How to Build a College List
Six names on a napkin
In the spring of 11th grade, a student is asked by her aunt where she is applying. She writes six names on a napkin. Four are universities she knows from television and sports. One is where her cousin went. One is the state university an hour from home.
She wants to study environmental science and spend time doing fieldwork. She has not checked whether any of the six is strong in that. She does not know how likely she is to be admitted to any of them, or what any of them would cost her family.
The napkin is how most lists begin. It is a list of names she has heard of, and it has not yet been tested against anything.
Before the list: four decisions
It is easier to find the right colleges when you know what you are looking for. Four decisions narrow the search quickly, and none of them has to be final.
- What you want to study, or exploreA subject, a few possible subjects, or the freedom to decide later.
- How far from homeWithin driving distance, within the region, or anywhere.
- How bigA small college where classes are small, a large university with many options, or something in between.
- What the family can pay each yearThis is a conversation to have early, and it is covered under the third question below.
The student with the napkin decides she wants environmental science with real fieldwork, a college that is not huge, and a place she can reach from home in a day.
Question 1: does it fit?
Fit means two things. The college offers what this student wants, and it is a place where they are likely to do well and be glad they came.
Start with the basics from the four decisions above. Does the college have the program? Is it the right size and distance? A college that fails these comes off the list, however well known it is.
For the colleges that pass, look closer. Six things are worth checking for each one.
| What to check | Why it matters | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Strength in your subject | A college can be excellent overall and thin in the one area you care about | The department's own pages: the courses offered beyond the introductory level, the professors, the labs or facilities |
| Connections to the field you want to work in | Internships, employers who recruit on campus and graduates already working in the field make the first job much easier to find | The career center's pages, the department's news, and any report on where recent graduates went. Notice also whether the college is located near that industry |
| What happens to graduates | A degree is worth more from a college where most students finish and go on to good work | The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which shows graduation rates, typical earnings and typical debt for each college |
| Whether students are happy there | Four years is a long time to spend somewhere you do not like | The share of first-year students who come back for a second year, which the College Scorecard also reports. Then the student newspaper, a visit, and conversations with current students |
| Reputation | How a college is regarded can matter to employers and graduate schools, especially within a field or a region | People who work in the field you are interested in, and the places where the program's graduates are hired. Overall rankings give a rough indication |
| Support for students | Good advising and small first-year classes help students stay on track | The college's pages on advising and tutoring, and questions asked on a visit |
Federal Student Aid, the office of the U.S. Department of Education that runs federal aid, recommends a similar comparison. It suggests looking at each college's net cost, its graduation rate, how well its students manage to repay their loans, and what they earn afterwards.
None of these should decide the list alone. A famous name does not help much if the program you want is weak there. High graduate earnings may only reflect which majors a college offers. And a campus where everyone seems happy is still the wrong choice if the family cannot afford it. Used together, the six checks let you compare colleges that have already passed the basics.
When the student with the napkin checks her six names, two of the famous universities turn out to have no undergraduate program close to what she wants. They come off the list. Her search also turns up several colleges she had never heard of that run their own field stations. One of them places its students in paid summer positions with the state's environmental agency, which is exactly the kind of work she hopes to do.
Question 2: can I get in?
Compare your grades and test scores with those of the students each college admits. Many colleges publish these figures in a report called the Common Data Set, which you can usually find by searching for the college's name and that phrase.
The College Board sorts colleges into three groups, and the same idea is used almost everywhere.
| Group | What it means | You may also see it called |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | A top choice that is less likely to admit you | Dream school |
| Match | A college where you are a realistic candidate and would be happy to attend | Target, probable |
| Likely | A college whose requirements leave little chance of rejection for you | Safety |
Two cautions apply. A college that admits only a small share of its applicants is a reach for every student, whatever their grades. And a likely college only counts if you would be glad to go there.
Question 3: can we afford it?
The published price of a college is often not what a family pays. The figure that matters is the net price, which the U.S. Department of Education defines as the amount a student pays to attend for one academic year after scholarships and grants are subtracted.
Colleges provide a net price calculator on their websites that estimates this number for your family. Run it for each college on the list before applying. It takes a few minutes per college, and it often changes the list. The College Board makes the same point when it says a student may want a financial safety as well as an academic one.
