Why do some schools have a low acceptance rate, but mediocre SAT ranges?

<p>For example, I just looked up Baruch College on CollegeBoard. The school has a 23% acceptance rate, but the average SAT score range is 1140-1280 out of 1600. The average GPA range is about B+ through A- average. CB also says that the school places a lot of emphasis on GPA, course rigor, and standardized test scores, while other factors take a back seat. So why is the acceptance rate only 23% for this school?</p>

<p>The University of South Carolina also seems to share this trait.</p>

<p>23% is pretty high…</p>

<p>Not everyone goes by Ivy League standards. Sorry</p>

<p>Because practically every student in NYC applies to CUNYs.</p>

<p>Well, that’s pretty much a given. But within those hordes of applicants, wouldn’t the top 23% of them boast some very high SAT scores and GPA?</p>

<p>The applicant pool at Caltech and the applicant pool at your local community college look vastly different. The number of applicants doesn’t say much about the quality of those applicants, and in the end, admission rate is just made up of the number of applicants, predicted yield, and number of seats available.</p>