College Admissions
Navigate The College Admissions Process From Start To Finish.
There are two facets to going to college - the college admissions process and the financial aspect of paying for college. We've covered in-depth saving and paying for college, and this is where we cover the other stuff: what college to apply to, figuring out academic fit, navigating the admissions process, taking the appropriate college admissions tests, and then making that actual decision.
And even after you make the decision of which college to go, you have to figure out what to pack and bring with you to your new dorm.
It's a really exciting time for young adults, but it's also a stressful time for the family. Here's what to know about the college admissions process.
College Admissions Facts
Before we dive in to everything about college admissions, let's cover some basic facts about admissions in the United States:
- College Students In The United States: 18.1 million
- Undergraduate College Students: 15.2 million
- Public 4-Year Students: 43% of college students
- Full-Time Students: 65%
- How Many Student Get Into Their First Choice College: 75%
- Most Applied-To College: UCLA
- How Many Colleges Require Admissions Tests: 55%
College Planning
One of the best ways to lower that amount of student loan debt you are borrowing is to navigate paying for college effectively. Effectively paying for college means lowering the cost of attendance, maximizing your financial aid, and borrowing smart.
The simple truth is that college is an investment - one that costs both time and money. The goal of this investment is to earn more over your lifetime than if you didn't go to college. But what if you spend too much, and those future earnings don't outweigh the alternative? That's a problem.
College Application Process
The college application process starts with making a college list - this list is all about finding the best colleges to apply to based on financial and academic fit. Yes - you need to think about both the cost AND the program. You should also understand how colleges admit students based on major - which really is important depending on what you want to study.
Finally, you start applying - which is an entire process in it's own.
To help navigate the process, some families pay for assistance from college admissions consultants. These are people or companies that can help you navigate the college admissions process, get assistance in creating the best application possible, and even help steer your student in the right direction for classes, tutors, extracurricular activities, and more.
Here are some of the companies we've reviewed.
College Consultant Reviews
College Admissions Tests
Currently, 55% of colleges require a college admissions test - whether the SAT or ACT. Furthermore, students may want to consider the PSAT to get a head start and potentially qualify as a National Merit Scholar.
More and more colleges are now moving away from being "test-optional" and are starting to require college admissions tests again.
With that in mind, there are also a lot of companies that can help with college test prep. Depending on which test you want to take, here are our picks:
Test Prep Company Reviews
Graduate School Admissions Guides
Looking to apply to graduate school? The process is slightly different depending on what type of graduate school you're looking to attend. You may have to take different college admissions tests (GRE, GMAT, MCAT), and you may have a different interview process.
Here's what to know:
Heading To College
We review as many of the student loan lenders as as we can find on the marketplace. We have a list of student loan lenders here, and here are all our lender reviews:
Read More College Admissions Content
We have many articles related to college admissions. Check out our full admissions archive here:
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College Admissions Terms And Definitions
Learn more about what these college admissions terms mean, from A to Z:
A
- ACT
- Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
- Acceptance Rates
- Accreditation
- Admissions Criteria
- Alumni Network
- Admissions Officer
- Application Process
- Artistic Review
- Athletic Programs
- Attendance
C
- CSS Profile
- Campus Housing
- Campus Life
- Campus Safety
- Career Services
- College Acceptance
- College Admissions Calculator
- College Admissions Consultant
- College Essay
- College Fairs
- College Interview
- College Rankings
- College Rejection
- College Tours
- Common Application
- Community College
- Community Service
D
- Dependent Student
- Deferred Admission
- Dorm
- Dual Enrollment
E
- Early Action
- Early Decision
- Entrance Exams
- Extracurricular Activities
F
G
- Gap Year
- GMAT
- Graduate School
- Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Grants
- GRE
- Greek Life
H
- Honors
I
- Independent Student
- International Baccalaureate
- Internship
L
- Legacy Admissions
- Letter of Recommendation
- Library
M
N
- Need-Based Aid
- Net Price
O
P
- Personal Statement
- Placement Tests
- PSAT
R
- Regular Decision
- Research Opportunities
- Rescinded
- Rolling Admissions
- Room and Board
S
- SAT
- Scholarships
- Summer Programs
- Student Loans
- Student Organizations
- Study Abroad
T
- Test-Optional
- Transcripts
- Tuition Fees
U
- Undergraduate Research
W
- Waitlist
- Work-Study Program
Editor: Colin Graves Reviewed by: Ashley Barnett