Malone University — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
Malone University is a private, Christian liberal arts institution in Ohio that emphasizes academic excellence and the integration of faith and learning. Offering a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, the university provides a supportive campus community that encourages critical thinking, character development, and service. Its focus on preparing students for purposeful and impactful careers makes it a meaningful choice for those seeking a values-centered education.
Malone University Acceptance Rate
Malone University runs an open-access admission policy — with a 75.6% acceptance rate, the focus is on getting qualified students in, not filtering them out.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in — worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Recommended Academic Profile
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
Malone University Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
Malone University follows a Rolling Admissions policy, meaning applications are reviewed as they arrive and there is no single fixed deadline.
Key Admission Dates
Malone University reviews applications continuously throughout the year. Seats and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early gives you a significant advantage for both admission and financial aid.
💡 The scholarship deadline (2026/12/01 (competitive scholarship priority)) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
Malone University GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at Malone University is 3.49. That makes admissions here competitive, but not extremely selective. Most admitted students carry a mix of A's and B's.
In the 3.19–3.49 range, a high SAT or ACT score still carries real weight.
Most schools report GPA on a weighted or unweighted 4.0 scale differently — for an unweighted profile like this, students with AP/IB coursework typically carry a weighted GPA of 3.69–3.89.Malone University GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Selective; solid academic performance is expected.
Recommended Strategy: Focus on a Strong 'Spike' in extracurriculars or research.
Where your GPA falls in this range shapes what the rest of your application needs to do:
Evaluation Metrics That Matter Here
- Acceptance rate: approximately 76% (IPEDS 2024-25: 75.86%); no application fee; no essay required; test-optional; rolling admissions; personal essay is recommended but not required.
- Scholars' Day and VISIO Competition (two full-tuition renewable scholarships) require active engagement before February 15; Evangelical Friends Scholarship ($5,000/year) and Price Match program available for EFC-ER church members and premier partner school graduates; Stark County Scholars program can eliminate out-of-pocket tuition costs for qualifying local commuters.
- Students are not required to profess religious faith for admission; all students sign a Community Agreement; 50 denominations represented in the student body; affiliated with the Evangelical Friends Church ? Eastern Region (evangelical Quaker tradition).
- 96-acre campus in Canton, OH; 12:1 student-faculty ratio; ~987 undergraduates; NCAA Division II (Pioneer athletics); northeast Ohio location provides access to Cleveland and Akron metro areas for internships and clinical placements.
- Rigor Over Raw Number: A slightly lower GPA (say 3.8) paired with multiple AP or IB courses often outweighs a flat 4.0 from a standard curriculum.
- Trajectory Matters: A lower start in 9th or 10th grade, followed by a clear upward trend senior year, reads as academic resilience rather than a weakness.
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at Malone University
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on Malone University's verified institutional data
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
Malone University Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if Malone University is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into Malone University Without SAT or ACT?
Malone University Average SAT Score: 1089
The average SAT score of admitted students at Malone University is 1089 on the 1600-point scale.
SAT Competitiveness
This average is on the lower end nationally, making a strong score here a genuine advantage.
If your score is below 885, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at Malone University. Retaking multiple times is completely normal — most competitive applicants sit for it two or three times. There's no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 524 | 430 | 618 |
| SAT Reading | 537 | 455 | 618 |
| SAT Composite | 1089 | 885 | 1236 |
Below 885, you're behind most admitted students; at 1236 or above, you're ahead of 75% of them. (25th/75th percentile = the score below which that share of admitted students fall.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1100
Can I get into Malone University with a 1250 SAT?
A 1250 SAT puts you ahead of most of Malone University's admitted class — but admissions still weighs GPA, course rigor, and essays alongside it. A strong score opens the door; the rest of your profile decides what happens next.
Malone University ACT Requirements
The average ACT score at Malone University is 21.
ACT Competitiveness
This average is slightly below the national ACT mean.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 21 | 17 | 24 |
| ACT English | 20 | 15 | 24 |
| ACT Composite | 21 | 17 | 24 |
Can I get into Malone University with a 24 ACT?
A 24 ACT puts you ahead of 75% of Malone University's admitted students — a strong position, though the ACT is only one benchmark among several admissions weighs.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT scores four separate sections — English, Math, Reading, and Science — each on a 1–36 scale. A noticeably weak section (Science, especially, at STEM-focused schools) stands out to reviewers, so it's worth checking your section breakdown for outliers before applying.
Your ACT score clears the first filter, but GPA, course rigor, extracurricular depth, recommendations, and essays are what carry an application the rest of the way at Malone University.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Malone University
Accessible Strategy: Academic Foundation
Malone University is accessible to students who show core competency. Focus on proving readiness for college-level work and locking in financial aid.
Malone charges no application fee, requires no essay, and needs no letters of recommendation for first-year students. Admission is based on high school transcript, GPA, and optional test scores. Rolling admissions with no hard deadline. However, the scholarship layer is time-sensitive: the Scholars' Day event (which unlocks merit scholarship competitions) and the VISIO competition (two full-tuition renewable scholarships for students demonstrating leadership and vision) each have their own deadlines and require students to be admitted and actively engaged before February 15. Students who apply in November or December and promptly engage with the Scholars' Day process will access scholarship tiers unavailable to spring applicants.
