“How many colleges should I apply to?”

Clients ask us this question all the time, and it is a great question. 

My answer is always simple: “It depends.” 

The truth is, there is no one “right answer” to the number of colleges you should apply to, but it is important to consider strategy over everything else. There is a right way and a wrong way to strategize about this number. Ultimately, it is important to understand that the optimal number of applications differs for each individual.

Let’s walk through the “right” number of colleges for you in the transition from high school to college, the key factors to consider, how to narrow your list, and other things to think about before you decide on the “right” number of schools. 

What is the Right Number of Colleges to Apply to?

How many colleges should you apply to?

We typically encourage clients to apply to between five and eight colleges, but it depends on the student, with a majority of colleges offering early action or rolling admission. You cannot bank on getting into regular decision schools because you do not know the university’s goals in the admission pool. In building targeted school lists with clients, we believe it is a good idea to keep the number of schools to a smaller number. Having a lengthy list adds confusion and a tremendous amount of work to an already-packed senior schedule

However, some students may require a larger list of colleges due to their specific needs. We work with students individually to come up with the best, most optimized college list for them (and the right number of colleges based on their personal situation).

Ideally, the best lists include a mix of safety, target, and reach schools:

• Safety: A safety school is a school you’re likely to get into. Your test scores, GPA, and other factors put you in the top 25% of admitted students at a safety school.
• Target: Target schools are colleges you have a good chance of attending. Your test scores, GPA, and other factors put you in the mid-50th percentile of admitted students.
• Reach: You likely already know it: a reach school is one that could be difficult for you to get into. Your test scores, GPA, and other factors put you in the bottom 25th percentile of admitted students. 

If you are asking, “How many reach colleges should I apply to? How many safety colleges should I apply to?” — that’s natural. The right mix of safety, target, and reach schools depends on your goals, and we work with clients individually to determine the optimal mix, which also impacts the number of schools on your list. 

Key Factors to Consider When Considering How Many to Apply to

When applying to colleges you want to avoid college application mistakes. Therefore, you should consider several factors when determining the number, including the following: 

• Academic profile: We will always consider GPA, test scores, high school coursework rigor, and other academic factors to determine the optimal number of schools you should apply to.
• Selectivity: Along the lines of the safety, target, and reach schools, consider the selectivity of colleges you are considering before you choose the number of schools you will apply to. We’ll evaluate the level of confidence we have in your admission chances to ensure you have the right number on your list.
• Application fees and overall cost: How much does the school cost, and how much are the application fees? (The application fee amount might surprise you.) Naturally, the cost of the school is also important to consider, because an unaffordable institution could have much larger repercussions for you. Know your family budget before you even apply.

• Time and capacity to complete applications: If you are not sure you’re going to have a ton of time to complete applications, we might pare down the list a bit to accommodate your schedule, ensuring that you have the right schools on your list.
• Interest in specialized programs (honors, athletics, arts): Your interest in specialized programs might also affect the way you apply and how many schools you apply to, and we focus on that as we help you make a list of dream colleges.
• Desire to compare financial aid offers: Putting multiple schools on the list allows you to compare several schools at once. Therefore, you will want to have a few to consider rather than just one! Leverage can be important when you want to have the ability to compare aid offers. 
• Use of early action or early decision strategies: We will always consider early action and early decision strategies to determine how many colleges and universities each student should apply to. 
• Anxiety or fear of rejection: This might not seem like a super important factor, but we absolutely consider the anxiety or fear of rejection angle when working with clients. If we work with a client who has a fear of rejection, we will counsel them through that and also use that knowledge to steer our approach.

Learn more: What Do Admissions Officers Really Look for?

How to Narrow Your College List

There are multiple ways to narrow your college list, and we will walk you through every single one of them as we work together. 

Let’s say you are starting to narrow down your college list as a high school senior. You are interested in majoring in graphic design and also love playing chess competitively.

You visit College A, which looks good on paper. The campus is pretty, the students are friendly, and it is only a few hours from home. While you’re on your tour and information session, you discover the following:

• Academic and career fit: College A does not offer a graphic design major — only a general studio art degree. When you ask about internships or career outcomes in graphic design, the answers are vague or nonexistent. That is a big red flag.
• Extracurricular fit: You ask about the chess club, and the tour guide says there is not one anymore due to lack of interest. You would hoped to continue competing and meeting other players at college, and this feels like a letdown.
• After-visit fit: On the car ride home, you reflect and realize… the college community did not feel right. Something about it did not click. You did not picture yourself living there for four years.

