Pratt Institute-Main: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Ithaca, New York · Private nonprofit · Moderately selective · CDS 2024-2025
Pratt Institute-Main is a private nonprofit university in Ithaca, New York that admits about 70% of applicants, making it a moderately selective school. The average family pays about $32,965 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 76% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 8.5 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Pratt Institute-Main is a private institution located in Ithaca, New York with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Pratt Institute-Main admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 70%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1285. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $32,965 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Pratt Institute-Main is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Pratt Institute-Main?
Pratt Institute-Main admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Pratt Institute-Main weight in admissions?
Pratt Institute-Main reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Interview
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Pratt Institute-Main typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 580–670, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–31. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 1230 |
| 50th percentile | 1310 |
| 75th percentile | 1370 |
| % submitting SAT | 19.8% |
| 25th percentile | 27 |
| 50th percentile | 28 |
| 75th percentile | 30 |
| % submitting ACT | 4.9% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 24.7% |
| Top 25% of class | 55.5% |
| Top 50% of class | 86.3% |
| % submitting class rank | 27.8% |
How much does Pratt Institute-Main actually cost?
Published tuition is $50,510 for in-state students and $50,510 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,030 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $32,965 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 19% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $56,752 |
| Room and board | $16,354 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $32,965 |
| Application fee | $60 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Pratt Institute-Main
| Regular deadline | February 1 |
| Notification date | April 15 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | November 1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 81% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | December 1 |
Will my child graduate from Pratt Institute-Main?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Pratt Institute-Main
The most popular undergraduate programs at Pratt Institute-Main, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. Across all programs, Pratt Institute-Main confers roughly 800 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Radio, Television, and Digital Communication program report a median income of about $58,974 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 148 | $58,974 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 138 | $66,212 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 126 | $60,848 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 123 | $77,223 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 108 | $44,112 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 65 | $38,424 |
| Music | 47 | $47,526 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 45 | $59,738 |
Is Pratt Institute-Main safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Pratt Institute-Main disclosed 36 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 8.5 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 23 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Pratt Institute-Main?
About 85% of undergraduates at Pratt Institute-Main live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in New York parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Pratt Institute-Main
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Pratt Institute-Main recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Pratt Institute-Main
What GPA do I need for Pratt Institute-Main?
Pratt Institute-Main admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum.
What SAT or ACT score does Pratt Institute-Main typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 580–670, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–31.
How much does Pratt Institute-Main actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Pratt Institute-Main after grants and scholarships is $32,965 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Pratt Institute-Main realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Pratt Institute-Main is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Pratt Institute-Main?
Pratt Institute-Main accepts about 70% of applicants out of roughly 12,400 who apply each year. That makes it a moderately selective school.
Is Pratt Institute-Main test-optional?
Yes. Pratt Institute-Main is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Pratt Institute-Main?
About 76% of students at Pratt Institute-Main graduate within six years, and 66% finish in four years. 85% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Pratt Institute-Main?
Pratt Institute-Main's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 81%, compared with its overall rate of 70%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Pratt Institute-Main look for in applicants?
Pratt Institute-Main rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Pratt Institute-Main a public or private school, and where is it located?
Pratt Institute-Main is a private nonprofit institution located in Ithaca, New York.
What are the most popular majors at Pratt Institute-Main?
The largest undergraduate majors at Pratt Institute-Main by annual graduates are Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. The school awards about 800 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Pratt Institute-Main safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Pratt Institute-Main reported 36 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 8.5 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Pratt Institute-Main?
At Pratt Institute-Main, 85% of undergraduates live on campus, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Pratt Institute-Main, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.