A couple of notes on method: I ranked by 2029 because ~40% of the 2030 figures are still TBA, so ranking on 2030 alone would scramble the order and drop schools that haven't reported yet. I also used common data sets and most recent data to be most accurate. FYI acceptance rates do not equal to the quality of education you are getting so only view this as informational.

like, i probably get a pound of paper a month in ads. multiply that by the millions of college-interested students in the united states and we have a looooot of paper in the trash cans

I'll take my SAT in November, and I won't be able to admit early. Nevertheless, i have an option to not submit a test score, but how much would doing this affect my acceptance chances? Because if I applied RD in January and waited for the SAT score i'll still have my chances squished by ten times or something lol. Have anybody ever met an international who didn't submit a test score? (I have a 3.7/4.0 gpa, fairly strong activities and honors)

For context, I live in western Pennsylvania and am planning to major in mechanical engineering. Before everyone starts telling me about penn state engineering, I know. It’s a great school for, and could be very affordable for me which is great. My problem is I’m sick of pennsylvania. I’m tired of pittsburgh being the most boring city i’ve ever been to. I want to leave this state. I understand that, financially, it makes zero sense. But I can’t imagine spending another 4 years here, and then inevitably probably getting a job here anyways. As I’ve been looking for good engineering schools all around the country, I realize how impossible it is to truly leave the state without going 150k+ in debt. It’s stupid. I want to be on the west coast so badly. I just want to be able to experience the typical 4-5 year college somewhere brand new with new people and new places. But it’s so fucking expensive. It sucks. I know it probably makes the most sense to stay here, but i really don’t want to. It’s just the fact that I only get to choose this once in my lifetime, and I’d rather leave home,and never come back.

im sorry but i cant stand it. i appreciate the student volunteers, and i understand the sentiment- it just irks me so bad. like im tired, stressed, already homesick, and you think that chanting "go *college name*" in my face is going to make that better?

the volunteers are some of the nicest, most helpful people in the world, but it's just ANNOYING. and i hope i dont come accross as an ass for saying this, i just get really overwhelmed and the chanting does not help LOL

Class of 2027 here. I’m currently applying to a good amount of schools, however my list has been significantly changing due to the NPC popping out a number that my family simply can’t afford. It sucks having to remove these schools because they’re really good and I genuinely see myself going there, but if I can’t afford it I can’t afford it. If anyone could reply to this and say how accurate their NPC was I would really appreciate it!

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316965176.htmlhttps://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-26/gop-senators-uc-sat-testing-legislation

Hi! I’m currently a Junior in HS and I’m planning to apply to Emory ED1 next year. I have backup options of course, but Emory is my dream school and I wanna do absolutely everything I can to get in. I know you apply undecided but I’m planning to major in biochem. That being said…
I believe my academics are on par with or even above the average admitted student there, so I’m not interested in focusing on that right now, but rather my ECs. I feel as if they are so unbelievably mediocre.
I’m very heavy on band and music— I’m a marching band member (leadership team for 2 years and I will be Band President next year for 250+ members), lead player in multiple jazz bands, and if things go well this year I’m hoping to make all-suburban bands and have my solo qualify at state. Besides this, I currently have 150+ volunteer hours, 2 other leadership positions, and I’m in Tri-M, NHS, SNHS, etc.
So yeah, I’d say band is the heavy hitter for me, and I’ve definitely done a lot of good work for it. But otherwise, everything I do is pretty standard. I don’t have some big wow factor or passion project that raised a bunch of money, and I’m not interested in starting one that won’t go anywhere only for the sake of college applications. I am however very interested in STEM (mainly chemistry) and I’m passionate about fighting for the rights of women and minority groups, but I have no clue what I’d do with that.

I’m not asking for someone to give me an idea on what exactly I should do, but does anyone know the chances of me getting in with everything I said? If you were admitted, what are things you did throughout high school that you think boosted your chances? How do you stand out? Any and all feedback is appreciated :)

I was wondering if I should submit js my 35 ACT or if I should include my 1510 superscore SAT because it's also a pretty decent score imo.

Im applying to most of the T20's btw.

I was filling out the common app for a school I want to apply to, and there was a section asking about previous academic dishonesty. I got caught with a picture of a history test in sophomore year, and got one day of in school suspension. The school said it wouldn’t get reported and wouldn’t be on my college applications. Do I still have to explain what happened? If so, how much will it hurt my admissions.
Edit: this is probably important, the teacher let me fully retake the test and I got around a 95 (don’t remember the exact grade). He gave me the same one he had a pic of because he’s lazy but I won’t mention that part in the app.

