U of St Andrews - Admissions per State

[Anonymous]

My Son applied with a 1400 3.7/4 UW from a private elite school in Texas and did not get an offer for Economics. My daughter applied with a 1440 and similar GPA and got it this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Son applied with a 1400 3.7/4 UW from a private elite school in Texas and did not get an offer for Economics. My daughter applied with a 1440 and similar GPA and got it this year.

Congrats to your daughter.

People looking at the high acceptance rates for US students overlook the self selection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

-Test Scores: I keep seeing posts about the minimum scores for SATs being so low at St Andrews. These are absolute minimums- effectively a cutoff. It's not reflective of the actual score they accept or the caliber of students they accept.

-Acceptance Rate: I keep seeing people on this thread compare St Andrews to US Schools based on their acceptance rates- that is not a statistically fair comparison.

People keep pointing out the minimums because comments keep claiming that the minimums somehow negate the 60% +-10 acceptance rate because they filter applicants out. But As and Bs and three AP 4s don’t actually filter that many potential applicants out.

If you’re a US student and are even somewhat above the minimums (especially the optional 1320 SAT), your odds are pretty good.

The minimum definitely does impact the overall acceptance rate. Compare this to US schools- so many mid students will put applications out to "reach schools" which bring the acceptance rate down. You also need to consider that only a certain "type" of US High school student applies to St Andrews and that type (boarding school, feeder, open-minded. driven) is likely to have good stats.

I strongly disagree with the last sentence- marks only slightly above the minimum will certainly not give you good odds. Recent accepted student data does not reflect this.

I didn’t say slightly above, I said somewhat above. They are different.

The only minimums are As and Bs in honors courses and three 4s on APs. SAT/ACT are optional. So no, the minimums don’t prevent “mid students” from applying.

The reality with a 60% or even sometimes 70% acceptance rate is that if you are somewhat above the minimums, your chances are pretty good. Hell, with those acceptance rates if you’re slightly above the minimum your chances are still not bad, especially if you can submit a test score.

Read through these posts and here are some missing pieces of the puzzle:

1. If you go to the St Andrews website it states "Many of our courses require you to have a particular background in the subject(s)..Examples of pre-requisite knowledge requirements are AP scores of 5 on subject tests. For example, “AP Calculus BC” (or equivalent) for entry to study Mathematics, Physics or Computer Science programmes".
This is one area UK admissions varies drastically from US admissions- they care most about the grades you want to study. For example you could get 5s on AP Chemistry, Biology, Statistics and get Bs in English/History, but still be accepted to St Andrews. They want to see exceptional performance in the subject you are applying for. Unlike US schools, UK schools are much more diligent on the numbers of students they accept for a given subject/major. So you not only need to meet the minimum requirements, but you also need to meet the subject requirements. Students typically don't apply unless they feel they have competitive marks for their subject- this is one reason the acceptance rate is inflated

2. The original post oversimplifies the applicant pool. For example the minimum SAT may be 1320, but its possible the middle 80% of applicants have a score of 1400-1450. A high acceptance rate would still mean you're accepting high caliber students in this case. You can't make the "somewhat" assumption without knowing the distribution of the marks above the minimum. My understanding is that the US applicant pool, especially in recent years, has become stronger, which would explain why the US acceptance rate is relatively high.

You vastly overstate 1. If you look at the actual program pages, there are only a few subjects that actually require something beyond the general minimums. On 2, you’re missing that 1320 isn’t a real minimum because they are test optional. So this idea that it filters applicants out is inaccurate. If they went test required it would be a different story. And your last sentence is the point I’ve been making—if your stats are of a certain caliber, your odds of acceptance are good. Even a 1400-1450 middle 80% (which isn’t certain at all, and would only be those who reported scores) would mean getting a 1400 gives the kids a decent shot.

On a separate note people often look over "test optional". I have spoken to a $$ college consultant, unless you come from an underrepresented area, not having a test score will significantly impact your chance of acceptance. I have even heard of situations where bright kids have applied without SAT and St Andrews has then requested it.

My kid was accepted without test scores to StA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

-Test Scores: I keep seeing posts about the minimum scores for SATs being so low at St Andrews. These are absolute minimums- effectively a cutoff. It's not reflective of the actual score they accept or the caliber of students they accept.

