Admission to Towson University is competitive. If you're wondering how your application will stack up, it might help to know a little bit about what we look for in a future Tiger.
Applications: 12,734
Admitted: 10,215
Enrolled: 2,610
Applied Test-Optional: 70%
Average Weighted GPA: 3.72
Average SAT Score: 1060-1220
Average ACT Composite score: 20-25
Maryland Resident: 89%
Out-of-State: 11%
Identify as a Racial or Ethnic Minority: 58.5%
First Generation College Student: 22%
At Towson University, we use a holistic review process to determine freshman admission. The primary factors in our evaluation are based on high school courses, grades, and supplemental materials submitted with the application. We will evaluate the academic rigor in the context of the high school environment, extracurricular involvement, college application essay, and other information provided on a student’s application.
When reviewing your academic credentials, we look at your cumulative weighted GPA, the rigor of your courses, trends in your grade performance, and your high school’s profile — all these factors go into a holistic academic review. Most of our admitted students have a good mix of grades in a challenging college-prep curriculum, and for fall 2021 our average admitted student had a 3.7 cumulative weighted GPA.
TU is test-optional through Fall 2023 — we do not require SAT or ACT exam scores for
either admission or for scholarship consideration. Test scores submitted will not
negatively impact an application for admission. If you would like to discuss your
academic record in more detail, please contact your Admissions Counselor. Our middle 50% SAT score range for admitted students is 1060–1220, and a 20-25 on
the ACT — 25% of students had scores below those ranges, and 25% had scores above
those ranges. We do super-score both the SAT and ACT.
*If you decide to submit test scores, they must be officially sent to Towson University
from CollegeBoard or ACT and must be received by the Early Action or Regular Decision deadlines to guarantee consideration.
A component of the Common Application is the essay, where you get the opportunity to present an honest and thoughtful picture of yourself to admissions counselors. This is perhaps our favorite part of the review process: we get to learn more about you as a person based on your choice of essay topic, the writing skills you display, and how you connect your essay to your college plans and aspirations. The Common App essay topics are fairly broad, allowing you to think creatively about what you want us to know about you. Our advice to you is to be sure to edit and revise your essay multiple times to ensure you’re presenting your best writing abilities in this application.
Outside of academics, we look to welcome Tigers who will contribute to TU’s community as a comprehensive residential university. To that end, we encourage you to make use of the Common Application’s Activities list, where you can describe how you spend your time outside of the classroom. This might mean school clubs, teams, or organizations; you may have a part-time job or volunteer; you may have family responsibilities to take care of, or different hobbies and interests to which you devote your time. All of these tell us more about how you’ll add to the TU community. This section of the Common App is not required to complete your application.
The Common App provides a space for you to share additional information if you so choose. While not a place to write an additional essay, some students add some further context on their accomplishments, a challenging situation, or other information they want to provide to us. This section of the Common App is not required to complete your application.