Moody's Tips for Using the Quick & Dirty College List Starter
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As you start your college research, this data will help you identify “possible” and “likely” options to anchor your list. There are colleges of all types in each zone—they can be reference points for expanding your search. No college application outcome is guaranteed, but this spectrum of colleges can provide a quick jumpstart to your search for the right place for you.
Getting Started
Find your cumulative junior or senior GPA. Recalculate to an unweighted 4.0 scale using only grades from core academic courses (arts and athletics usually don’t count). Count up A's, B's, C's, etc. A's are worth 4 points, B's 3 points, C's 2 points, D's 1 point. Add up the point total and divide by the number of courses. You can also search for a GPA calculator online.
It is challenging to make a direct equivalency between GPA and admission zones on the List, and test scores are also challenging to make sense of currently-- in a test-optional world, average reported testing can be quite inflated. Testing ranges vary within zones, but the "corresponding strong" scores listed here would typically be helpful to report to colleges in this group.
Find Your Target Color Zones
GPA's and selectivity color zones generally correspond as explained below.
Always verify admitted student GPA and testing profiles. There are colleges at all points on the spectrum with admitted student profiles closer to the next "hotter" band.
Ultraviolet: Over 80% of applicants are admitted.
There is something in this range for most students who are engaged in their high school learning, even if their record has some rough spots followed by upward trend. These colleges are generous in admission but still selective, and some are very well-known.
Students with GPA at or under 3.0 can call these colleges Targets.
Purple: 70%- 80% of applicants are admitted.
Students with GPA from 3.0 to 3.2 range can call these schools Targets.
Corresponding strong SAT/ ACT scores are 1200+ or 25+
Blue: Between 50 to 70% of applicants are admitted.
The rigor of high school courses and the strength of community engagement begin to factor in more here, as well.
Students with GPA from 3.2 to 3.5 are in Blue Target range.
Corresponding strong SAT/ ACT scores are 1300+ or 28+
Green: 30-50% of applicants are admitted.
Appearances become deceptive from this point forward. Parents: Ivy League universities were all within the Green to Orange Bands in 1995.
Early Decision can begin to be more of a factor in this range.
Students with GPA from 3.5 to 3.7 are in Green Target range.
Corresponding strong SAT/ ACT scores are 1390+ or 30
Yellow: 20-30% of applicants are admitted.
Students with GPA from 3.7 to 3.9 are in Yellow Target range.
Corresponding strong SAT/ ACT scores are 1400+ or 31+
Orange: 10-20% of applicants are admitted.
Remember that 80-90% of students, mostly qualified, will not be admitted here. Some of the colleges in Orange to IR ranges reserve significant percentages, over 35% in some cases, of their spots for recruited athletes.
They may also reserve significant amounts of their financial aid budget for special cohorts of students coming via Questbridge or other community organizations.
Students with GPA from 3.9 to 4.0 are in Orange Target range.
Corresponding strong SAT/ ACT scores are 1440+ or 32+
Red: Fewer than 10% of applicants are admitted.
Calling these Targets is risky, because at this level of selectivity, admission is unpredictable and corresponds strongly to institutional priorities and enrollment targets. These and the Infrared group are "universal unlikelies," by any standard. More than 90 out of every 100 applicants will not be admitted.
Here and in Infrared, "hooks" usually make the difference in admission-- special interests, athletic recruitment, national/ international recognition in activities.
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Students with GPA at around 4.0 are in Red range.
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Corresponding strong SAT/ ACT scores are 1500+ or 33+
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Infrared: These colleges are admitting around 5% or fewer of their applicants, or else they are as competitive as those that are in the admitted student profile.
Students admitted to these colleges demonstrate nationally/ internationally distinctive accomplishments in their community or areas of interest, in addition to extremely strong, top-of-the-class academic achievement. Even the most rigorous college-prep high schools can go years without students being admitted to some of these institutions.
Colleges in this range have the ability to be "surgically selective." Their strong yield rates on admission offers allow them to be mindful of building a class based on any number of predetermined factors they are looking for in their student population, most of which can't be known outside of the admission office.
There are over 26,000 high schools in the US, each of which has at least one valedictorian. That's about how many first-year student spots there are among all the US colleges in this entire group. These colleges are often aiming for representation from 50 students and 100+ countries.
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Corresponding strong SAT/ ACT scores are 1550 or 34+
Find your fits
★ Find the color zone closest to your GPA (be conservative.)The colleges in the corresponding category are POSSIBLE admission options— IF everything else in your application satisfies that institution’s admission priorities in a given year. This is your home color zone. Also called “match,” your profile is within the middle 50% of admitted students. You have a realistic chance of being admitted, but admission is not guaranteed. ** Colleges marked "Hot" in the Green to UV ranges may actually have target profiles that fit the next "warmer" color zone.
★ Colleges ABOVE your home color (Closer to Purple) should be LIKELY admission options. This means your profile (GPA, scores, course rigor) exceeds the mid-50% profile of admitted students. You can be reasonably confident that you’ll be admitted with a good application effort.
★ Colleges BELOW your home color (Closer to Red) are REACHES, which means they are NOT STATISTICALLY LIKELY to admit you. Your profile is below the mid-50% profile of admitted students. Note: The very few students admitted to reaches usually belong to special categories (or “hooks”) that fit a given college’s priorities— some of these could be: recruited athletes, extremely accomplished fine artists, legacies, development cases (big donors), and under-represented groups.
Jumping more than one zone will take you to extremely improbable territory.