-Acceptance Rate: I keep seeing people on this thread compare St Andrews to US Schools based on their acceptance rates- that is not a statistically fair comparison.

People keep pointing out the minimums because comments keep claiming that the minimums somehow negate the 60% +-10 acceptance rate because they filter applicants out. But As and Bs and three AP 4s don’t actually filter that many potential applicants out.

If you’re a US student and are even somewhat above the minimums (especially the optional 1320 SAT), your odds are pretty good.

The minimum definitely does impact the overall acceptance rate. Compare this to US schools- so many mid students will put applications out to "reach schools" which bring the acceptance rate down. You also need to consider that only a certain "type" of US High school student applies to St Andrews and that type (boarding school, feeder, open-minded. driven) is likely to have good stats.

I strongly disagree with the last sentence- marks only slightly above the minimum will certainly not give you good odds. Recent accepted student data does not reflect this.

I didn’t say slightly above, I said somewhat above. They are different.

The only minimums are As and Bs in honors courses and three 4s on APs. SAT/ACT are optional. So no, the minimums don’t prevent “mid students” from applying.

The reality with a 60% or even sometimes 70% acceptance rate is that if you are somewhat above the minimums, your chances are pretty good. Hell, with those acceptance rates if you’re slightly above the minimum your chances are still not bad, especially if you can submit a test score.

Read through these posts and here are some missing pieces of the puzzle:

1. If you go to the St Andrews website it states "Many of our courses require you to have a particular background in the subject(s)..Examples of pre-requisite knowledge requirements are AP scores of 5 on subject tests. For example, “AP Calculus BC” (or equivalent) for entry to study Mathematics, Physics or Computer Science programmes".
This is one area UK admissions varies drastically from US admissions- they care most about the grades you want to study. For example you could get 5s on AP Chemistry, Biology, Statistics and get Bs in English/History, but still be accepted to St Andrews. They want to see exceptional performance in the subject you are applying for. Unlike US schools, UK schools are much more diligent on the numbers of students they accept for a given subject/major. So you not only need to meet the minimum requirements, but you also need to meet the subject requirements. Students typically don't apply unless they feel they have competitive marks for their subject- this is one reason the acceptance rate is inflated

2. The original post oversimplifies the applicant pool. For example the minimum SAT may be 1320, but its possible the middle 80% of applicants have a score of 1400-1450. A high acceptance rate would still mean you're accepting high caliber students in this case. You can't make the "somewhat" assumption without knowing the distribution of the marks above the minimum. My understanding is that the US applicant pool, especially in recent years, has become stronger, which would explain why the US acceptance rate is relatively high.

You vastly overstate 1. If you look at the actual program pages, there are only a few subjects that actually require something beyond the general minimums. On 2, you’re missing that 1320 isn’t a real minimum because they are test optional. So this idea that it filters applicants out is inaccurate. If they went test required it would be a different story. And your last sentence is the point I’ve been making—if your stats are of a certain caliber, your odds of acceptance are good. Even a 1400-1450 middle 80% (which isn’t certain at all, and would only be those who reported scores) would mean getting a 1400 gives the kids a decent shot.

On a separate note people often look over "test optional". I have spoken to a $$ college consultant, unless you come from an underrepresented area, not having a test score will significantly impact your chance of acceptance. I have even heard of situations where bright kids have applied without SAT and St Andrews has then requested it.

My kid was accepted without test scores to StA

OK, but then St. Andrews looks more closely at APs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Son applied with a 1400 3.7/4 UW from a private elite school in Texas and did not get an offer for Economics. My daughter applied with a 1440 and similar GPA and got it this year.

Is this a IB or AP school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Son applied with a 1400 3.7/4 UW from a private elite school in Texas and did not get an offer for Economics. My daughter applied with a 1440 and similar GPA and got it this year.

Is this a IB or AP school?

It might be neither. Some privates do not offer either AP-labeled classes or IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Son applied with a 1400 3.7/4 UW from a private elite school in Texas and did not get an offer for Economics. My daughter applied with a 1440 and similar GPA and got it this year.

Is this a IB or AP school?

It was neither. But both of them studied independently for 5 APs. My daughter had 2 x 5’s and 3 x 4’s. My son had all 4’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you have a link to this data? Just curious to see if it includes anything else.

I was sent a spreadsheet about this by our UK college consultant. What else would you like to know?

Is there any data about percent attending from US who graduated from boarding, independent, parochial, or public schools?