Malone operates a formal Price Match program for students attending Evangelical Friends Church (EFC-ER) congregations, Evana Network churches, or certain premier partner Christian high schools. Students in those networks who have a competing financial aid offer from another institution can request a one-time match of tuition, room, and board - the request must be submitted before June 1 of the enrollment year. This is an operationally specific policy that very few students or families know about before it expires. Even students not in those church networks can request a financial aid review if they have a competing offer; the Price Match is the formal version, but Malone's aid office is worth contacting directly for anyone who is close to choosing between Malone and a peer school on aid alone.
Malone is affiliated with the Evangelical Friends Church, and all faculty and staff are required to sign a statement of faith - but students are not required to profess any religious beliefs for admission or continued enrollment. Incoming students do sign a Community Agreement that outlines behavioral expectations consistent with the university's faith identity. Nearly 50 Christian denominations and some non-Christian backgrounds are represented in the student body. This means Malone occupies a middle space: it has a clearly Christ-centered campus culture and mission, but it is not exclusionary to students from different faith backgrounds the way some evangelical institutions are. Students who want a faith-integrated community without being required to personally affirm a doctrinal statement will find this balance relevant.
For Stark County, Ohio high school graduates with demonstrated financial need who plan to commute to Malone, the Stark County Scholars program effectively guarantees a no-out-of-pocket-tuition package by combining Malone institutional scholarships with state, federal, and loan funds (including the Ohio College Opportunity Grant). A residential option also exists. This is one of the more aggressive local access programs among Ohio private universities, and it is almost completely unknown outside the region. Students from nearby Canton-area high schools who qualify financially should run the net price calculation specifically with Stark County Scholars in mind before assuming Malone is unaffordable.
The most common failure pattern at Malone is students who sign the Community Agreement without internalizing what it means for daily life on a campus where the mission is explicitly "Christ's Kingdom First" - vespers, discipleship-oriented residential life, and faith integration in academics are not background features; they are the institutional identity. Students who want a Christian credential on a secular schedule find the culture dissonant quickly. The flip side is students from non-evangelical backgrounds who self-select out before discovering that membership in the Evangelical Friends Church is not required of students and the student body reflects significant denominational diversity.
Malone University Profile
Is a Malone University Degree Worth It?
At $48,017/year against a $48,909 median graduate salary, Malone University is worth weighing against your specific program and financial situation — the numbers below give you a real basis for that decision.
The average household income among admitted students is $58,700, with a graduate unemployment rate of 2.85%.
How much does a degree from Malone University Cost?
The sticker price is $48,017/year, but the average net price students actually pay — after Pell and federal grants — is typically much lower.
30.5% of students receive a Pell Grant and 62.3% take federal loans at Malone University — file your FAFSA early and list Malone University as a choice to be considered for both.
How much does a Malone University Graduate earn?
Median earnings 10 years after enrollment (roughly 4–6 years post-graduation) are $48,909 — about 20% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Malone University. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, AL | 1055 | 21 |
| Marion Military Institute | Marion, AL | 1043 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR | 1049 | 21 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Russellville, AR | 1050 | 21 |
| Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia, AR | 1050 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas-Fort Smith | Fort Smith, AR | 1050 | 21 |
| Colorado Mesa University | Grand Junction, CO | 1070 | 23 |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO | 1077 | 22 |
| Western Connecticut State University | Danbury, CT | 1044 | 24 |
| Baptist University of Florida | Graceville, FL | 1045 | 20 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as Malone University. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery, AL | 1090 | 21 |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile, AL | 1090 | 22 |
| Troy University | Troy, AL | 1086 | 22 |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, AZ | 1095 | 22 |
| University of the Ozarks | Clarksville, AR | 1088 | 21 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than Malone University. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery, AL | 1148 | 23 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL | 1119 | 23 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee, AL | 1121 | 22 |
| Arkansas State University | Jonesboro, AR | 1119 | 22 |
| Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA | 1155 | 22 |
Degree Programs at Malone University
Bachelor Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About Malone University Admissions
Median earnings for Malone University graduates sit around $48,909 a year.
Malone University costs roughly $48,017 a year — most students combine this with scholarships or aid.
About 30.5% receive a Pell Grant at Malone University — moderate odds, largely income-dependent, but an early FAFSA filing still helps.
At 75.6%, Malone University's acceptance rate is on the more attainable end compared to top-tier selective schools.
Admitted students at Malone University average a 3.49 GPA.
Malone University doesn't publish a hard GPA floor — but landing at or above 3.19 keeps you in the typical applicant range; below it, lean on essays and recommendations.
Below 3.09, Malone University becomes a harder reach — though a strong test score, meaningful activities, and AP/IB coursework can still make a real case.
A strong SAT score matters at Malone University — aim above 1089, ideally within the 885–1236 range admitted students typically fall in.
Malone University follows Rolling Admissions — applications are reviewed year-round, so applying early is your best strategy.
The scholarship/financial aid priority deadline is 2026/12/01 (competitive scholarship priority). Submit FAFSA before then for maximum consideration.
Yes — transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most — along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.
