international students constitute the second largest demographic group at 20.0%, accompanied by Asian scholars who comprise 13.2% of advanced degree candidates. Female students make up the majority across both undergraduate and graduate levels, creating a balanced and multi-layered campus demographic.

Emory's undergraduate student body consists almost entirely of traditional-age college students. In 2025, 50.9% of the 7,407 undergraduates were between ages 20 and 21, and students aged 18 to 19 made up 35.6%. Undergraduates aged 22 to 24 accounted for only a tenth of enrollment, meaning campus life centers heavily on the standard four-year residential experience. In contrast, the graduate division serves a broader adult age range. Among the university's 7,768 graduate students, individuals aged 25 to 29 formed the largest cohort at 42.2%, followed by those aged 22 to 24. This profile creates a clear separation between a tightly grouped undergraduate campus community and a more professionally experienced graduate population.

In 2025, international students comprised 16.7% of the undergraduate student body, trending slightly downward over the past decade. Even so, Emory's undergraduate international share remains higher than 83% of peer private research universities. In contrast, international representation at the graduate level has grown, reaching 20% of graduate students in 2025. Among graduating cohorts, international degree recipients concentrate in business and technical fields. At the undergraduate level, international students represent substantial cohorts in Management Science and Statistics, General, while at the master's level, international graduates earned 78.2% of degrees in Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other. This distribution indicates that global enrollment is especially prominent in data-driven and analytical graduate disciplines.

Applicants exploring Emory University have several distinguished higher education alternatives located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Located just 2.3 kilometers away in Decatur, Agnes Scott College is ranked 62nd among National Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2027 U.S. News rankings. Closer to downtown Atlanta, approximately 4.2 kilometers from Emory, lies Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, a leading public research institution ranked 29th among National Universities. Also in central Atlanta, 4.4 kilometers away, Georgia State University offers broad urban degree programs and holds a rank of 191st among National Universities. Just 5.8 kilometers away, Spelman College ranks 34th on the National Liberal Arts Colleges list, providing an elite private college option nearby.

Campus safety at Emory University is primarily shaped by non-violent conduct infractions, alongside reported property crimes and interpersonal concerns. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 11, reflecting lower-weighted disciplinary actions as well as criminal reports. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, alcohol disciplinary referrals formed the largest category of campus safety reports, totaling 398 incidents. Property offenses and boundary-related incidents also occurred; during those same years, official records documented 139 incidents of stalking and 102 incidents of theft, along with smaller numbers of drug violations, dating violence, and rape. For prospective students and families evaluating everyday campus life, these figures indicate that administrative policy enforcement accounts for the bulk of safety actions, while personal security, awareness in shared campus spaces, and vigilance regarding relationship safety remain important practical considerations.