The short answer, from Y Combinator itself: about 1%. Its page for investors, read on 18 October 2026, says that every three months over 10,000 companies apply and that YC typically has a 1% acceptance rate. That page is not dated. The most recent batch for which YC published both counts is Winter 2024, and YC described that batch’s rate as under 1%. This guide sets out every figure, with the date and page each one comes from, says where YC has published nothing, and explains what the rate does and does not tell an applicant.
What YC has published
These are the figures from Y Combinator’s own pages. Where YC gives a rate, it is quoted; where it gives only counts, the rate is our division of its numbers, marked as such. Because YC writes “over” before each application count, the true rate is at or below the figure shown.
| Batch | Applications | Companies funded | Acceptance rate | Source, date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent batches, generally | Over 10,000 every three months | Not stated | Typically 1% (YC’s words) | Investors page, undated |
| Winter 2024 | Over 27,000 | 260 | Under 1% (YC’s words) | Batch post, 3 April 2024 |
| Summer 2023 | Over 24,000 | 229 | At most 0.95% (our division) | Batch post, 6 September 2023 |
| Winter 2023 | Over 20,000 | 282 | At most 1.41% (our division) | Batch post, 5 April 2023 |
The Winter 2024 post, by Garry Tan, says 260 companies were selected from over 27,000 applications, and calls it one of the most selective cohorts in YC’s history. The Summer 2023 post says YC received over 24,000 applications and funded 229. The Winter 2023 post, by Michael Seibel, gives over 20,000 applications and 282 companies funded.
Our divisions are simple: 229 ÷ 24,000 is 0.95% and 282 ÷ 20,000 is 1.41%. Because each application count is a floor (“over 24,000”), the real rate for each batch is a little lower than the figure in the table, never higher. The same arithmetic on Winter 2024 gives 0.96%, which matches YC’s own “under 1%”.
The same investors page says that since 2005 YC has funded over 5,000 companies and worked with over 7,000 founders. Our Y Combinator listing shows the current deal and dates as read from YC’s own pages.
What YC has not published
As of 18 October 2026 we found no official application or funding count on Y Combinator’s own site for any batch after Winter 2024. The investors page’s “typically 1%” is the only current figure, and it carries no date and no batch name.
That gap matters because YC’s calendar has changed. The investors page now describes applications arriving every three months, and YC runs four batches a year, according to its listing here. Without counts for the recent batches, there is no way to say from YC’s own figures whether the rate has risen or fallen since Winter 2024.
You will find more precise-looking numbers for recent batches on other sites. Those come from third parties, not from YC, and their methods are not always stated, so we do not repeat them. If YC publishes new counts, this guide will add them with their dates.
Three other things are not published:
- A breakdown by applicant. YC does not say how the rate differs for companies with revenue, repeat applicants, technical founders or any other group.
- Interview numbers. YC does not publish how many applicants it interviews, so the odds of an offer after an interview are not known.
- Rates by place or sector. YC does not publish acceptance rates by country, sector or stage, so a claim that one group gets in more easily is not something its own figures can support.
Treat any figure that claims to answer those questions with care, and look for where it came from.
What the rate does and does not tell you
An acceptance rate of about 1% is a share of every application received, strong or weak. It describes the programme’s selectivity, not your chances.
What it does tell you:
- Expect a no. Plan your next steps assuming you will be turned down, and treat an interview as a bonus. That is true of most selective programmes, not only YC.
- Clarity counts. When a small team reads tens of thousands of applications, an answer that cannot be understood quickly is easy to pass over.
- Timing matters. Late applications are considered without a promised reply date, according to our YC listing, so an on-time application is the safer route.
What it does not tell you:
- The odds for a strong application. YC reviews applications from finished companies with revenue alongside first ideas written in an evening. A low overall rate says nothing about how a well-prepared company fares.
- How good the programme is for you. Selectivity is not fit. The right programme is the one whose terms, timing, place and network suit your company.
- Whether you need YC at all. Many companies raise money without an accelerator, and many good accelerators are far less selective. The accelerators section lists every one we track, with its terms and dates.
A low acceptance rate is also why the decision deserves some arithmetic before you are in the room. YC’s standard deal is US$500,000, made up of US$125,000 for 7% and US$375,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE, according to our listing. The accelerator dilution calculator shows what the fixed 7% costs the founders through later rounds.
How to give your application a fair hearing
You cannot change the rate, but you can make sure your application is read for what the company is. The steps that matter most:
- Apply on time. The deadline for YC’s Winter 2027 batch is 2 November 2026, according to our listing, read from YC’s apply page on 18 October 2026. Every listing here shows the next deadline and the day we last checked it.
- Say what you do in one sentence. Plain words, no jargon, in the first line of the application.
- Show progress in numbers. Users, revenue, growth, pilots, or what you learned from customers if it is too early for any of those.
- Make the team’s case. Why are these founders the people to build this?
- Reapply with something new. If you are turned down, apply again when the company has moved forward, and lead with what changed.
Between deadlines, the most useful thing you can do is make the next application different from the last: more customers, more revenue, a working product or a stronger team. A partner reading a reapplication looks first for what has moved.
Our guide on how to apply to an accelerator goes through the application, the interview and the decision in more detail, with what Y Combinator and Techstars say about their own processes. If an offer arrives, our guide to how startup accelerators work explains the standard deal and the rights that come with it.
Sources
Each page was read on the date shown. Figures in this guide carry the date the source gives them.
- Y Combinator: Resources for investors. Undated page. Read 18 October 2026.
- Y Combinator blog: Meet the YC Winter 2024 batch (Garry Tan). Published 3 April 2024. Read 18 October 2026.
- Y Combinator blog: Meet the YC Summer 2023 batch (Garry Tan). Published 6 September 2023. Read 18 October 2026.
- Y Combinator blog: Meet the YC Winter 2023 batch (Michael Seibel). Published 5 April 2023. Read 18 October 2026.