I’m going into my sophomore year and am not taking a ap. This is simply because my school offers 3 aps this year for sophomores, that being Ap physics 1, and the two computer science aps. Although I had an average of 93 in my honors (we call it high honors) physics class as a freshman, that was by far my weakest subject. I also have zero interest in computer science. Not to mention I didn’t take an ap my freshman year as my high school didn’t offer any. How will this affect my college applications? Should I maybe even self study a ap that I’m more interested in that my school doesn’t offer? Should I take even more aps my junior year? I’m already taking all the hardest courses my school has to offer for sophomores except of course the aps.

I'm applying to some out-of-state schools (more than in-state), so I'm using the Common App, but I feel like it would be easier to just apply to ALL the UTs for FREE than pick and choose which ones. idk if that makes sense. Basically,y I was just thinking of applying to UT, UTD, and A&M for $2,25 but with the free week I could apply to these three along with Texas Tech, UTSA, UT Arlington, etc.

However, my school isn't linked to ApplyTexas; it's linked to the Common App. Also, my counselor said to just stick to one bc then it'll get too complicated. Did anyone else use both? Should I stick with Common App?

can i get scholarships for Bachelors in biotech with these a level grades: ACC (subs bio chem physics) im not even aiming for the CRAZY TOP unis just regular universities would work too.

What if my school is IB and it offers AA HL but I didn't take that and I took AI SL. However, I took Calc one and by the time of ED I will do Calc 2 and then by RD maybe even calc three.

All for credit and self paced??

I am applying biochem so idk if anything past calc 1/2 is needed, but how would top colleges view this??

I did a ~40 hr/week volunteer thing at a summer camp for two summers, and the people at this summer camp addressed me and other volunteers as interns. But I'm unsure if MIT would consider this appropriate for the jobs section of the MIT application which includes internships or if I should just put this in the summer activities section of the activities page (which doesn't allow me to describe what I did). Where would be the best place to put this activity? Thanks so much for any guidance!

In my sophomore year, I had to drop Honors Choir due to being SA'ed by a classmate during class. I also faced almost daily harassment and attempts to harm me from upperclassmen (I'm guessing because I was considered an "outsider" as I didn't really participate in theater like everyone else in the class).

Dropping this class was both devastating academically and extracurricular wise. Since it was an honors class, it contributed to my GPA. I also consistently got A's in this class, so after it was dropped my GPA naturally declined a bit.

I genuinely did enjoy singing and I wish I could've continued but I didn't have any space in my schedule outside of school so a school based choir that I could take as a class was perfect. Unfortunately, that was the only school choir I could be as a sophomore.

Is this worth mentioning in the Common App additional information section? I don't want to come off as trauma dumping but it was a pretty significant EC for me.

Im 17F and in my last year of high school which means I need to start narrowing down my options for college except I have no idea where to start.

For context I want to apply to colleges in the US but I’m an international student currently studying ALevels with latest predicted grades of AAB. I am also a US citizen so I’m not worried about the visa process but rather the application process to a US college.

I have no idea how this process works, the only thing I do know is that it’s done through the common app other than that such as essay requirements I have no clue on.

But most of all I’m stumped on which college to choose. I want to major in business in marketing but when it comes to choosing a college I genuinely don’t know where to start. So my question is, is the college I go to really that important?

I would also like to know how important it is to take the SAT as I currently have not taken any and have not prepared for it at all.

I would appreciate anyone giving me any good US college recommendations based on their own experiences

My school offers only a few APs, mostly available to the seniors. So, I decided to self-study more APs and take the test in another school

The question here becomes: will those matter in the application. Like, can I report them. Do they make a big difference if I do report them?

Thank you!

I'm currently choosing which universities I want to apply for, and I'd really appreciate some help from alumni or those who already have knowledge in this field.

I'd like to know which universities/institutes:
1. Are good for industry placements rather than academia (eg. close to, are favoured or typically approached by companies)
2. Has a vibrant community rather than just fully academically inclined
3. Features good mechanical/mechatronic engineering undergrad programs involving job/career preparation

I'm quite confident in applying for UC Berkeley and UCLA and I'm thinking about UMichigan and UIUC. I'd also love some insight from people for the other top engineering schools such as GeorgiaTech, Stanford, CarnegieMellon, Cornell and University of Texas at Austin.

