#college-admissions

#college-admissions

Two years after the Supreme Court banned the use of race in college admissions decisions and in the wake of the Trump administration's attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, colleges' use of diversity- and identity-related supplemental essay prompts is patchy. After a boom in prompts about applicant's identities, several universities have scrapped the essays entirely for the 2025-2026 admission cycle. Still others, especially selective universities, have kept the prompts, saying they are the best way to get to know their applicants.

The college admissions process has been so notoriously stress-inducing that students and their parents plan for it for years and - if social media is any indication - seem to consider an acceptance as among the greatest moments of their lives. But getting into college is in fact becoming easier, with admissions offices trying to entice more applicants from a declining pool of 18-year-olds. They're creating one-click applications, waiving application fees, offering admission to high school seniors who haven't even applied.

The binding nature of early decision means that a student can apply to only one college through early decision. In most cases students applying through early decision are asked, along with a parent and their school counselor, to sign an early-decision agreement attesting to their understanding of the commitment to enroll if admitted. Early decision is in no way legally binding, but colleges take the early-decision commitment seriously and are appalled and disgusted when students back out of the commitment.

But the new higher-education compact offered to universities by the administration strongly suggests that Trump's higher-education agenda, if successful, will result in a far less diverse academy, with fewer Black and Latino students. It will do this by demanding that colleges adopt an admissions system based purely on test scores and GPA-and accusing any institution that resists of illegal racial preferences.

Indeed, the announcement by the College Board last month that it was discontinuing Landscape, a tool that provided admissions officers with data about a student's high school and neighborhood- including median family income, local college-going rates and school resources-was so alarming because it marks a pivot in selective college admissions away from understanding students' achievements in the context of their backgrounds and toward judging everyone by standardized metrics like GPA and test scores.

When Kathleen Glynn-Sparrow worked as a college counselor at Maryland private schools, she regularly fielded that query from prospective families at open houses. But Glynn-Sparrow, who also founded a company called the College Coaches, says that when it comes to choosing a private school, it should be less about the pipeline to any specific university than about choosing a school that will allow a student to flourish.

Standardized test scores and GPAs never tell the whole story. Median family income, access to Advanced Placement courses, local crime rates and other key indicators help admissions officers see the full picture and provide crucial context to help identify high-achieving students from disadvantaged communities. These are students whom universities might otherwise overlook. Tools that give context level the playing field-not by lowering standards, but by lifting students up according to their merit and the obstacles they have overcome.

Jessica Custer was the editor of her high school paper growing up in Hardwick, New Jersey. She was also a member of the biology team, the chemistry team, the chess club, and the debate club. That résumé got her accepted to a whole slew of prestigious colleges, including Georgetown, Princeton, and Harvard. But in 1995, she made a different choice, one that she believed would set her up for a bright future.

The president and the Republican Party have launched a relentless campaign for what they call merit-based admissions and against any aspect of the holistic admissions process they've deemed a "proxy" for race. The question of whether admissions professionals can continue do their jobs under those circumstances was a constant undercurrent of the 2025 National Association for College Admission Counseling conference last week. But despite the concerns of attendees, the association and many panelists sent a clear message that all hope isn't lost for the admission process as we know it.

"As federal and state policy continues to evolve around how institutions use demographic and geographic information in admissions, we are making a change to ensure our work continues to effectively serve students and institutions,"

"You have to visit at least one," White tells TODAY.com. "It's not a safety if you wouldn't actually go there."

Almost 20,000 CAO applicants this year sat the Leaving Cert in previous years and benefitted from the pandemic-era measures

In March 2019, Rick Singer pled guilty to federal charges-including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice-for his role in what was widely-publicized as the 'Varsity Blues' college admissions scheme.

Most teens view LinkedIn as an adults-only platform, assuming networking will come later. This approach overlooks a critical opportunity to connect with college admissions and scholarship committees.

Adja's journey to securing multiple Ivy League acceptances showcases the impact of how determination, an excellent college counselor, and a strong academic record can lead to success.

These traits are not always the most visible on paper, but they show up in the choices students make and the stories they tell.

Teen entrepreneurship allows for higher earnings potential and flexibility compared to traditional summer jobs, building valuable skills for future success.

The Direct Admission Pilot Program aims to relieve the stress of college applications for California students by providing conditional acceptance to multiple CSU campuses.

"For years, American colleges and universities have attracted growing numbers of international students who often pay full tuition, effectively subsidizing domestic students."

There is growing pressure from the federal government for elite universities to reform admissions policies, particularly concerning the rejection of race-based criteria.