As the acceptance, deferral and non-acceptance letters are rolling out, it begs the question: what factors do colleges consider in their admission decisions?
The National Association for College Admission Counseling has published data from fall 2023. The top two factors are high school grades in college prep courses and total high school grades in all courses - reflected initially in the GPA. While sample size is 185 students and you'll have to dig a little deeper into the data to investigate types of schools reporting data, these two factors mirror previous reporting.
COVID-19 forced colleges and universities to adapt their standardized test score policy. Many are returning to requiring submission of scores, while others are remaining test-optional. Standardized test scores fall way lower on the list of admission factors than one might expect. The recent data suggests schools are more interested in a student's ability to successfully complete college coursework/degree as indicated by academic rigor at the high school and the student's GPA. The student's interest in attending the school ranks higher than the standardized test scores!
What about the essay for writing sample? This factor rounded out the top 5 and it is noteworthy that Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) test scores ranked higher than standardized test scores for many schools. This difference might be attributed to the school and/or program applied for...so keep that in mind when registering for high school classes next year.
I highly encourage rising juniors and seniors to reach out to the schools they intend to apply to (grad class 2025 and grade class 2026 seniors, I'm looking at you) to begin the conversation about what AP/IB and dual-enrolled classes will transfer. Please check out my other blog posts on this topic, linked below. It is not uncommon for top-tier schools to limit the amount of AP credit and dual-credit they will allow which makes registering for high school classes part of the strategy. It may be best to speak with the high school counselors or if you want more detailed assistance, a college consultant can help.
Ultimately, colleges and universities are more likely to look at your student holistically rather than just one factor. That's a good thing!
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