By the end of the weekend, College A gets crossed off your list. It is not a bad school — it is just not your school. Crossing College A off your list actually helps you focus more clearly on schools that do offer what you want. 

How to Know When You Are Applying to Too Many or Too Few

What are the signs you’re applying to too many, or, conversely, too few colleges? 

Signs You Are Overdoing It

We advise our clients not to overdo it with the college list because it can lead to burnout. Here are the signs you’ve applied to too many colleges:

• Tired out: Applying to colleges is not easy. If you find yourself exhausted from writing dozens of supplemental essays, it might be a sign you have applied to too many schools.
• Broke: If you are broke from paying application fees, it might be a sign you’ve applied to too many schools. For example, if you apply to ten schools with $75 application fees, you’ll owe $750.
• Shallow research: If you find yourself doing not-so-in-depth research on each school because you are spending so much time trying to keep your head above water, that could also be a clue you are overdoing it. 
• Not keeping up with your applicant portals: Also, if you find yourself not keeping up with your applicant portals at each school, it could have larger repercussions. For example, if you have too many to manage and do not get your transcripts in at a certain school, you could get kicked out of the Early Action applicant pool. 

Signs You Are Applying to Too Few

If you find yourself with limited options, that could be a sign that you need to add more schools to your list. Also, if you have applied to too many reach schools, that could lead to overconfidence in getting in and then potential disappointment when you do not get into those particular schools.

At Campus to Career Crossroads, we offer college planning help to determine the optimal number of schools to apply to so you’re never caught in either one of these two scenarios.

Is it OK to Apply to Only One College?

We do not recommend applying to only one college. It is always better to have options during your senior year rather than leaving yourself scrambling to get into colleges.

In addition, if you want to compare financial aid awards, or if you are sure you might be missing out on other great schools, you may want to consider applying to more than one school. In addition, if you want to be able to compare financial aid awards, you will want to apply to more than one institution.

Learn more: Questions to Ask an Admissions Counselor

Strategies for Streamlining the College Application Process

Here are some strategies for streamlining the college application process:

• Know your deadlines: Know when your applications are due! They are all due at different times, so make a list, check it often, and adhere to them carefully.

• Understand applications: Understand the differences between regular, rolling, Early Action (EA), Early Decision (ED), and other admission types. They all have different deadlines, and it’s important to understand what the institutions on your list require. Campus to Career Crossroads will help you navigate this maze.
• Know the standardized testing requirement: Many schools are still test optional, meaning that you do not have to submit standardized tests like the SAT or ACT, but many colleges are reviewing their standardized testing policy. Schools will all have different policies.

Apply to a variety of schools based on your understanding of these deadlines and requirements.

Is There a Required Number?

Again, there is no hard-and-fast number you should shoot for, and it does depend on the student, their goals, and their mix of schools they are considering. We will help you target the right amount of schools for your situation. Contact Campus to Career Crossroads to learn more about how to make the right moves for your situation.

FAQs

Still have questions about how many colleges to apply to? Let’s take a look.

Is applying to ten colleges too many?

For the majority of applicants, yes, ten colleges is too many. It is a lot to manage! Ultimately, the most important question you can ask yourself is this: “Can you handle all the administrative work to apply to so many schools?” 

The more colleges you apply to, the more things you have to do to manage your applications. However, again it depends on the student and their goals. For example, if you are considering the competitive direct admit medical school route, we may encourage you to apply to many schools. 

Can you apply to a college twice?

Yes, you can reapply to colleges if you receive a rejection from them. For example, let’s say you receive a rejection from a college during your senior year. You can go to another school for a year or two and then reapply again as a transfer applicant. However, you cannot apply twice during your senior year.

How much does it cost to apply to college?

The costs vary. You can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $100 per application, which means it could be easy to rack up $600 in application fees if you apply to six colleges. Keep that in mind as you are walking through all the college costs. However, note that many colleges and universities also charge nothing to apply.

You may qualify for application fee waivers, but those are typically reserved for low-income families. Check with the admissions office at the colleges or universities you are considering to learn more about application fee waivers.