I looked for this too, but nothing to be found. My guess based on the anecdotal evidence of the dozen kids that we knew that go/went there, and it is 95% private school kids (boarding, independent, parochial). Very few American public school kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you have a link to this data? Just curious to see if it includes anything else.

I was sent a spreadsheet about this by our UK college consultant. What else would you like to know?

Is there any data about percent attending from US who graduated from boarding, independent, parochial, or public schools?

I looked for this too, but nothing to be found. My guess based on the anecdotal evidence of the dozen kids that we knew that go/went there, and it is 95% private school kids (boarding, independent, parochial). Very few American public school kids.

I went to St Andrews and my guess is 70% private, however, many of the US kids coming from public schools attended those in wealthy areas (Westchester County, prestigious NYC public high schools, Winnetka, etc.)

The UK students are somewhat elitist about where you went to High school. Going to Eton or Harrow seemed to be a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Is the culture elitist in general? How about racism? It’s 77% white. It sounds like a great school, but I wonder how the experience is for blacks and asians. Honest observations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the culture elitist in general? How about racism? It’s 77% white. It sounds like a great school, but I wonder how the experience is for blacks and asians. Honest observations?

The social culture at St Andrews can feel somewhat elitist, but it really depends on your circle. It’s not as overt as the kind of exclusivity you might see in U.S. fraternity or sorority systems. For instance, I was part of one of the “secret societies” or drinking clubs- not many people on campus knew about it, and its influence was more subtle. It mostly translated to priority invites to specific parties/events, access to VIP events, and easier entry into certain academic societies (investing/banking).

There is a lot of wealth and people from aristocracy, however, its discrete. People generally don’t flaunt their wealth or status, but social groups do tend to form along similar background. For example, a lot of the Upper East Side NYC students stuck together and were close with wealthier international students. That said, most of them still interacted with the broader student body socially.

Interestingly, someone I knew from my city in the U.S. was also at St Andrews, and I only saw him once in four years. Given the size of the school, that’s kind of wild- but it just shows how distinct social circles can be.

I had a few Black friends, though the number of Black students on campus was small. Asian students were fairly represented in classes, but I didn’t often see them in the social scene. Had a couple friends from Singapore. Personally, I never experienced racism there- it’s probably more overt at some U.S. schools. St Andrews is also incredibly international, with students from over 140 countries, which is actually more diverse than many top-tier U.S. colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

-Test Scores: I keep seeing posts about the minimum scores for SATs being so low at St Andrews. These are absolute minimums- effectively a cutoff. It's not reflective of the actual score they accept or the caliber of students they accept.

-Acceptance Rate: I keep seeing people on this thread compare St Andrews to US Schools based on their acceptance rates- that is not a statistically fair comparison.

People keep pointing out the minimums because comments keep claiming that the minimums somehow negate the 60% +-10 acceptance rate because they filter applicants out. But As and Bs and three AP 4s don’t actually filter that many potential applicants out.

If you’re a US student and are even somewhat above the minimums (especially the optional 1320 SAT), your odds are pretty good.

The minimum definitely does impact the overall acceptance rate. Compare this to US schools- so many mid students will put applications out to "reach schools" which bring the acceptance rate down. You also need to consider that only a certain "type" of US High school student applies to St Andrews and that type (boarding school, feeder, open-minded. driven) is likely to have good stats.

I strongly disagree with the last sentence- marks only slightly above the minimum will certainly not give you good odds. Recent accepted student data does not reflect this.

I didn’t say slightly above, I said somewhat above. They are different.

The only minimums are As and Bs in honors courses and three 4s on APs. SAT/ACT are optional. So no, the minimums don’t prevent “mid students” from applying.

The reality with a 60% or even sometimes 70% acceptance rate is that if you are somewhat above the minimums, your chances are pretty good. Hell, with those acceptance rates if you’re slightly above the minimum your chances are still not bad, especially if you can submit a test score.

