Tulane University – Early Action / Early Decision for Class of 2031 Official Thread

Colleges & Universities Tulane University
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This is the official thread for those applying EA/ED to Tulane University!

Tulane University offers Early Action and Early Decision for freshman admissions.

The Early Decision (ED) I deadline for Fall 2027 admission is November 1.

The Early Action (EA) deadline for Fall 2027 admission is November 10.

The Early Decision (ED) II deadline for Fall 2027 admission is January 15.

For more information visit the Tulane University page on College Confidential.

See updates and discuss results with other Tulane University applicants.

Are you planning to apply early to Tulane University? Why Tulane University? What questions do you have about applying early? Comment in the thread below, the CC community is here to help!

Official Early Action / Early Decision Class of 2031 Discussions
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The last couple of years I’ve updated and posted the tables below to the extent it helps any prospective applicants. All of the data is accumulated from the school reported Common Data Set (CDS). Tulane (and most other schools) do not separate EA/RD numbers on the CDS. Also, any numbers you see of acceptances in RD are going to include applicants that applied EA and were deferred. The years relate to the incoming freshman class. Tulane continues to fill the bulk of their incoming class through Early Decision. Although they do a pretty good job financially “meeting need”, be sure to run the net price calculator to set expectations before applying ED. The EA/RD acceptance rate was ~12% this last year but it is suspected that the RD applicant round is low single digits.

'25-'26 '24-'25 '23-'24 '22-'23 '21-'22 '20-'21 '19-'20 '18-'19
Total Applicants 32,942 32,603 27,936 31,615 45,525 43,892 42,185 38,816
Admitted 4,763 4,558 4,077 3,621 4,385 4,877 5,431 6,724
Enrolled 1,858 1,838 1,867 1,843 2,027 1,801 1,821 1,909
ED Applied 2,077 1,946 1,752 1,853 3,853 3,976 2,163 1,659
ED Accepted 1,209 1,156 1,193 1,258 1,209 922 720 535
ED % Admitted 58% 59% 68% 68% 31% 23% 33% 32%
EA/RD Applications 30,865 30,657 26,184 29,762 41,672 39,916 40,022 37,157
EA/RD Accepted 3,554 3,402 2,884 2,363 3,176 3,955 4,711 6,189
EA/RD Acceptance 12% 11% 11% 8% 8% 10% 12% 17%
EA/RD Enrolled 649 682 674 585 818 879 1,101 1,374
EA/RD Enroll % of Admitted 18% 20% 23% 25% 26% 22% 23% 22%

Often a question is any differences in acceptance rate between male/female. Tulane is slightly less than 2/3 female enrollment. From the numbers in the table they don’t seem to give any kind of gender bump to male applicants.

Applicants (%) '25-'26 '24-'25 '23-'24 '22-'23 '21-'22 '20-'21 '19-'20 '18-'19
Male 37% 38% 37% 35% 34% 37% 37% 38%
Female 63% 62% 63% 65% 66% 63% 63% 62%
Admits
Male 42% 40% 34% 32% 34% 39% 37% 36%
Female 58% 60% 66% 68% 66% 61% 63% 64%
Enrolled
Male 42% 37% 36% 34% 36% 41% 40% 38%
Female 58% 63% 64% 66% 64% 59% 60% 62%

If you attend any of the admission information sessions you may hear them suggest that unless your standardized test is within the top 50% “you probably don’t want to submit”.

Submitting Test Scores '25-'26 '24-'25 '23-'24 '22-'23 '21-'22 '20-'21 '19-'20 '18-'19
SAT 11% 13% 14% 16% 15% 30% 26% 23%
ACT 27% 28% 31% 34% 41% 68% 72% 77%
SAT Mid-50 1430-1500 1410-1500 1400-1490 1400-1500 1380-1490 1360-1470 1370-1480 1350-1490
ACT Mid-50 32-34 31-34 31-33 31-33 30-33 30-33 31-33 30-33

I have no inside knowledge or connection within admissions.

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Great info. My son is applying this year. In all the info sessions and at the in person tour, they have been encouraging all applicants with 1300+ and 28+ to submit their scores. And to ignore the middle 50% score range of previous years. Not sure what to make of the change?

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Tulane also gives this guidance on their website.

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The reason(s) for the guidance doesn’t really matter…follow the guidance Tulane is giving. Same for any other school!

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Agree with @Mwfan1921, I wouldn’t make too much of the change but would follow what the AOs are currently advising. Thank you for the update!

Good luck to your son.

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Do you think they prefer test scores? My kid loves Tulane and wanted ED but we need to compare merit offers as we won’t receive need based aid. Has a 1490 and a 3.7 UW. Hoping they like high test scores and can “hide” a lower GPA in their numbers, so to speak.

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According to the Common Data Set, 38% submit (assuming no one submits both).

I get when schools say - submit a 28 or 1300 - but if the 25th percentile is 32 or 1430, how are they using it?

Sure, 25% are below 32 and 1430. It’s likely the true submission rate outside of hooked - athletes is higher than 38%.

Are they looking at income when they say submit at 28 - i.e. a full pay is a yes but someone who can pay $20K is a no? They say they are need blind but they likely have data on who applies ED (likely skews wealthier - whatever it is, they’ll know, I’m just making an assumption). Or lower scores only to first gen or underrepresented minorities or states?

There’s no way to know.

I get people who say follow the advice.

But the data also doesn’t lie.

I think it’s one people need to look at deeper at and ask their counselors.

Whether one gets in or doesn’t, they don’t truly know the reasons. But I’m guessing many not submitting are in the range Tulane says to submit - but perhaps they thought differently.

This is a totally personal call - and given it’s likely in the 40s or 50s (not hooked who submit), I’m not sure anyone can say - they prefer test scores.

