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How Many Colleges Should You Apply To? Custom Search Search

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Posted by Justin Berkman | Jul 27, 2018 9:00:00 AM
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Many students stress over the same question: "How many colleges should I apply to?" How many What Exactly Are
is too many? How few is too few? There is so much disagreement on this topic, even among Colleges Looking
For?
experts, that many students are left confused and unsure.

In this article, I’ll clear up this confusion. I’ll give you an idea of how many schools you should
Is the ACT easier
apply to and explain the factors to consider when deciding how many colleges to apply
than the SAT? A
to. After reading this guide, you'll feel con dent about crafting your own college list and how long Comprehensive
it will be. Guide

Should you retake

There's No Magic Number your SAT or ACT?

The number of colleges you should apply to depends on your speci c situation. I believe you
should apply to anywhere from one to 15 colleges. The standard thinking from counselors has
been that the average college-bound student should apply to about 6-8 colleges: 2-3 reach When should you
take the SAT or
colleges, 2-3 target colleges, and 2 safety schools. Reach schools are colleges that are unlikely to
ACT?
o er you admission (less than a 30% chance), target schools are colleges that you have a decent
chance of gaining admission to (a 30%-80% chance), and safety schools are colleges to which
you’re almost guaranteed of admission based on your quali cations (greater than a 80% chance).

You can roughly determine your odds of admission for each college by using the prepscholar
admissions calculator. Just google the name of the school and “prepscholar admissions Ethan got into his
DREAM
requirements.” 

The number of colleges you should apply to is dependent on your personal situation and
your priorities when selecting a college. For example, if you have a dream school that o ers
early decision or early action, then you may only have to apply to one college. If you apply early
SCHOOL
decision, you’ll typically be submitting your application in November and should receive an
admissions decision by December, before the application deadlines for most colleges. If you’re
accepted to a school that you apply to early decision, you have to attend.

You should still have a list of colleges to apply to in case you aren’t accepted or if you’re applying to FIND OUT HOW
any colleges, like University of California schools, that have an application deadline before
December. If you’re admitted early decision, you have to withdraw your applications to any other
colleges.

 
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Why You May Want To Apply to More Schools

If you’re determined to go to a very selective college, then you may want to apply to more
colleges than the average person. If you apply to 10 colleges to which you have a 25% chance of
gaining admission, then you’re likely to gain admission to at least one of them. In fact, if you apply
to 16 colleges with an average chance of admission of 25%, then you have a 99% chance of gaining
admission to at least one of them, statistically. Check out this article for a better understanding of
the math behind this calculation.

If you take this approach, though, you should prepare yourself emotionally to be rejected from
most of the schools you apply to.

If, on the other hand, you’re not as concerned with selectivity and are extremely con dent that
you’ll be admitted to at least a couple of the colleges you apply to, you may only need to apply to
two to four colleges.

Why You May Want To Apply to Fewer Schools

Here are a few factors that may limit the number of colleges you should apply to.

Applications Cost Money and Time

Unless you qualify for fee waivers, which are based on nancial need, applying to college can be
costly. The application fee for each college you apply to can be up to $75. Additionally, there can
be costs associated with sending standardized test scores and AP scores to colleges.

The SAT and ACT allow you to send four free score reports to colleges. Each additional score report
currently costs $11.25 per report for the SAT and $12 per report for the ACT. Also, you’re allowed
to send one free AP score report, which contains all of your AP scores, to one college each year you
take AP exams. Each additional score report costs $15.

Therefore, if you apply to 20 colleges, you may have to pay over $2,000. Consider your budget
(or ask your parents how much they’re willing to pay) when deciding how many schools to apply to.
However, you should also view the costs of applying as an investment. If you get into a great
college that ts your needs, then you’ll have an invaluable college experience that will enable you
to have future professional success, and the money you spend on applying may end up being
insigni cant compared to the return on your investment. Furthermore, keep in mind that the cost
of applying will probably be much, much less than the cost of attending college.

Additionally, the application process takes time. Even though more and more colleges are using
The Common Application, which allows you to apply to many schools with one application, many
colleges still have their own applications or require supplemental essays. Each college application
that requires additional essays will probably take you at least a few additional hours to
complete. 

Make sure you have enough time to complete all the applications successfully without
sacri cing the quality of your schoolwork or neglecting any other priorities you have
outside of school.

Filling out applications and writing good college essays take time.

You Have Speci c Needs That Only a Few Colleges Meet

If only a few colleges t your speci c needs, then you don’t have to apply to a ton of
colleges. For example, when I was applying to college, I knew I wanted to compete for an NCAA
Division I gymnastics team. At the time, there were about 15 NCAA Division I men’s gymnastics
programs. Even before I started doing college research or waited to see which schools recruited
me, my options were very limited. I believe I ended up applying to 4 colleges, and admittedly, I only
applied to one of those because I wanted to go on another recruiting trip.