Read through these posts and here are some missing pieces of the puzzle:

1. If you go to the St Andrews website it states "Many of our courses require you to have a particular background in the subject(s)..Examples of pre-requisite knowledge requirements are AP scores of 5 on subject tests. For example, “AP Calculus BC” (or equivalent) for entry to study Mathematics, Physics or Computer Science programmes".
This is one area UK admissions varies drastically from US admissions- they care most about the grades you want to study. For example you could get 5s on AP Chemistry, Biology, Statistics and get Bs in English/History, but still be accepted to St Andrews. They want to see exceptional performance in the subject you are applying for. Unlike US schools, UK schools are much more diligent on the numbers of students they accept for a given subject/major. So you not only need to meet the minimum requirements, but you also need to meet the subject requirements. Students typically don't apply unless they feel they have competitive marks for their subject- this is one reason the acceptance rate is inflated

2. The original post oversimplifies the applicant pool. For example the minimum SAT may be 1320, but its possible the middle 80% of applicants have a score of 1400-1450. A high acceptance rate would still mean you're accepting high caliber students in this case. You can't make the "somewhat" assumption without knowing the distribution of the marks above the minimum. My understanding is that the US applicant pool, especially in recent years, has become stronger, which would explain why the US acceptance rate is relatively high.

You vastly overstate 1. If you look at the actual program pages, there are only a few subjects that actually require something beyond the general minimums. On 2, you’re missing that 1320 isn’t a real minimum because they are test optional. So this idea that it filters applicants out is inaccurate. If they went test required it would be a different story. And your last sentence is the point I’ve been making—if your stats are of a certain caliber, your odds of acceptance are good. Even a 1400-1450 middle 80% (which isn’t certain at all, and would only be those who reported scores) would mean getting a 1400 gives the kids a decent shot.

On a separate note people often look over "test optional". I have spoken to a $$ college consultant, unless you come from an underrepresented area, not having a test score will significantly impact your chance of acceptance. I have even heard of situations where bright kids have applied without SAT and St Andrews has then requested it.

My kid was accepted without test scores to StA

OK, but then St. Andrews looks more closely at APs.

Could be. But in our case, my kids’ school doesn’t have AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the culture elitist in general? How about racism? It’s 77% white. It sounds like a great school, but I wonder how the experience is for blacks and asians. Honest observations?

The social culture at St Andrews can feel somewhat elitist, but it really depends on your circle. It’s not as overt as the kind of exclusivity you might see in U.S. fraternity or sorority systems. For instance, I was part of one of the “secret societies” or drinking clubs- not many people on campus knew about it, and its influence was more subtle. It mostly translated to priority invites to specific parties/events, access to VIP events, and easier entry into certain academic societies (investing/banking).

There is a lot of wealth and people from aristocracy, however, its discrete. People generally don’t flaunt their wealth or status, but social groups do tend to form along similar background. For example, a lot of the Upper East Side NYC students stuck together and were close with wealthier international students. That said, most of them still interacted with the broader student body socially.

Interestingly, someone I knew from my city in the U.S. was also at St Andrews, and I only saw him once in four years. Given the size of the school, that’s kind of wild- but it just shows how distinct social circles can be.

I had a few Black friends, though the number of Black students on campus was small. Asian students were fairly represented in classes, but I didn’t often see them in the social scene. Had a couple friends from Singapore. Personally, I never experienced racism there- it’s probably more overt at some U.S. schools. St Andrews is also incredibly international, with students from over 140 countries, which is actually more diverse than many top-tier U.S. colleges.

Outside of the Upper East Side kids, who do the American kids hang out with? Is it mainly with other Americans or is there a good mix of internationals in your social clubs?

DS is from Texas and deferred entry to 2026.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the culture elitist in general? How about racism? It’s 77% white. It sounds like a great school, but I wonder how the experience is for blacks and asians. Honest observations?

The social culture at St Andrews can feel somewhat elitist, but it really depends on your circle. It’s not as overt as the kind of exclusivity you might see in U.S. fraternity or sorority systems. For instance, I was part of one of the “secret societies” or drinking clubs- not many people on campus knew about it, and its influence was more subtle. It mostly translated to priority invites to specific parties/events, access to VIP events, and easier entry into certain academic societies (investing/banking).

There is a lot of wealth and people from aristocracy, however, its discrete. People generally don’t flaunt their wealth or status, but social groups do tend to form along similar background. For example, a lot of the Upper East Side NYC students stuck together and were close with wealthier international students. That said, most of them still interacted with the broader student body socially.

Interestingly, someone I knew from my city in the U.S. was also at St Andrews, and I only saw him once in four years. Given the size of the school, that’s kind of wild- but it just shows how distinct social circles can be.

