Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts · Private · 3,618 undergraduates · brandeis.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
45%
of 9,756 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1370 to 1470
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$100,450Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Brandeis University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
45% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored, and your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$100,450
a year in 2027-28, from a $100,450 sticker price
What to do with your 1430
Send your score
About 66% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1320, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
Source: Test-Optional Policy | Apply | Undergraduate Admissions | Brandeis University · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov2Early Action · November 2, 2026Apply early and hear early. Not binding.
- Nov2Early Decision · November 2, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Jan15Early Decision II · January 15, 2027A second binding round, after Early Decision.
- Jan15Regular Decision · January 15, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
45%
of applicants were admitted: 4,430 of 9,756 for fall 2025.
Early Action
Not binding. Apply by 11/3, hear by 1/29.
Early Decision
Binding. 36% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
1,717 students were offered a spot; 206 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 28% of them sent SAT scores and 8% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1370 to 1470
Reading and Writing 670 to 740
Math 660 to 750
ACT composite 31 to 34
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160067%
- 1200 to 139929%
- 1000 to 11993.2%
- 800 to 9990.4%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.84
- 4.030%
- 3.75 to 3.9930%
- 3.50 to 3.7419%
- 3.25 to 3.4911%
- 3.00 to 3.245.6%
- 2.50 to 2.993.3%
- Below 2.501.7%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$100,450
a year
- Tuition$76,000
- Fees$1,090
- Food and housing$21,070
- Books and supplies$1,040
- Transportation and other$1,250
Brandeis University published $96,588 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$10,028
- $30,001 to $48,000$12,371
- $48,001 to $75,000$17,007
- $75,001 to $110,000$27,870
- Over $110,000$50,519
Financial aid
97%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$61,952
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
20%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $18,791 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid priority date: 1/15
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
- Also asks for
- Other supplemental documents as necessa[ry] (text truncated in form field)
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Merit scholarships
Awards for grades and scores, on top of need-based aid. You don't repay them.
Brandeis-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship
$500 a year
National Merit
Deadline: Name this college your first choice with NMSC. To keep it: it renews for up to 8 semesters if you meet the renewal requirements.
Details
Compare awards across colleges with the merit aid calculator.
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
34 of 34
Earn credit with a score of 3
1 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,600Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | 4 | 4 | |
| Art History | 5 | 4 | |
| Biology | 5 | 4 | BIOL 15b |
| Calculus AB | 4 | 4 | MATH 10a |
| Calculus AB | 5 | 8 | MATH 10a,b |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 4 | MATH 10a |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 8 | MATH 10a,b |
| Chemistry | 4 | 8 | CHEM 11a,b,18a,b |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | CHIN 30-level |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 5 | 4 | |
| Computer Science A | 5 | 4 | COSI 10a |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 4 | |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | 4 | |
| English Literature and Composition | 4 | 4 | |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 4 | |
| European History | 4 | 4 | |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | FREN 30-level |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 4 | GER 30-level |
| Human Geography | 4 | 4 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | ITAL 30-level |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 4 | JAPN 30-level |
| Latin | 5 | 4 | LAT 30-level |
| Macroeconomics | 4 | 4 | ECON 20a |
| Microeconomics | 4 | 4 | ECON 10a |
| Music Theory | 5 | 4 | MUS 5a |
| Physics 1 | 4 | 4 | Phys 10a |
| Physics 2 | 4 | 4 | Phys 10b |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | 4 | PHYS 11b |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | 4 | PHYS 11a |
| Psychology | 4 | 4 | PSYC 10a |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | HISP 30-level |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 4 | HISP 30-level |
| Statistics | 4 | 4 | MATH 8a |
| United States Government and Politics | 5 | 4 | |
| United States History | 4 | 4 | |
| World History: Modern | 4 | 4 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
81%
Come back for a second year
87%
Typical earnings
$85,519
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Brandeis University$88,208
- All colleges$80,787
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 18 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Brandeis University. The Brandeis University logo is a trademark of the college.