Below are some application FAQs. International students may also want to refer to our International FAQs. More questions? Contact the Office of Admission!
- What are you looking for in an application?
- Does Grinnell award merit scholarships and if so, how do I apply for them?
- AP exams, IB courses, and college/university classes: credit or no credit?
- If I'm an artist/musician/actor, should I submit a portfolio?
- I waited…until…the last second…Do I need to ship my application materials overnight?
- How do I know when my materials are received by the Office of Admission?
- Will Grinnell be able to return my credentials to me, or forward them at some point to other schools?
Grinnell's admission board believes that strong, consistent performance in a challenging college-preparatory program is the best indicator of your potential success in college. The recommended secondary school program includes:
- four years of English
- four years of mathematics at least through Pre-Calculus
- three years of a laboratory science
- three years of a foreign language
- three years of social science
Roughly 50% of our decision is based on your high school transcript — GPA, class rank, grades, the rigor of your program, and how well you took advantage of the opportunities available to you.
Approximately 25% is based on standardized test scores (ACT or SAT — we accept either), and 25% of our decision is based on promise of contribution (extracurricular activities, essay, recommendations, and an interview if you had one).
An admission interview is recommended but not required for most applicants. Applicants who have been home-schooled or who are applying for Early Admission (after their junior year of high school) are the exceptions and are required to complete an interview for admission. Interviews are conducted on campus or, where available, around the country by staff and alumni.
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Grants and scholarships form the largest part of our financial aid funds.
The Grinnell Trustee Honor Scholarship is awarded based on outstanding academic achievement. It is renewable (at the initial amount) for three additional years provided a cumulative GPA of 2.75 is maintained.
Whether you are applying for need-based aid, merit-based aid, or both, you will be automatically considered after indicating your preferences on the Application for Financial Aid & Scholarships.
To learn more about applying for financial aid, including scholarships, see Tuition and Financial Aid and the Office of Student Financial Aid.
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AP Exams
Yes, AP exams are accepted.
A student will be granted:
- 4 credits for a score of 5 on the English literature exam;
- 4 credits for a score of 4 or 5 on exams in:
- art,
- biology,
- calculus (AB),
- chemistry,
- classics,
- computer science (A),
- economics,
- English language/composition,
- environmental science,
- French,
- German,
- government,
- history,
- music,
- physics,
- psychology,
- Spanish, and
- statistics;
- 4 credits for a score of 3 or higher on exams in
- calculus (BC) and
- computer science (AB).
Students receiving a 4 or a 5 on either the Calculus BC or Computer Science AB exams should consult the Mathematics and Computer Science department for course placement and could subsequently earn 4 additional credits.
First-year students are limited to 24 transfer credits.
International Baccalaureate
Grinnell College does award credit for IB scores of 5 or higher on Higher Level courses only.
College/university classes
An evaluation of credits earned at properly accredited institutions is completed by the Registrar.
Transfer credit evaluations are done prior to enrollment for all new students who have been approved for admission and for all matriculated students who pursue coursework while on leave or during the summer.
Only official transcripts sent directly to Grinnell will be evaluated.
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Interested students are welcome to submit their work for review by Grinnell faculty, however, auditions and portfolio reviews are not a requirement for admission for students planning to pursue a degree in the arts.
Supplemental forms are available on the Common Application website.
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No!
As long as your application components are postmarked by the appropriate dates, you will not be penalized for materials received after the deadline.
Don't worry!
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As you can imagine, we receive a lot of mail from applicants, especially near deadlines.
We hope that calls and e-mails regarding your application status are unnecessary as we will contact you when we have received your application and entered it in our database. At that time we will send you a user name and password to access Pioneer Web. Pioneer Web allows students to access application status and admission decisions online.
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No. Once we receive materials related to your admission application, they become part of your Grinnell College file and as a policy we do not return them or send them to other colleges or universities.
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