How many colleges should I apply to?

Students and those who support them often ask how many colleges they should apply for. As with nearly everything in college admission the unsatisfying answer is, “it depends:” the answer could range between 5 to as high as 15. However, some students will only apply to one school. Perhaps they are a recruited athlete, and their list is determined by which college ultimately extends an offer.

Other students might choose to apply to a school through a binding Early Decision plan, in which case it is one and done. Or maybe the school that a student wishes to attend has open enrollment (meaning they take 100% of the students that apply), so if there’s space, they are in.

“Think carefully about how many colleges to apply to: be strategic and don’t stretch yourself too thin.”

More commonly, students will apply to multiple colleges and universities. During the 2021-2022 academic year, the Common App reported that the average number of applications submitted by students on their platform was between 5-6. That number has been steadily increasing. In 2000, 13% of applicants applied to 7 or more colleges, and two decades later in 2020 that percentage had more than doubled, ballooning to 37% (an 184% increase).

Is applying to 20 colleges too much? While you may find you have classmates who apply to 20+ schools, if you approach the search and application experience with intention, openness, and humility, you can find success and balance in a smaller, more manageable list, helping you avoid decision fatigue during the college admissions process.

Building a college list

Building a list of colleges to which you will apply is a dynamic and evolving process. Think of it as a funnel with different phases that narrows down to your final list. Ideally, during the research phase, you are casting the net widely, exploring 50 or more schools ranging in selectivity, location, size, and other criteria.

As you begin to refine your choices, you might pick 20 or so colleges to visit either in-person or virtually. This will likely include tours, information sessions, and interviews if offered. Based on your experiences in the visit phase, you will hopefully narrow your list to between 6-12 colleges.

To help you make informed choices as you decide what colleges to apply to, we have ranked the top colleges in the U.S. in terms of investment value.

Factors to consider

When you build your college list, you should keep several factors in mind that might impact the size and scope of your college list. These include the selectivity of the schools you apply for, the cost of tuition (as well as room and board), the possibility of visiting campus, availability of financial aid, and deadlines.

Selectivity

Generally, we recommend that you divide your college list into 3–4 buckets based on your chances of being accepted. You will hear these buckets described by different names or labels, but the idea is the same. They are as follows:

Fees

You will find that it can be expensive to apply to college (a precursor of what is to come). Application fees average around $50 but can cost as much as $90 (especially at some of the most selective schools). That can quickly add up, which is just another reason to be intentional about building a reasonable college list.

Some schools have abandoned application fees (because of equity or to increase their application numbers), and most colleges waive the fee for those whom it would cause a financial hardship. A free application is not a reason to apply to a school, but low-income students should also not see fees as a barrier.

» Read: Everything you need to know about need-blind admissions

Visits

Some students are unable to visit college campuses before they apply, either because they don’t have the financial resources to travel widely, or because of time limitations. International students also frequently have fewer opportunities to visit in person. Despite increased options for virtual tours and information sessions, students who are unable to see a campus firsthand might apply to more schools and then visit once they know where they have been accepted.

Aid

Students who will need significant financial support to attend college might also have larger college lists. When they are unsure of the need-based and/or scholarship aid packages they will receive, students must make sure that they have ample choices, which can necessitate additional college applications.

» Read: Financial planning for college students

Deadlines

The timeline for your applications might determine the ultimate size of your college list. As mentioned above, if you apply through the first Early Decision round in November and learn that you are accepted, you might only have to apply to one school.

Likewise, if you apply through non-binding Early Action or Rolling Admission plans and are admitted to a school that is high on your list, you might be able to eliminate some of the target or likely schools that you had on your list as backups. Therefore, planning and being strategic about your college list could save time and money.

If you are denied of deferred to the Regular Decision pool during the early rounds, you should have your list of additional school to which you will apply ready to go, as the turnaround between receiving the decisions and Regular Decision or Early Decision II deadlines will be short. What initially was a college list of 1-2 schools might quickly become 10-12 if you don’t get the good news that you hoped. Have a plan B.

Applying to several colleges at once

Your college list might be significantly larger if you are applying to a state system like the University of California. They have their own system-wide application that you fill out once and indicate multiple campuses where you wish to be considered for admission. Again, only check off schools that you would actually consider attending. Remember that a college list that includes 10 applications might be 15 or more if you count each UC school separately.

Likewise, some colleges use the common application system, which allows you to save time by applying to multiple colleges at once, although you may still need to fill out portions of the application individually for each college.

Aim high with balance

It is good to reach for the stars and not shy away from colleges that may seem like a stretch on paper. But keep in mind that applying to more reach schools does not increase your odds of being accepted. If you are going to apply to a large number of highly selective colleges outside your profile, you must be prepared to hear “no” a lot.

The key is to start your search early, do your homework on each college, and consult your school counselor to ensure that you have a good range of selectivity. Your final college list will indeed “depend” on how thoughtfully and thoroughly you have approached this experience. Good luck!