How to Get Into Texas A&M: Acceptance Rate and Strategies (2024)

The oldest university in the state of Texas, A&M has long outgrown the “Agricultural & Mechanical” portion of its name. At least 40,000 student applicants have applied for the opportunity to attend the College Station campus in each of the past six admissions cycles; back in the year 2000, fewer than 17,000 applied. The Texas A&M acceptance rate has remained steadily under 65%, but this is not a particularly strong indicator of just how selective A&M is in 2024.

Due to a policy that grants Texas residents who finish in the top 10% of their high school class automatic admission, roughly two-thirds of attendees hail from the top decile. As a result, competition for the remaining spots tends to be fierce.

Given the increasing level of competition in the quest to become an Aggie, students really need to do their homework before submitting the application. Toward that aim, this article will provide applicants with:

Texas A&M’s Class of 2027 acceptance rate
Texas A&M in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rate
SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted A&M applicants
Admissions trends from the Class of 2027
The demographics of current Texas A&M undergraduates
Texas A&M’s yield rate
How A&M’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
Tips for applying to Texas A&M
How to assess whether applying to A&M is even worth the $75 application fee (for you)

Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate – Class of 2027

A&M received 51,108 applications for a place in the Class of 2027, the highest total in school history; 32,249 were admitted for an acceptance rate of 63%.

Historical Texas A&M acceptance rates are as follows:

Texas A&M In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance Rate

It is important to note that it is more difficult to gain acceptance to this university if you are not a Texas resident.

For the Class of 2027, the Texas A&M out-of-state acceptance rate was 53% compared to an in-state rate of 65%.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Texas A&M?

Among enrolled 2023-24 first-year students, 59% hailed from the top 10%, while 88% earned a spot in the top quarter. Just 1% placed in the bottom half of their graduating class.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Texas A&M?

According to the most recent statistics available (Class of 2027), the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1150-1370 while the mid-50% ACT score was 25-31. Moreover, it’s important to note that 100% of enrolled students submitted test scores alongside their applications.

Admissions Trends & Notes

Applications to A&M increased by 15% last year.
Students who are in the top 10% of their high school class earn automatic admission into A&M. Prior to 2021, students could be in the top 25%.
94% of the incoming Class of 2027 were Texas residents.
25% of those presently attending Texas A&M are the first member of their family to attend college.
Just 1% of the incoming freshmen class were international students.
In a typical year, there are 250 National Merit Finalists in the freshman class.

Who Gets Into Texas A&M?

Let’s look at the demographics of the Aggie undergraduate student body.

Most A&M students hailed from the Lone Star State and paid in-state tuition. In fact, 96% of the student body are Texas residents.

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate (Continued)

International students typically come from the following countries in the greatest numbers:

Mexico
China
India
South Korea
Vietnam

The breakdown by gender shows slightly more men than women enrolled at A&M:

Male: 51%
Female: 49%

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Students in one recent class came from the following locations:

Number of US high schools: 1,281
Number of Texas counties: 192
Number of US States: 44

Texas A&M’s Yield Rate

A&M’s yield rate was 43% last year, slightly lower than the previous year’s mark of 46%. To compare this school to other top-notch public STEM-focused institutions, Georgia Tech is at roughly 40%, Virginia Tech has a 33% yield, and Purdue is at just 25%.

How Texas A&M Rates Applicants

There are five factors that Texas A&M ranks as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, extracurricular activities, and talent/ability. Essays, first-generation status, geographical residence, state residency, volunteer work, and work experience are rated as “important.”

In the admissions office’s own words: “If you do not qualify for top 10%, but meet theState of Texas Uniform Admission Policy, your application file, which includes all factors you noted, will be reviewed in a holistic manner. Academic factors include all high school courses attempted and grades earned, rigor of coursework, GPA and class rank. Non-academic factors include involvement in extracurricular activities, community service, leadership, employment and summer activities as well as extraordinary opportunities, challenges and hardships experienced during high school career.”

Possessing a top-notch athletic program, it most definitely helps if you are recruited as an athlete to join one of A&M’s 20 Division I sports teams. There are roughly 650 student athletes competing at A&M and 75% receive some level of scholarship. In general, recruited athletes possessed GPAs and SATs far below the average for the pool of general admits.

Tips for Applying to Texas A&M

If you plan on joining the 50,000+ Aggie hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

Although Texas A&M is test-optional, it encourages students to send test scores if they have them.
While a holistic process, A&M does not offer interviews.
All students must apply by December 1st at the very latest, but students can apply as early as August 1. Engineering students should always aim to meet the early action deadline of 10/15.
Texas A&M does consider “demonstrated interest” so be sure to take steps toward that aim.
Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by Texas A&M. In the 2023-24 cycle, students encountered a number of essay prompts, so save plenty of time prior to the deadline to write, revise, and polish your responses. (Note that engineering applications typically have additional writing requirements.)

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Prompts were as follows:

Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today? (500 – 750 words)
Describe a life event which you feel has prepared you to be successful in college. (250 words)
Tell us about the person who has most impacted your life and why. (250 words)

Should I apply to Texas A&M?

Getting into Texas A&M has never been more of a selective process, as it now requires either a) finishing in the top 10% of your Texas-based high school class or b) possessing other supremely impressive attributes that blow away the admissions committee. If you are not from the state of Texas, you’ll want to bring a high GPA in a rigorous curriculum to the table. You’ll also want to make sure that your test scores are close to or above Texas A&M’s 75th percentile.

Texas A&M Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts

As such, all students need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of “target” and “safety” schools. You’ll definitely want to do this in collaboration with an admissions professional who is aware of the latest trends and strategies associated with your prospective colleges.

Ready to start building your college list? Consider reviewing the following:

Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
What is Demonstrated Interest?
Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
College Fair Advice for High School Students
How to Complete the Common App Activities List
Common App Essay Prompts
25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2026	43,422	27,203	63%
Class of 2025	44,110	28,287	64%
Class of 2024	43,307	27,287	63%