Canisius University boasts an overall acceptance rate of 81.7% for the 2023 application year, with 4,147 applicants resulting in 3,388 acceptances. The Regular Decision (RD) acceptance rate mirrors the overall rate at 81.7%. Notably, the university's transfer acceptance rate stands at a compelling 65.0%, with 580 applicants and 377 admitted; historically, this reflects an increase from 55.1% in 2022. The average GPA of admitted students is 3.89, while SAT scores range from a 25th percentile of 1040 to a 75th percentile of 1220. Additionally, the waitlist acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 is just 6.8%, with only 9 out of 132 students admitted.

Canisius University's overall acceptance rate for the application year 2023 was 81.7%, with 4,147 applicants and 3,388 accepted. This represented a slight increase from 77.6% in 2022, when 3,131 applicants were processed, resulting in 3,208 acceptances. The trend over the past several years shows rates fluctuating between 76.0% and 86.9%, with the lowest recent rate recorded at 76.0% for the class applying in 2020. The acceptance rates have generally remained high, with the last several years consistently above 75%.
Canisius University's wait list acceptance rate for the application year 2023 stood at 6.8%, with 132 applicants offered a spot and 9 ultimately accepted. This marks a drop in acceptance from 17.7% in 2022, where 141 were waitlisted, and a stark difference from the 0% acceptance rate for the 90 students on the wait list in 2021. Overall, the trends indicate a fluctuating and unpredictable wait list process at Canisius, underscoring the need for waitlisted applicants to have alternate plans.
Canisius University boasts a transfer acceptance rate of 65% for the application year 2024, with 377 of 580 applicants gaining admission. This rate remains consistent with the previous year (2023), which also had a 65% acceptance rate. Historically, the acceptance rates have shown significant improvement over recent years, moving from 54.2% for the application year 2021 and 55.1% for 2022. The average GPA of accepted transfer students is notably high at 3.89, indicating that the competition remains strong despite the favorable acceptance rates.
| Race | Applicants |
|---|---|
| White | 55.6% |
| Black/African American | 17.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.1% |
| Asian | 4% |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 4.9% |
| Nonresident Alien | 6.8% |
| Unknown | 0.9% |