How Many Colleges Should You Apply to?
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It’s an important question, and it has a lot of factors to consider. In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the questions to ask yourself which might help. While many college counselors agree that applying to five-six colleges is the sweet spot, the common application allows you to apply to up to twenty! So how do you know what’s right for you? Here’s some factors to consider.
Applying to colleges takes money, time, and energy. The average application fee at more than 900 colleges across the country is $45. That can add up! Applying to twenty colleges would put you out at least $1,000, a hefty fee especially considering you’ll only end up going to one! The odds of acceptance are something else to keep in mind to help narrow down your list. Some counselors advise to reserve around 10 hours to complete each application - that adds up, too, and doesn’t include the time to take standardized tests, asking for recommendation letters, and more. While the common application makes applying to colleges en masse easier, it is still a bit tedious and takes a lot of energy.
What about EDI vs. EDII vs. EA?
EDI, EDII, and Early Action vs. Early Decision applications are additional aspects which might affect decisions. So what do they each mean? Many colleges have early application opportunities and these can benefit your chances at some of the most selective colleges. Early Decision I and Early Decision II are very similar. They both allow you to apply with commitment to one specific college and to receive notification of your admissions decision earlier than if you applied Regular Decision. Both of them are binding, which is why you can only apply ED to one school. The main difference in the programs is the timelines, as EDI programs have earlier deadlines than ED II. You’ll typically apply to your EDI school in October of your senior year and to EDII in January, at the same time as your RD applications, but you’ll hear from the EDII school first. Early Action applications go in early and receive a decision early but are not binding. There is not a limit to the number of EA applications you can submit, but not all schools offer the option.
Factors to Consider in Choosing Colleges to Apply to
To decide how many colleges you should apply to, you should first consider carefully what you want out of a college. Some of the top factors to consider are proximity to home (in-state vs out-of-state tuition is important to remember), academic programs/quality of education, and your own capabilities (minimum GPAs, merit scholarship requirements). These can all affect whether a college ends up on the ‘apply’ list or not.
In doing some research about the colleges, you’ll likely end up sorting them into categories. The ones most students gravitate towards are safety, probable, and reach colleges. But what do those mean? The categories are typically based on your odds of acceptance. Safety schools are those you’re confident that you meet (or exceed) all requirements for admission, meaning you have a high chance of being accepted. Counselors recommend applying to around two safety schools. Probable schools are the ones you think you have a decent chance of being accepted to. Apply to three-five of these! Reach schools are the ones you’re dreaming big for. It doesn’t hurt to apply to two or three schools that are super competitive! And as a side note, the categories don’t have a hierarchy - whichever school you end up at will be because it’s the right fit!
Building an initial list of colleges to apply to, you might want to narrow them down. Applications are a quality over quantity situation, so deciding which ones deserve prioritization of your time and energy is an important next step. Any schools which will remain on your list should have:
A strong program in the area/department/academic field you want to study
Affordable tuition and/or financial aid packages which meet your needs
Clubs and activities you’re interested in
The campus size you want
Housing options which meet your criteria
Specialty programs like internships, online courses, study abroad, research, and more which pique your interest
Identifying the right number of colleges to apply to for you can also be decided upon through the following.
Be realistic - compare your grades and test scores to the admissions requirements
Explore all the options - both public and private institutions, trade schools, community colleges, and online schools are all options to consider
Look ahead - figure out what you’re willing to take on in terms of loans
Should you apply to 20 schools?
So let’s say you have the time, energy, and money to apply to the common application maximum of twenty schools. Should you do it? First, let’s talk about why students feel the need to apply to as many schools as possible. Colleges are receiving more and more applications each year and admissions rates decline. This makes many prospective students choose to apply to more schools so that they feel they have options. There isn’t really a limit of colleges you can apply to outside of the common application, which means your numbers (and costs) will go up.
For comfort, most students apply to 12-15 colleges. This is the recommended maximum - the research and attention to detail which would make your application stand out would suffer if you’re applying to more than 15. The supplemental essays, while optional, are strongly encouraged, and each of these should be tailored to the school. This takes a lot of time to write, edit, and revise, especially considering some schools have two-three essays. Even if you start applications in the summer, you’ll likely have to continue writing and applying in senior year, which is also the most difficult academic year and when you should be focused on your grades and extracurriculars.
The college application process is truly stressful enough; lessening some of the pressure by reducing the number of applications is a good idea. You shouldn’t apply to colleges you don’t actually want to go to just to have done it. While it might be nice to rack up acceptances, if you never intended to go to that school, your spot means another student who actually wanted to go there wasn’t granted admission. Working with your college lists to make them smaller and balanced will leave you with less stress overall and an easier go of application season.
Should you only apply to one school?
While applying to too many schools is detrimental, so is applying to too few. Applying to multiple institutions is smart because you can compare financial aid offers and use them to negotiate and review your options. Additionally, if you only apply to a few schools, it’s likely they’ll be in the same academic range, meaning all Probable schools. If you don’t get into them, you’re in a tough spot. Admission is never guaranteed, so finding a sweet spot in the number of applications is critical for your success and ease of mind.
How do I know what schools are Probable?
The Probable category, which should take up the majority of your applications, can be hard to define. A great way to look for Probable colleges is through College Simply, a site which is designed to search colleges by GPA, SAT or ACT scores and also has an admission calculator, which can help you determine your chances at a specific college. The Naviance/Cappex scattergram is another tool which shows where you are on the admit/deny curve according to your GPA and SAT/ACT scores.
Example Scattergram
Overestimating or underestimating your academic potential can be detrimental to you when it comes time to decide where to go. If you end up at a school which is prestigious but doesn’t have material you’re interested in or is at a level of rigor you’re not ready for can spell disaster. But if you only apply to schools which you think will give you easy As, you’ll be missing the point of college: to learn. Less selective colleges may also suffer from low graduation rates, less resources, and fewer opportunities.
So how do you know which schools are likely for you to get into? Schools you should put into this category should consistently accept students with GPAs and test scores on the lower end of your academic scale. You want your college to be in a certain academic range so that you’re sufficiently challenged but not overwhelmed.
What about Ivy+?
Ivy League schools and their competitors aren’t Safety, Probable, or Reach - they’re in a category of their own, which we’d call Super Reach. These schools are extremely selective, which means even very qualified students get denied. This is a good reason to keep Ivy League institutions entirely separate. You should still apply if it’s a dream of yours - submitting these applications will take a different level of rigor, but if you’re up for the challenge, include them in your application list.
At Ivies and other super selective colleges, you should use the tools mentioned above — not only can you use College Simply to calculate your general chances of admission, but putting in your scores can calculate your exact chance of admission at a school. For highly selective colleges, you should make your likelihood of acceptance add up to 100%. So if you have a 2% chance at Stanford, a 4% chance at Harvard, and a 10% chance at Haverford, you should find other schools which make your chance add up to 84% so that you end up with 100% chances. It’s a good rule to follow if you’re determined to apply to only the most exclusive schools!
CollegeSimply with test scores, AP scores, extracurriculars, and GPA input
Takeaways
The number of schools you apply to isn’t arbitrary!
Quality of your applications over quantity is a rule to follow
Keep in mind your specific needs and interests when narrowing your list
Categorize your schools by Safety, Probable, and Reach so you know where you might need to put more effort
Trust your gut and try to relieve yourself of some pressure rather than add to it!
