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User Manual
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Click on the heading or the double-arrow icon in the bottom right corner to open a full-page view in a new browser tab.
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Tip: Make use of the "group" function in addition to the "sort" categories to break down into more specific lists.
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If you want to look up a specific college, use the Find function in your browser (Ctrl+F or Command +F on Mac) in the full page view.
Sortable Headings
Admission Zone: These are grouped by current selectivity rates. The two ranges at the ends of the spectrum, Ultraviolet and Infrared, are new additions to the spectrum. All of the included colleges have been selected from a national landscape of 6,500 colleges, including over 2,800 four year degree-granting institutions, plus a few intentionally selected international universities.
*Where possible, public institutions are categorized according to the admit rates for out-of-state applicants. Many institutions do not publish that data. In the cases of some very popular universities, out-of-state admit rates are lower. In the case of the University of California system, some campuses are actually marginally less selective for out-of-state applicants.
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See the Guide to Using the Zones to see how the Color Zones equate to GPA and test scores.
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Hot: Schools with this designation are experiencing rapid growth in their applicant pool/ decreasing admission rates, OR they tend to be admitting students with stronger academic profiles than their admission percentage would suggest. This can be a product of "self-selection," meaning that most of the applicants are good fits, attracted to the school by specific strengths or programs--this is often true at tech-oriented institutions and those with distinctive curricula. Always check the actual admitted student profiles for colleges of interest!
Region and State
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New England
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Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, PA, NY, NJ)
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Southwest (TX, OK, NM, AR)
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South
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Midwest
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West
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Other (International)
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Public/ Private
Size Category
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Undergraduate-focused <2,500 undergraduate students
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These institutions focus on educating students directly out of high school (undergraduate.) They measure their success by student growth and outcomes in hiring and graduate school (Master's, PhD, Law and Medical School, etc) placement on graduation. Classes typically are taught by PhD-holding experts in an intimate, discussion-oriented setting. Most of these college also require a curriculum that will expose students to high-level courses in a range of disciplines alongside their major.
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UG Plus 2,500 to 5,000 undergraduate students
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These institutions typically are much like the undergraduate-focused group, but may have small graduate programs that don't compete with undergrad resources. This group is more likely to offer pre-professional degrees in a teaching-focused setting.
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Medium UG Focus 5,000 to 15,000 undergraduate students
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These institutions are the true "mid-size." In these colleges, there will usually be more of a graduate student presence. Class sizes will vary more, and may not all be taught by PhD holding, full-time faculty. These colleges may have high profile athletic programs and visibly active campuses.
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Large 15,000 to 25,000 undergraduate students
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Some colleges in this range feel more like the Medium group; others more like the Very Large group. They will typically be comprehensive universities with many graduate students and a large campus community. Some of these are public flagship and land-grant universities, as are many of the Very Large universities.
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Very Large with Graduate Students-- over 25,000 undergraduate students
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These are typically comprehensive universities. They offer a wide range of activities in large, diverse communities surrounded by college-serving businesses. The trade-off can be a lack of undergraduate teaching focus, advising, and hands-on research opportunities. Look for honors programs that create a smaller teaching and learning community within the context of the larger institution.
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Approximate Undergraduate Population: The actual size of this university's bachelor's degree-seeking enrollment.
Program: These colleges are notable for a special curriculum (for example Great Books at St John's College, or Block Plan scheduling at Cornell College and Colorado College.)
Honors College: These universities contain an an honors program that creates special opportunities and a smaller student cohort.
Standardized Testing Required: These colleges are currently requesting that students submit SAT or ACT for 2025 or 2026 entry.
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Supplement 24/25: If checked, this college requires a supplemental essay for ALL applicants. Certain programs or majors, honors colleges, or fine arts programs may require supplemental materials.
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Demonstrated Interest: If colleges have indicated that DI is "considered" or "important/ very important" in their admission review, that is reflected here. A "no" indicates that they explicitly don't consider or did not answer.