If you want to be in a very speci c location or pursue a major that only a few schools have, then
you may only need to apply to 3-5 colleges.

You Don’t Have Much Time After You Receive Your Acceptances To Make Your
College Decision

Most colleges send their acceptance notices in the beginning of April, and typically, you only
have until May 1 to select which college you’re going to attend. If you’re deciding between
multiple colleges at this point, you’ll only have a few weeks to potentially take campus visits,
compare the nancial aid packages you’re o ered, and do any necessary research to pick a college.

The more colleges that accept you, the more stressful and di cult these few weeks may be for
you, if you’re still unsure about which college is best for you.

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My Rules Regardless of the Number of Colleges You Apply To

Follow these guidelines, regardless of the exact number of schools you end up applying to.

Rule 1: Have at Least 2 Safety Schools

While I believe in maintaining optimism, it’s wise to prepare for a worst-case scenario. If you only
get into your safety schools, you still want at least a couple of options to consider.

Stay safe with safety schools.

Rule 2: Don’t Apply to Any Colleges You Wouldn’t Want to Attend

Considering the time and cost associated with applying to college, it’s pretty pointless to
apply to a college that you have no desire to attend. Even if your safety schools aren’t your top
choices, they should be colleges that you’d be willing to attend.

Rule 3: Do the Majority of Your College Research Before You Apply

Before applying to college, you should have a good idea of what you’re looking for in a
school. There are about 2,500 4-year colleges. Use college nders, college search websites,
guidebooks, ranking lists, and campus visits to help decide which colleges you should apply to.
Also, you can talk to your teachers, counselors, parents, current students, and alumni to help you
narrow down your list of schools.

Rule 4: Try to Rank the Schools You Apply to Before You Receive Acceptances

After you apply, continue to do your research and try to rank the schools assuming you were
o ered admission to all of them. This will make the selection process easier. Once you receive
your acceptances and review your nancial aid packages (if you apply for need-based aid), you can
factor in the cost of attendance for each school into your decision.

Rule 5: Be Realistic About Your Chances of Admission

Even though it’s perfectly ne to apply to reach colleges, at a certain point, a college may be too
much of a reach, and you’d be better served to focus on schools that are more likely to admit
you. Usually, if your GPA and standardized test scores are well below those of the average student
at a very selective college (less than a 25% acceptance rate), your odds of gaining admission will be
extremely low, and in some cases, virtually nil.

For example, in 2014, at Princeton University, only 2% of admitted students had a GPA below a 3.5.
At Yale, out of high schools that provided class rank, 97% of admitted students graduated in the
top 10% of their class.

You may still have a realistic chance if there’s something exceptional in your application. If
you’re a world-class athlete, the child of a major donor, or you’ve overcome incredibly unique
obstacles, you may still have a legitimate shot at admission with subpar grades and test scores.

Also, if your grades are on par but you have below average test scores for a selective college, you
may still have a shot of getting in, especially if you’re from a disadvantaged or underrepresented
background.

Rob Mills/Flickr 

College List Examples

Here are a couple of hypothetical examples to illustrate some of the concepts that I explained
above.

Example #1

Josie wants to go to a very selective college in the South. She has a 3.9 weighted GPA and
received a 2250 on the SAT. She doesn't want to be too far from her home in Atlanta, but she
is willing to consider schools that are a little further away, but still in the South, if they're a
really good t. She quali es for application fee waivers, but she has limited time to complete
applications due to her job, school, and extracurricular activities. She doesn't know exactly
what she wants to major in, but she's interested in science. How many schools should Josie
apply to?

Well, Josie's options are immediately limited because she wants to go to a very selective
college in the South that's strong in the sciences. Also, she would prefer to be close to
Atlanta. Because she's focused on selectivity, she may want to consider applying to more
schools, but her time is limited.

I would recommend that Josie apply to about 8 schools. Here would be a sample list of
schools to apply to for Josie:

Reach Schools: Duke University and Vanderbilt University

Target Schools: Georgia Tech, Emory University, University of Virginia, College of William and
Mary

Safety Schools: University of Georgia and Mercer University

Example #2

George is from a small town in California. He knows he wants to major in agronomy or crop
science. He is willing to go away for school, but he only wants to be on the West Coast or East
Coast. He prefers a selective college, but that's not his biggest priority. George has a 3.6
weighted GPA and received a 28 on his ACT. He is not overly concerned with the cost or time
needed to apply, but he does need nancial aid and is worried about the cost of school. How
many schools should George apply to?

George's major of interest and desire to be on one of the coasts severely limit his choices. In
order to give him options and a chance to attend a selective school, I would recommend that
George apply to about 7 schools. That would give him a better chance of getting into a
selective school, and he can compare the nancial aid packages he receives or opt to go to an
in-state public school if he doesn't receive the aid he's hoping for. Here would be a sample list
for George:

Reach Schools: UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Target Schools: University of Connecticut, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State

Safety Schools: CSU Fresno, University of Vermont

UC Davis arboretum (ludios/Flickr)

Final Advice

While there's no cap on the number of schools you can apply to, some students, especially those
from a uent backgrounds who want to go to a selective college, can go overboard, applying to
more than 20 or 30 colleges.

