Many students wonder how many colleges they should apply to as high school seniors. Sometimes, they hear through the grapevine that a friend is applying to 25 schools. The news almost instantly triggers their anxiety since they weren’t planning to apply to 25 schools, but now they think, “Maybe I should?” So, let’s address these fears once and for all and offer answers on how many schools students should apply to as they seek to earn admission to the best school possible.

How Many Colleges Can You Apply To?

While most students apply to America’s colleges through The Common Application, students have the alternative option (or additional option if they wish to use both) of applying through The Coalition Application. In addition, some schools have their own applications since they don’t subscribe to either The Common App. or The Coalition App.

The Common Application Limits

The Common Application allows students to apply to a maximum of 20 universities. Students can apply to as few schools as they’d like on The Common App. But, the total number of schools listed on the platform’s dashboard can be at most 20.

The Coalition Application Limits

The Coalition Application, unlike The Common App., doesn’t cap the number of colleges a student can apply to on its platform. That said, only around 150 colleges subscribe to The Coalition App. So if a student applies to 20 schools on The Common App. and wants to apply to a couple of more schools on The Coalition App., it is within their right. However, we at Ivy Coach would never recommend applying to more than 20 schools. It’s simply not necessary!

Schools with Their Own Applications

Some universities do not subscribe to either The Common App. or The Coalition App. Thus, to apply, students need to complete additional applications.

Georgetown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of California schools are examples of schools with individual applications.

The Mix of Schools on College Lists

College applicants should have the right mix of reach schools, match schools, and safety schools on their college lists.

Reach Schools

Even if a student boasts perfect grades in the most rigorous courses and a perfect or near-perfect SAT or ACT score, any school ranked in the top 25 of the 2023 US News & World Report ranking for “Best National Universities” should be deemed a reach school since most of these schools boast admission rates below 20%, many even below 6%.

How many reach schools should students apply to?

Students should include several reach schools on their college lists. For example, if a student applies to ten schools overall, six reach schools are appropriate — including the Early Decision or Early Action option(s).

Match Schools

Match schools are colleges where the student’s GPA and SAT or ACT score align with the school’s mean figures. For example, if a school’s mean unweighted GPA is 3.8 and mean SAT score is 1410, and a student has a 3.85 and 1400, that college is a match. Consider it this way: it likely wouldn’t excite the applicant to get in, but if they haven’t yet earned admission to a reach school, it will allow them to exhale.

How many match schools should students apply to?

It depends on how many schools the student applies to, but about 20-30% of a college list should consist of match schools. So if a student applies to ten schools, two to three should be matches.

Safety Schools

Safety schools are colleges where a student’s GPA and SAT or ACT score are significantly above the school’s means. For example, if a college’s mean unweighted GPA is 3.4 and mean ACT score is 29, and the student has a 3.93 GPA and a 35 ACT, that school should be considered a safety. Of course, that doesn’t mean they can complete the school’s application in their sleep or write something alarming, like a predilection for murder. If a student expressed as much, the college should no longer be considered a safety.

How many safety schools should students apply to?

Again, it depends on how many colleges to which the student applies. If a student applies to ten colleges, two safety schools are appropriate.

Common Mistakes Students Make with College Lists

In our experience at Ivy Coach, students make the following egregious mistakes with their college lists. So, if you think you might be making a similar mistake, consider rethinking your strategy.

• Students have too many impossible dreams on their lists. If a student applied Early Decision to Duke University and didn’t get in, Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University shouldn’t all be on their Regular Decision list. That’s a total waste!
• Students apply to an impossible reach school in the Early round so they never have to wonder if they could have gotten in. But we at Ivy Coach could have told them if it was a genuine possibility, and now they’ve wasted their super valuable Early card. A student should always apply to a reach school in the Early round. To apply to a safety in the Early Decision round makes no sense. But to apply to an impossible reach makes just as little sense.
• Students include too many safeties on their lists — likely because their school counselors encouraged them to include as many. If a school is genuinely a safety, we get including a second safety on the list just in case, but three or more? That has never made much sense to us!
• Students apply to too many schools. When students who were not Ivy Coach’s clients come to us after not getting in during the Early Decision/Early Action round, they often have nearly 20 schools on their Regular Decision lists. Yet how can they possibly tailor all of those applications uniquely to each school in a way that will wow admissions officers — especially if they’re still making adjustments on these applications in mid-December before early January deadlines? They can’t!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Formulating a College List

Ivy Coach has a crystal ball. Our crystal ball has even been cited in America’s oldest college newspaper, The Dartmouth. Our crystal ball is highly accurate. We use it to help students and parents settle on an Early strategy and their Regular Decision lists. So, if you’d like Ivy Coach’s assistance in game planning an Early Decision/Early Action and Regular Decision strategy, fill out our free consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.