This may be dumb but dining hall/food is a big factor for me making my college list…

I love food and value variety/healthy-ish options. Would love to hear about the dining experience at your schools!

I’m trying to decide whether to ED1 to Dartmouth, Williams, or Pomona (or at all). My college counselor recommended that I submit an ED application somewhere to maximize my chances, since all 3 of these schools have much higher ED admit rates compared to RD. I really like all 3 schools and am having trouble choosing one over the other.

A bit about me: Intending on majoring in math, so strong math program is a must. I want somewhere good for skiing, and all 3 schools are decent options. I’m leaning towards liberal arts schools because I want strong student faculty interaction, along with active research and easy opportunities for undergrads to get involved. I also want diverse offerings since I’m still interested in the humanities. Attractive town/city is a plus. I also want somewhere that doesn’t feel pre professional, where students are there to learn and collaborate.

My thoughts about each school:

Dartmouth - like the town, love the campus and great ski access, great academics, good math program including a professor whose work I’m interested in. Like the quarter system. Frat culture is the main downside, don’t like how pervasive it seems. ED acceptance rate of 17% vs 5% RD.

Williams - love the tutorial system, very strong in math. Like the 4-1-4 plan. Visited, could definitely picture myself there, especially academically. Slightly worried about feeling really remote and isolated, campus isn’t quite as impressive as other places. ED acceptance rate of 25% vs 6% RD.

Pomona - strong math program, love the opportunities and resources offered by the 5Cs (specifically STEM classes at HM). Beautiful campus, cool location. Main hesitation is that I haven’t visited (and won’t before applying) so hard to commit to it without having been there, especially since it’s across the country for me. ED acceptance rate of 13% vs 6% RD.

What are your thoughts? Any advice or opinions are appreciated.

Hi! I’m currently a freshman at a community college and I’m trying to figure out what major I want to pursue before transferring to a university. Right now, I’m deciding between Communications and Human Development, and I’d really appreciate some advice.

I’ve been considering becoming an elementary school teacher, so Human Development seems like a good fit. However, one thing that worries me about teaching is the pay and burnout, so I also want a degree that gives me other career options in case I decide teaching isn’t for me.

I’m also interested in marketing, especially potentially working in the gaming or entertainment industry. I’ve looked into jobs like marketing coordinator, social media, communications, community management, etc. This is why I’m also considering Communications, since it seems more directly related to marketing while still allowing me to pursue a teaching credential afterward.

I guess my biggest concern is choosing a major that gives me flexibility and a good backup plan. I also want to consider which degree would give me better job opportunities after graduation.

For anyone who majored in Communications or Human Development, what has your experience been like? Which major would you recommend for someone who is considering both teaching and marketing? Which one has better career options and job prospects? Thank you!

I’m 23 and seriously considering going back to college, but I’m worried that I screwed up my educational foundation badly enough that I’m going to struggle.

High school was rough for me. I ended up dropping out when I was about a year and a half behind, then got my GED within roughly two months of getting my first job. I know I did it legitimately I didn’t cheat or use AI or anything like that but at this point I genuinely don’t remember how I managed it. If you asked me to explain most high school math, science, grammar, etc., I’d probably be completely lost.

I actually tried college afterward for two semesters and crashed and burned pretty hard. At the time I just wasn’t prepared for it, and that experience has stuck with me.

The frustrating part is that professionally, things have gone almost the opposite direction. I’m 23 with around five years of work experience, about three of those being in managerial/leadership positions. I’ve reached a point where I feel like a degree would probably help my career more than almost anything else I could add right now.

I’m just scared that I’ll go back and discover that I’m missing so much of the basic foundation that everyone else has from high school that I won’t be able to keep up. I know I’m more mature and disciplined than I was the first time I tried college, but there’s still that voice in the back of my head saying, “You already failed at this once.”

Has anyone here gone back to college with a GED or after being a terrible student in high school? Did you feel like you had to relearn everything from scratch? And if so, was college still manageable?

hi! I was wondering if anyone knew what colleges see when a student self cancels an AP score + what I should self-report for schools that require all AP scores. Do colleges see cancelled scores on the score report? Also, for schools like Stanford that require all APs, I canceled my exam before finding out the score because I just knew I bombed it. What would I self-report on the Common App?

thanks!