I had a few Black friends, though the number of Black students on campus was small. Asian students were fairly represented in classes, but I didn’t often see them in the social scene. Had a couple friends from Singapore. Personally, I never experienced racism there- it’s probably more overt at some U.S. schools. St Andrews is also incredibly international, with students from over 140 countries, which is actually more diverse than many top-tier U.S. colleges.

Outside of the Upper East Side kids, who do the American kids hang out with? Is it mainly with other Americans or is there a good mix of internationals in your social clubs?

DS is from Texas and deferred entry to 2026.

American kids at St Andrews hang out with people across all kinds of social circles- it really just depends on the person. When I was there, the most social students usually came from cities or suburbs in the U.S., and also places like London, Oslo, Stockholm, Munich, Madrid, and Toronto. The Scandinavian and German societies threw some of the best events. Social events in general had a great mix of internationals, which made things pretty fun and diverse. I had a few friends from Texas- almost all from private schools, and they were super social.

Americans at St Andrews are spread across all kinds of social groups: some are extroverted, others introverted; some are more edgy or alternative, others more mainstream. The school is fairly small but diverse, the social scene has a lot of different vibes. There was even an underground house music scene. While Americans do often spend time with each other, it’s less about just being from the same country and more about shared traits. A lot of Americans who choose to study in the UK tend to be independent, open-minded, adventurous types- that’s usually what brings them together.

One thing a lot of us Americans noticed was how much faster we felt we were growing up and maturing. When we went back home during the summer, it often felt like our friends in the U.S. were still kind of immature and behind. That’s something people don’t always consider about St Andrews- the graduating students tend to be more refined, mature, and worldly compared to a lot of U.S. colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the culture elitist in general? How about racism? It’s 77% white. It sounds like a great school, but I wonder how the experience is for blacks and asians. Honest observations?

The social culture at St Andrews can feel somewhat elitist, but it really depends on your circle. It’s not as overt as the kind of exclusivity you might see in U.S. fraternity or sorority systems. For instance, I was part of one of the “secret societies” or drinking clubs- not many people on campus knew about it, and its influence was more subtle. It mostly translated to priority invites to specific parties/events, access to VIP events, and easier entry into certain academic societies (investing/banking).

There is a lot of wealth and people from aristocracy, however, its discrete. People generally don’t flaunt their wealth or status, but social groups do tend to form along similar background. For example, a lot of the Upper East Side NYC students stuck together and were close with wealthier international students. That said, most of them still interacted with the broader student body socially.

Interestingly, someone I knew from my city in the U.S. was also at St Andrews, and I only saw him once in four years. Given the size of the school, that’s kind of wild- but it just shows how distinct social circles can be.

I had a few Black friends, though the number of Black students on campus was small. Asian students were fairly represented in classes, but I didn’t often see them in the social scene. Had a couple friends from Singapore. Personally, I never experienced racism there- it’s probably more overt at some U.S. schools. St Andrews is also incredibly international, with students from over 140 countries, which is actually more diverse than many top-tier U.S. colleges.

Outside of the Upper East Side kids, who do the American kids hang out with? Is it mainly with other Americans or is there a good mix of internationals in your social clubs?

DS is from Texas and deferred entry to 2026.

American kids at St Andrews hang out with people across all kinds of social circles- it really just depends on the person. When I was there, the most social students usually came from cities or suburbs in the U.S., and also places like London, Oslo, Stockholm, Munich, Madrid, and Toronto. The Scandinavian and German societies threw some of the best events. Social events in general had a great mix of internationals, which made things pretty fun and diverse. I had a few friends from Texas- almost all from private schools, and they were super social.

Americans at St Andrews are spread across all kinds of social groups: some are extroverted, others introverted; some are more edgy or alternative, others more mainstream. The school is fairly small but diverse, the social scene has a lot of different vibes. There was even an underground house music scene. While Americans do often spend time with each other, it’s less about just being from the same country and more about shared traits. A lot of Americans who choose to study in the UK tend to be independent, open-minded, adventurous types- that’s usually what brings them together.

One thing a lot of us Americans noticed was how much faster we felt we were growing up and maturing. When we went back home during the summer, it often felt like our friends in the U.S. were still kind of immature and behind. That’s something people don’t always consider about St Andrews- the graduating students tend to be more refined, mature, and worldly compared to a lot of U.S. colleges.

Thank you for response!