Some prospective Wahoos recently woke up to the exciting news that they had been admitted to the University of Virginia’s Class of 2029. The esteemed public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, received a record tally of over 64,000 applications. UVA has yet to directly report its new acceptance rate; with over 5,000 additional applications this year and the same-sized campus, we at Ivy Coach officially predict UVA will report its lowest acceptance rate in over two centuries this year. 

This data will ultimately be revealed in the school’s Common Data Set, but in the meantime, let’s analyze what we do know about the UVA Class of 2029: 

University of Virginia Acceptance Rate and Statistics (Classes of 2029 — 2027)

University of Virginia Class Year	Total Applications Received	Total Applications Accepted	Overall Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	64,000+	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2028	58,937	9,909	16.81%
Class of 2027	56,528	9,533	16.86%

UVA’s Class of 2029 in Historical Perspective

The admissions data in UVA’s Common Data Set archive admittedly doesn’t stretch particularly far back, but even for the last three years, a clear trend line has emerged: applications are steadily increasing at UVA, while the acceptance rate appears to be decreasing. UVA diehards may note that the acceptance rate for domestic Virginians versus non-Virginians is a bit higher, as UVA is a public university that legally must give preference to in-state applicants to receive state funding.

For those enrolling in fall 2024, two-thirds were Virginians and only one-third were from out of the state (or the country, for that matter!). According to a report from The Jefferson Independent, UVA’s student-run newspaper, “The Early Decision round saw 500 more applications during this year than last year, resulting in an acceptance rate of 29.5% for in-state applicants and 21% for out-of-state applicants.” The report also notes that the same distinction of higher in-state acceptances compared with out-of-state applicants holds for the Regular Decision round.

The Demographics of the University of Virginia Class of 2029

Unfortunately, UVA has yet to release any demographic information on this new crop of Cavaliers. We don’t know their racial makeup (in a somewhat predictable fashion considering that this is only the second admissions cycle to be conducted following the 2023 SCOTUS ruling outlawing the use of race-based Affirmative Action), but we also don’t know their geographic origins, average test scores, the extent of their socioeconomic diversity, or much else.

We do know, however, that UVA was test-optional during this admissions cycle, and it will continue to be next year. This means that the impressive tally of applicants can at least partly be explained by the presence of “squeakers” in the pool. Squeakers is an Ivy Coach-ism for those well-meaning but foolhardy students who apply to top schools such as UVA without submitting any test scores, the expectation being that they won’t be at any disadvantage. The reality is that these students uniformly are at a disadvantage, as schools like UVA will rarely opt for students without test scores when highly competitive students have test scores in the mix!

In any event, squeakers will continue to be part of the UVA pool into next year, even as other elite schools phase out test-optional admissions.

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on UVA’s Waitlist

Congratulations if you are a new Wahoo. But if you’re reading this, chances are you or your child haven’t been so lucky. If you’ve been waitlisted to UVA’s Class of 2029, becoming a Wahoo might not be too far off.

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to the University of Virginia’s waitlist, complete Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form and indicate that UVA has waitlisted you. We’ll then contact you with an outline of our services led by our team of former elite college admissions officers. And, yes, we understand that time is of the essence and that your letter needs to go to UVA immediately — we only ask that you act quickly!