***Don't make yourself crazy. You should treat any college on your application list with the same attention-- don't let your application be your first point of contact. Understand that communications from the college may be tracking your engagement. Here's a reasonable explanation of what to do.
Women's College: These colleges only admit students who identify as female gender.
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Men's College: These colleges only admit students who identify as male gender.
HBCU: Historically Black Colleges and Universities
STEM: These colleges are especially strong in and/ or focused on STEM fields
Known for generous need-based financial aid: These colleges meet all or most of an admitted student's demonstrated financial need for a significant percentage of students.
Known for a generous merit scholarship program: These colleges offer significant tuition discounts to a large number of students. Typically the students receiving discount are full-pay or low financial need, with academic statistics that place them in the upper 25% of students admitted.
ED Preference: A notable preference for or boost to Early Decision applicants, or a significant percentage of the class (around 50%+) is filled through Early Decision. Students admitted in ED are typically within the Target range for that college, unless they are a special case, like an athletic recruit.
Major Matters: Admission to this college is especially dependent upon the intended area of study. Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Architecture are typically among the most selective majors.
ENGR: These colleges offer an undergraduate engineering degree program.
Religious: Most private colleges have a church affiliation in their history. These colleges have an explicitly religious mission that shapes life there today.
Key to sorting the college tables
Mark's Update Log
9/17/2024 Added Demonstrated Interest Field
9/17/2024 Changed Purple Zone to 70-80% Admit Rate, and UV zone to 80%+
9/20 /2024Changed Public Flagship Admit Rates to out-of-state numbers, if data available.
12/12/2024 Added Supplement Yes/ No
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Please send suggestions or corrections to me at the form below. Thank you!
How and why this list came to be
There are over 4,000 higher ed institutions in the US to make sense of, and too often college guides, message boards and rankings emphasize the 20-50 that admit the fewest students. This tool allows you to search through what might be considered within the top 15% of colleges that exercise some selectivity in their admission review, and that, based on counselor feedback and experience, students might apply to from beyond their home state.
The list strikes a balance between the suggestions of online tools that are too broad or random, and lists that are too narrow and "reachy" for most students. I've been working in college admission and counseling for over 25 years, as an admission officer, and as Director of College Counseling at independent college prep schools in 4 states and overseas. I've helped over 1,000 students with their college lists. The List Starter makes use of the knowledge I maintain in my ongoing work in this field to help you filter quickly to the most likely good options.
In 2017, I published the first edition of this resource, a static document generated from daily college counseling work that College Essay Guy Ethan Sawyer shared on his website, along with a conversation he and I had. That version has reached far beyond what I imagined-- I hear all the time from school counselors, independent educational consultants, and families for whom it has been a lifeline. It has even been used as a reference resource in the University of California college counselor training certificate program.
This new, interactive version, published in 2024, is more informative and reflective of the realities of the post-Covid, largely test-optional college admission landscape. This tool is both robust and intentionally streamlined. Further research is required to dive deeper, and some more nichey, relatively open enrollment or regional colleges may not be on the list-- but the included schools are shaped by my 25+ years advising students and frequent conversation with other college admission professionals. The usual suspects for most traditional college students are here, along with some gems you might not know about.
As a counseling professional, I find this data immensely helpful to keep open in a tab on my browser! The data in the list is continually updated with new releases of information from Common Data Set, IPEDS and other sources.
The table allows you to sort by a number of factors: Region, Selectivity Band (grouped by admission rates), Strong Financial Aid, Generous Merit Scholarship, Size, Required Testing, and other factors that influence student fit and admissibility, like HBCU, single-gender, public honors colleges, engineering programs, and other frequently requested sort criteria.
Even among this relatively small percentage of the nation's colleges and universities, there's something here for any student who wants to go to college. My categories and descriptions are designed to inform and help students and families search by factors more important than prestige and scarcity of seats. I hope you find this resource useful, that you share it with families trying to make sense of the college landscape, and that you find your fits!