How Many Colleges
Should I Apply to?

Guidance counselors advise applying to 10-12 colleges & universities.

Your list should have 3 categories:

🦺 Safety schools

🎯 Target schools

🙏 Reach schools

Safety schools are those you're sure to get into because your GPA & standardized test scores exceed the school's admittance average.

Target schools are those where you're right in the middle.

Dream or reach schools have requirements above your academic ability, but may still accept you based on a well written essay & other factors.

Apply first to safety schools, then target, & finally reach schools in case you run out of time meeting application deadlines.

Even top schools are "building a class" often on non-academic categories (geography, family income, homeschool, etc.), so don't neglect applying to your dream school simply because SAT or ACT scores weren't within the school's range.