But if you believe their words, they do give specific guidance. And they claim to be need blind although not to meet need except for local applicants (from LA) that I can see.

I’d talk to my AO and to my counselor - but in the end, like most, you have to go with what you truly feel. And the test score is but one part of an application.

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With low numbers of kids submitting test scores, these numbers are skewed. My guess is that they are going back to believing in the data that a test score can provide. Therefore you can’t really look at previous years data, as they are setting a new precedent this year. We confirmed this with admissions-our school counselor was not aware of the change and emailed the school to confirm, which they did. When the school is telling you to submit a score over 1300 and it will strengthen your application, believe them.

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Clearly you’re going to submit a 1490 - and I wouldn’t consider a 3.7UW as “low”. That’s definitely in the range of what they’re looking for but they’ll also look at what the rigor of the classes were, the school district it was in, extra curriculars, etc etc.

If your student applies and doesn’t get in you’ll never know why. If they do get in you’ll never know what part of their application stood out.

But if they do get accepted to Tulane I wouldn’t expect much in the way of non-need based aid. Not to suggest they don’t give anything EVER but over the last 5-10 years they’ve shifted much of their scholarship/merit aid from “incentive” to “need”.

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In the data set above I posted 2018-2021 cycles when they were not test optional. You can look at the scores in those years. A 1300 definitely would be in the lower 25% of accepted students but those students likely had strong GPA’s or other criteria that made sense to the school. Likewise a 28 ACT score.

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It’s all opinion - I’ll disagree.

Their % submitted wasn’t necessarily low compared to others. But Tulane is not a public; they are different.

They don’t want to show a 28 at the 25th percentile. Then it loses it’s cache. U Texas may be different; they don’t need the revenue/funding to the same level.

None of us will never know but I promise you there will be plenty of people turned down who submit scores below this year’s 25th percentile, even if they told you to.

There’s another school I recommended a first gen, rural - not to submit the test score which was far below the 25th %. Someone came at me and said it’s reckless, the school recommended it.

The school isn’t saying - this will get you over the top. They are saying they want to see it. I suspect they have a motive for doing so.

Maybe they are giving general guidance simply to find first gen or low income or minorities (yes, they can’t ask but they can tell from essays, etc.).

We all think differently. None of us knows the answer.

Maybe they’re taking the school selectivity down as there are less students and more competition. I mean, their rank has dropped (now #59) in US News, the ranking most seem to care about so maybe they are repositioning themselves.

Honestly, we have no way to know. They may have a new ‘business’ strategy because after all, these are businesses first and foremost.

We just know 38% (assuming no duplicates) submitted a test. We don’t know how many hooked - athletes, donors, legacies didn’t and what the true # is.

People will make their best assumption - and they’ll submit or not and will see what happens.

Best of luck to all. I’ve only heard, locally, good things from Tulane - one a pre med now working in NYC for a hospital. My son’s valedictorian was rejected and went to Vandy with merit aid.

So no one knows - as admissions are likely unpredictable.

Wishing everyone luck.

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Good point.

For some perspective, schools are frequently changing their admission policies. When my s went to Tulane, there was no Stamps scholarship, they had a sort of informal rolling admissions (he got his acceptance and first merit award by this time his senior year- yes, before Halloween) and the Deans Honors Scholarship award announcement came by UPS in a pleather binder!

Things change. If I were the poster with a 28 ACT and I want to know why they now, this year, encourage to submit an SAT of 1300+ or ACT of 28+, I’d call your Admissions counselor and ask. That shows interest, and Tulane definitely finds interest important. Find out what is driving this recommendation, since in previous years only a small percent of applicants with an ACT of 24-29 were admitted (per the recent CDS). See what they say, have a conversation (with back up questions based on the answer they first give) and let that help make your decisions as to whether to submit. There could be concern that since they are now recommending that, if you still choose to be test optional, they might think your scores are below their recommended benchmark.

IMO there is a difference between opinion and advice. You have the benefit of posters here who are admission experts and Forum champions and parents with direct experience with the school. IMO that is meaningful. When you do call your AO (if this is pertinent to applicants here), please come back here and share what they say. Keep in mind, too, that some AO’s may be reading posts here :slight_smile:

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Great advice to encourage students to ask their AO for guidance on test scores. It’s an appropriate ask as the test optional landscape can be tricky for students to properly assess.

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And Tulane is reporting today a large upswing of applications thus far this year, hypothesizing that is could be due to the d/c of the “why Tulane” essay or overall early submissions numbers

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No essay, free, and non-binding. Why not apply? Literally half of my daughter’s grade is applying (small private high school). The upswing is going to be crazy.

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Over 14K reported so far.

Several schools have dropped their optional essays. Will be interesting to see the numbers at all of these schools.

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I agree, I wouldn’t submit a 1300 to Tulane, or Tufts who also gives similar advice UNLESS i went to a VERY under-resourced school or some very specific circumstances. I can not imagine the want their average /25th scores plummeting and prefer a low % submitting in stead.

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This is a 100%+ increase over this time prior year. Surprise (sarcasm), dropping supplemental essays juices apps.

Also to add to the testing discussion because I don’t think this has been addressed yet…Tulane is test preferred for merit scholarships, details below. That means any unhooked student who doesn’t submit any tests (see below) is highly unlikely to get any merit aid.

While not required, the submission of ACT/SAT testing and/or AP exams, IB predicted or actual results, Cambridge International A levels, and other international exams will be a preferred credential for students seeking academic **[merit scholarships.]

(https://admission.tulane.edu/tuition-aid/merit-scholarships)**

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I wonder how many read that deep vs. just saying - easy app. Of course, that could hurt yield unless they are able to figure that out up front - who is a contender and who isn’t.