How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?

College Admissions

Our Counselors Answered:

How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?
Rod BugarinFormer Admissions OfficerColumbia, Brown, and Wesleyan University

How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?

Here is my video response to the question.

Reecy ArestyCollege Admissions/Financial Aid Expert & AuthorPayless For College, Inc.

How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?

This is almost the same question as the last one, except now we’re talking about more students, but the unknown factor is now how many will actually be accepted.

Most likely if they had a chance to personally meet the student(s) that could make the difference. The known vs the unknown can weigh heavily. However, to cover their butts, they could accept a few and defer and/or wait-list the others. Too difficult to give an exact answer as there are so many variables.
Janet Rapelye

How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?

Here is my video response to the question.

Bill PrudenHead of Upper School, College CounselorRavenscroft School

How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?

Ultimately it comes down to who will best fill the school’s institutional needs. The reality is that the most selective schools have the luxury of selecting a single applicant from every 8 or 9 highly qualified ones and so they are have a responsibility to make sure that certain talents and certain demographic needs are met. Each applicant is viewed with an eye to what they can bring to the college community that the admissions office is crafting and so in the end, in choosing from among a number of qualified applicants, the question is whether they offer what the shapers of that community want.

Reecy ArestyCollege Admissions/Financial Aid Expert & AuthorPayless For College, Inc.

How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?

This is almost the same question as the last one, except now we’re talking about more students.

Most likely if they had a chance to personally meet the student(s) that could make the difference.. The known vs the unknown can weigh heavily. However, to cover their butts, they could accept a few and defer and/or wait-list the others. Too difficult to give an exact answer as there are so many variables.
Reecy ArestyCollege Admissions/Financial Aid Expert & AuthorPayless For College, Inc.

How do admissions offices choose between several qualified applicants?

This is almost the same question as the last one, except now we’re talking about more students, but the unknown factor is now many will actually be accepted.

Most likely if they had a chance to personally meet the student(s) that could make the difference.. The known vs the unknown can weigh heavily. However, to cover their butts, they could accept a few and defer and/or wait-list the others. Too difficult to give an exact answer as there are so many variables.