Each year, 1.5 million high school students apply for admission to America's colleges and universities. These students complete nearly five million college applications. As these applications roll in, college admission officers are evaluating them and making decisions about who to admit and who not to admit. Meanwhile, the applicants are in the dark, wondering what will be the outcome of their application for admission. During this time, students are asking themselves, "How are admissions decisions really made?"

Do all colleges use the same process for admitting students?

Every college develops its own process and procedures for admitting students. There are literally hundreds of such systems in use today. While it is impossible to provide a precise description of each of these systems, it is possible to describe the two basic categories into which these systems fall.

Formula Driven Systems - These evaluation systems have one thing in common. They employ a predetermined formula that arbitrates whether or not a student is granted admission. While the formulas vary from college-to-college, they generally involve a number of variables on which the applicant must meet a minimum threshold in order to gain admission. Some of the more common variables used in these formulas include: grade point average, standardized test scores, rank-in-class and a requirement that the applicant has completed the necessary curriculum for admission. The formula used by an institution is often published on its Web site and in its admission materials. In these situations, applicants can benchmark themselves against the formula and determine whether or not an admission offer is likely to be forthcoming. While students who meet the standards outlined in an institution's formula are typically assured of admission, not meeting the standards does not always mean that the applicant won't be admitted. Often the formulas are developed to identify those individuals who are guaranteed admission. Other applicants are not guaranteed admission but they may be offered admission but they have no assurance that they will be admitted.

Comprehensive Review Systems - Institutions employing a comprehensive review approach evaluate all of the data included as part of a candidate's application file. Like those institutions employing a formula-driven approach, these colleges are also concerned with a student's performance in high school, standardized tests (ACT, SAT), courses taken and rank-in-class. However, institutions using a comprehensive review process will often also evaluate things like counselor or teacher letters of recommendation, the record of extra or co-curricular activities, the content and quality of a student prepared essay or writing sample and a variety of other factors. Since these institutions do not have set thresholds on any one criterion, it is more difficult for the applicant to assess the likelihood of admission.

If the school doesn't use a formula for admission, how do I know if I have a chance of being admitted?

Assessing your chances of admission involves comparing your accomplishments against the class profile published by the college. Typically, colleges provide prospective students with information about the freshman class most recently enrolled. The college will often supply data about the number of students who applied, the number admitted and the number who enrolled. In addition, the profile may include the range for the middle 50 percent of standardized test scores of the admitted students and the percentage of admitted students who ranked in the top 10, 25 or 50 percent of their graduating class. Although it is impossible to determine with certainty if you will be admitted, a comparison of your accomplishments against the profile data will provide you with some idea of whether your application is competitive relative to last year's class. 

If you compare favorably on each criterion, you stand a good chance of being admitted. If your performance is below standard on one or more measures, your chances of being accepted are decreased but certainly not eliminated. The simple table below shows how you can make the comparison for a particular school. 

It looks like my accomplishments aren't all that competitive when I compare myself.  Does this mean I can't go to college?

Nothing could be further from the truth. It simply means that you may be looking at the wrong colleges for you. Each college sets its own admission standards. Some are extraordinarily competitive accepting only a small fraction of those who apply. Others are classified as open admission accepting all students, up to their capacity, who hold a high school diploma. In seeking out college opportunities, it is wise to apply to a school or two that represents "reach" opportunities ' places at which you may look slightly less than fully competitive, several schools at which you appear fully competitive and a school or two at which you appear to be highly competitive. By spreading your interest across a range of schools, you dramatically increase your chances of admission.

One word of caution: Make sure that all of the schools have the program of study that you want and that all of the schools are places where you would be happy. Do not select a school simply because you can get in. Apply only to those schools that have what you want: places where you believe that you will be happy and where you believe that you can be successful.

Are other factors involved?

College admission is affected by many variables that have nothing to do with the merits of the individual applicant. Some colleges receive applications from many more fully qualified students than they can accommodate on campus. Other colleges, particularly public institutions, may have limitations on the number of out-of-state residents they are allowed to enroll. 

If a college does not offer you admission, you should not assume that you were unqualified to attend. The college's decision may have been the result of other factors totally unrelated to your academic record. Because no one can predict who will be admitted to a specific college with complete accuracy, it is advisable to apply to several colleges. 

So, in the end, what is the best way to find out if I stand a chance of getting admitted to a particular school?

That's simple - talk with someone in the admission office. Spend a few minutes outlining your achievements and accomplishments. Ask the admission officer what he or she thinks about your chances of gaining admission.