"College admissions applications have surged 9% in the 2025-2026 cycle while acceptance rates at top schools have plummeted below 10%, creating a landscape where families navigate decisions with incomplete information and counselors face mounting pressure to provide confident guidance despite limited reliable data. With students now applying to an average of 5.38 schools and counselors managing outcomes across hundreds of institutions annually, the gap between anecdotal knowledge and systematic insights has never been more pronounced."
"Nerd Apply addresses this challenge by aggregating over 100,000 fully de-identified admissions outcomes shared by counselors across 500+ organizations, creating the world's largest qualitative dataset that captures not just test scores and GPAs, but the essays, activities, and context that actually shape college decisions. The platform enables counselors to benchmark students against real applicants, ground family conversations in patterns rather than guesswork, and widen college list options beyond the same 80 ultra-selective schools dominating application strategies."
2025-2026 college applications increased 9% while acceptance rates at top schools fell below 10%. Students now apply to an average of 5.38 schools and counselors must manage outcomes across hundreds of institutions, widening the gap between anecdotal knowledge and systematic insight. Nerd Apply aggregates over 100,000 fully de-identified admissions outcomes from counselors at 500+ organizations to create a qualitative dataset that includes essays, activities, test scores, GPAs, and contextual information. The platform enables benchmarking against real applicants, grounds family conversations in observable patterns, and expands college-list options beyond the same 80 ultra-selective schools. The company acquired Cambrean and is building privacy-first infrastructure with SOC 2 Type II audit in progress and FERPA-compliant governance.
Read at Alleywatch
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