★ If you are interested in merit scholarships, sort and find the colleges ABOVE your possible/ home color that have the merit scholarship field checked.
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★ This also applies for financial aid packages. Find the colleges above your home color that indicate strong financial aid programs for the best results. The best aid packages, meeting the most need with the lowest loan amounts, will often come from colleges that are more likely for you. Need awareness and "preferential packaging" are practices at many colleges, meaning they take into account the financial need of applicants, often reserving the most generous packages for the strongest students. If you expect to need a lot of financial aid, you should focus your applications on places that can meet full need and where your profile is stronger than most applicants (your LIKELY options.)
★ Factors which potentially could strengthen admission probability to colleges in your Possible color zone include: the rigor of your curriculum, trends in grades, “hooks,” primary and supplemental essays, your academic ability and potential as reflected in teacher recommendations, your character as reflected in counselor recommendations, your demonstrated ability to positively impact a residential community.
★ Test scores that are much higher than the scores in your corresponding GPA range may slightly impact likelihood, but not always. This is more likely in the purple to green zones.
★ Most colleges today are “test-score optional.” Applying without SAT or ACT at these colleges implies increased emphasis on the transcript-- so GPA should be in or above the top of the middle 50% range, with a challenging curriculum.
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★ Colleges REQUIRING tests for 2025 or 2026 are noted with a sortable field.
"Moody’s Notes On Selectivity, Predictability, & List-Building"
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There is no research or evidence that shows that attending a more selective college will significantly alter your prospects for jobs or graduate school, or your lifetime salary potential. The best plan is to focus in your possible or likely zones, where you will be appreciated for who you are, and supported in discovering and achieving your personal goals.
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College admission is not a gamble. Applying to more reach schools does not increase the likelihood that one will admit you, and there are no surprises in admission decisions.
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Bottom line, your grades over time and the rigor of your courses in the context of your school are always the most powerful pieces of your admission profile.
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Demonstrated community impact through authentically motivated engagement with your activities, deepening over your high school years is the next most important factor.
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Restrictive early action or binding early decision applications can increase likelihood of admission, but usually not in a way that makes a reach significantly more likely; rather, they can tip the scales for a Possible zone option and, sometimes, for a reasonable Reach if the right factors are in place. Choose this option carefully, and only if you have a clear first choice. If you are applying for financial aid, ask the college about how this plays into ED consideration.
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GPA’s are hard to standardize. Use your school’s profile for colleges, any other resources your school offers for assessing admission likelihood, and the advice of a counselor to get a realistic sense of whether your GPA might be inflated or deflated relative to the color zone criteria.
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Engineering is often more competitive for entry than other disciplines by at least one selectivity zone. At particular colleges, this could also apply to other popular or over-subscribed programs. These factors are noted by the "ENGR" sortable field, and the "Major Matters" field.
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These groups of colleges and their stated profiles represent averages. It is up to the student to research the middle-50% ranges of admitted students, to assess their own record honestly, and to consult a counselor or admission officer on the finer points of their complete profile as an applicant and potential “fit” with a college’s admissions priorities.
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These zones are not fixed. Even in one admission cycle, a college’s applicant pool and institutional goals can shift.
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A smart final application list, for most students, consists of no more than 12 carefully chosen colleges, barring unusual circumstances or financial aid uncertainty. No more than a couple of these should come from categories below your “possible” color zone—the law of diminishing returns applies here.
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If a large financial aid package is a significant factor for you, more than 12 applications at Target to Likely range may be necessary for the sake of comparing options.
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Remember that most colleges will provide you with a portal with its own login to manage communication after you apply. It's one of many reasons to keep your list reasonable in length and balanced.
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Your ability to communicate authentic interest in your application and in communication with college admission offices is important at every level of selectivity—take your “likelies” and “possibles” seriously and they’ll be more inclined to invite you to enroll!"
Doing the Research
Once you have found some colleges and universities that fit your basic criteria and that seem like reasonable admission fits, dig deeper to learn what you can about daily life at those institutions. Here are some of the most helpful free resources.
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Niche pulls data from all over the internet, including the college social media accounts, admission data and student reviews. It's a great place to get a sense of a college's place in the world.
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Dig deep into statistics about a college's graduation rate and more.
College Data offers admission statistics and financial aid information for prospective students.
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The Department of Education College Scorecard provides valuable information on financing colleges, including average debt on graduation and average income.
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Set up a free account and gain access to student-submitted videos of all aspects of life at participating colleges.
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Type in the name of the college or university to complete a form that will estimate your cost of attendance based on family finances, academic profile, etc.
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College Websites
Always be sure to visit the college's own website. Look at the home page and general information to learn what the college thinks is important. Look at the departmental home pages for your areas of interest; take note of distinguishing facilities, faculty bios and areas of expertise, and courses that appeal to you. If a college is anywhere on your "might apply" list, fill out an inquiry form on their admission website. It's super important that your application is not your first point of contact, but also you'll be notified of virtual information sessions and other opportunities to learn more.
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SCOIR/ Naviance/ MaiaLearning/ Cialfo
These school-based web platforms are important to use. They each have links to much of the information above, and also if your school uses one of them, you'll need to have your list updated there for your counselor to submit materials. Most of these have some version of a "scattergram" or chart that shows your academic profile in the context of other students who recently applied to the colleges, so that you can understand your own likelihood of admission on a school-specific level. If your school uses SCOIR, you should definitely make use of the resource, because this platform also is used by colleges to find good-fit prospective applicants, and to send you valuable information to learn more.​
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