Personally, I would strongly discourage any student from applying to more than 15
colleges. If you apply to more than that, you’re probably going to make the application process too
stressful and time-consuming. Also, most students who apply to more than 15 colleges are
applying to at least a few schools that they wouldn’t want to attend.

If you do the necessary research before you apply, you should be able to limit your list of schools
to 15 or fewer. Honestly, anything more than 10 feels excessive to me, but I understand that some
students are capable of applying to more and want to give themselves more options.

On the other hand, some students, especially those who are low-income or the rst in their
families to go to college, often apply to too few colleges. If you don’t have very speci c needs
that are limiting your college options, and if selectivity is a factor in your college decision, I
recommend applying to at least 6 schools.

Explore your options. Some students only apply to their local state school because that’s what’s
expected of them. Many are completely unaware of all of the college options that are available to
them. Consider state institutions, private colleges, and out-of-state schools.

Don’t forget to apply to safety schools. I’ve mentioned it a couple of times, but if you’re applying to
4-year colleges, you want to make sure that you have options.

What's Next?

Before you decide how many schools to apply to, familiarize yourself with the complete college
application timeline. You may also want to learn how to get into the most selective colleges.

Once you start your applications, review how to write a great college essay.  

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've
written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at
improving your score. Download it for free now:

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About the Author

Justin has extensive experience teaching SAT prep and
guiding high school students through the college
admissions and selection process. He is rmly committed
to improving equity in education and helping students to
reach their educational goals. Justin received an athletic
scholarship for gymnastics at Stanford University and
Justin Berkman graduated with a BA in American Studies.

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Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Mona Ali 12/26/2015, 6:11:54 PM

i would like to ask how to choose the college should i consider the ranking or what other factors. i
want to apply for biochemical engineering and don't know how to choose the college that ts me

Reply to Mona Ali

Justin Berkman 12/29/2015, 8:23:41 AM

Hi,

Thanks for your question. I recommend reading this article on how to choose a college:
http://blog.prepscholar.com/what-college-should-i-go-to-how-to-choose-a-college

Also, take a look at di erent college nders to help you in your college search:
http://blog.prepscholar.com/the-best-college- nders-on-the-internet

There are many factors to consider other than your major when choosing a college. Think
about the location, size, campus culture, etc. Good luck in your college search!

Reply to Justin Berkman

Ajay 12/26/2015, 8:30:10 PM

In the examples you gave, do the students have weighted GPA's out of 4 or out of 5? Because it is
to my understanding that weighted GPA's are mostly out of 5, and unweighted GPA's are out of 4.
Thanks.

Reply to Ajay
Justin Berkman 12/29/2015, 8:31:14 AM

Hi Ajay,

Thanks for your question. In my examples, I gave the students' weighted GPAs. For your
weighted GPA, an A in an honors or AP class is worth a 5, but most college-bound students
only take a handful of honors and AP classes, so their maximum GPA is signi cantly less than
5.

Reply to Justin Berkman

Angie 5/29/2016, 2:00:35 PM

I'm a currently a junior in high school and I want to start my application essays over the summer.
When writing these essays, does each college have di erent prompts to respond to or can I think
of an idea for an essay that I can use for all applications?

Reply to Angie
Justin Berkman 5/30/2016, 8:42:19 AM

Hi Angie,

Thanks for your question. Not every college asks the same essay question, but many colleges
use the Common App. Check these articles for help with the college essay:

http://blog.prepscholar.com/common-app-essay-prompts

http://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-personal-statement-everything-you-need-to-know-
about-the-college-essay

Hope that helps.

Justin

Reply to Justin Berkman

Yordy Lopez 12/2/2016, 3:01:52 AM

Hi,
I am interested in majoring in political science at an undergraduate level and also willing to go
anywhere in the United States and abroad. Could you please suggest how many schools I should
apply to. I have not taken the SAT, ACT, or any SAT Subject Tests yet.
Thanks

Reply to Yordy Lopez

Ellen McCammon 12/5/2016, 3:31:30 AM

Hi Yordy,

There's not necessarily a speci c "magic number" of schools you should apply to. Anywhere
from 6-15 could be in the reasonable range. Just so long as you have a good mix of safety,
match, and reach schools, the number isn't necessarily super important.

Reply to Ellen McCammon

Adila Aziz 9/10/2017, 10:19:50 PM

If I apply to 15-20 schools, and most of them are targeted schools, is there a way that those school
know that I am applying to many schools, do they check my records using my SSN, or name or any
thing. So, instead of increasing my chance of acceptance, I harm my application?

Reply to Adila Aziz

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