For the student with the napkin, the calculators bring a surprise. A private college she had assumed was out of reach comes out cheaper for her family than a public university in another state.
How many colleges should you apply to?
Once each college has been through the three questions, sort what is left into reach, match and likely, and check the balance.
Pursiva's recommendation
We recommend a list of about ten to twelve colleges for most students, divided like this.
| Group | How many | Why this many |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 3 to 5 | Decisions at very selective colleges are hard to predict, so a few attempts give a real chance at one. Beyond five, the extra essays take time away from the applications most likely to succeed |
| Match | 4 to 6 | This is the core of the list. These colleges are the most likely to produce both an offer and a good fit, so they get the most places |
| Likely | 2 to 3 | Two or more means the student will have a choice, and the family can compare financial aid offers. At least one should be affordable as well as likely |
This is more than some published guidance suggests. The College Board tells counselors that five to eight applications are usually enough, with one or two reach colleges, two to four matches and at least one safety. We recommend a few more in each group for two reasons. In our view, results at selective colleges have become harder to predict from grades and scores alone. And a family that receives several offers can compare what each college would really cost.
The right number still depends on the student. Someone who is applying mostly to colleges that admit a large share of applicants, or who has a clear first choice and applies early, can sensibly apply to fewer.
When to apply to fewer, and when to more
| Situation | How to adjust | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Most colleges on the list admit a large share of their applicants | Six to eight can be enough | The results are easier to predict, so the list needs less insurance |
| There is a clear first choice, and the student applies there early decision | Prepare the full list anyway, and send the rest only if the early answer is no | An early decision acceptance is binding and ends the search |
| The family needs to compare financial aid offers | Stay near the top of the range, with extra match and likely colleges | Aid differs a lot from one college to another, and offers can only be compared once they arrive |
| The student is applying to a competitive program inside a college, such as nursing or engineering | Add one or two more matches | Getting into the program can be harder than getting into the college |
| Every reach on the list is extremely selective | Add matches, and do not add more reaches | More long shots do not make a list safer |
What each extra application costs
Adding a college to the list is not free, and money is the smallest part of the cost.
- FeesMost colleges charge a fee to apply. A student for whom the fees are a hardship can use the Common App fee waiver, which the school counselor confirms, or a waiver offered by the college itself.
- EssaysMany colleges ask their own questions on top of the main essay. A good answer needs research into that college, so each addition means real writing time.
- AttentionEvery college has its own deadlines, forms and applicant portal to check. More colleges means more to keep track of in the busiest months of 12th grade.
For most students the real limit is time in the fall of senior year. The list should be as long as the student can apply to carefully, and no longer.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Choosing by ranking aloneA ranking measures colleges against each other. It can be one input, but it does not say whether a college suits a particular student.
- A list made mostly of reachesIf most of the colleges are unlikely to admit you, the list depends on luck.
- A likely college you would not attendIf the thought of going there is disappointing, replace it with one you like.
- Leaving cost until the offers arriveBy then the applications are in and the choices are fixed. Run the calculators first.
- Far too many collegesEach one adds essays, fees and deadlines. Beyond about fourteen, the quality of every application starts to drop.
How Pursiva helps
Building a list this way means holding a lot in mind at once: what the student wants, how their record compares, what the family can pay, and what each college requires.
Pursiva's College list module brings those together. It starts from the student's profile, preferences and theme, which Pursiva calls a Core Narrative, and helps the family map them, along with the student's academic record and the family's budget, into a balanced list. Because the theme is part of it, the list favors colleges where the student's story makes sense, which also makes the "why this college" essays easier to write later.
Once the list is set, Pursiva's Application tracker keeps each college's requirements, essays and deadlines in one place.
The student with the napkin finished with eleven colleges. Three were on the napkin: two of the famous universities, as reaches, and the state university near home, as a likely. The other eight are ones she found by asking what she wanted first.
Sources
- College Board: How many college applications are enough?
- Federal Student Aid: 4 things to consider when choosing a college or career school
- U.S. Department of Education, College Affordability and Transparency Center: net price
- Common App: application guide for first-year students
- Common Data Set Initiative
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