Your Guide to Admissions at Highly Selective Colleges and Universities

By Liz Jackson

Our goal in the College Guidance office at USM is to help students to find their “best-fit” post-secondary experience. For some, that means a gap year, a small liberal arts college, or a large public university. For others, it means a highly selective college or university. A student’s best fit depends entirely on the student and where he or she thinks they will be the most successful—however they define success.

This guide seeks to demystify how the admissions process works at highly-selective colleges and universities. We are not suggesting that highly selective schools are in any way better than schools with less-selective admission rates. Furthermore, highly-selective colleges represent only a fraction of the four-year higher education options in the U.S. (.02%, in fact), and they do not represent the majority of schools to which USM students apply. But, highly-selective colleges are typically well-known, have strong academic reputations, and are highly ranked by “U.S. News and World Report.”

If you are interested in considering highly selective colleges, please read on to better understand what they are looking for in applicants and what types of accomplishments and characteristics successful applicants possess when they apply.

What Makes a School Highly  Selective?

In general, colleges whose admission rates are below 15% are considered highly selective. These admission rates vary from year to year but, in the U.S., colleges and universities that admitted 15% or less of their applicants for the high school class of 2024 included: 

How Do Highly Selective Colleges Evaluate Student Applications?

Like many colleges, highly-selective colleges practice “holistic admissions.” This means they evaluate admission candidates in the context of their high schools and communities, taking into consideration their colleges’ institutional priorities. 

Highly selective colleges typically look for demonstrated excellence across three dimensions: academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and character. Some highly selective colleges assign applicants a rating from one to three in each category (one being the top score). The most successful applicants are rated as “1s” across all three categories.

Academic Achievement:

The three key indicators of academic success for admission to highly selective colleges are students’ grades, standardized test scores, and the rigor of their high school coursework. Typically, to be considered a strong candidate for these institutions, applicants should have nearly flawless high school grades, and standardized test scores in the top 5% nationally, and will have pursued the most challenging classes available at their school.

Academic 1s:

• Have grades that put them in the top 5% of their graduating class (even if their high school doesn’t routinely report ranks).
• Have taken the most rigorous curriculum available, possibly including coursework available beyond the student’s high school.
• Have AP scores of 4s and 5s.
• Typically have an ACT score (or SAT equivalent) or 33 or higher.

Academic 2s:

• Have grades that put them in the top 25% of their graduating class (typically mostly As with some Bs mixed in).
• Have taken AP or other rigorous courses in one area of the curriculum but not across all subjects.
• Typically have AP scores of 3s or higher.
• Typically have an ACT score between 28 and 33.

Academic 3s:

• Have grades that put them outside the top 25% of their graduating class.
• Have a mix of As and Bs.
• Typically have taken standard-level courses, with one or two Honors or AP courses mixed in.
• Typically have AP scores between 2 and 4 and an ACT score below 28.

Extracurricular Involvement:

Achieving high academic standards is essential for gaining admission to competitive colleges, but it isn’t the only requirement. Harvard University usually rejects around 50% of applicants who achieve perfect scores on standardized tests.

Alongside strong academic credentials, elite colleges seek students who have shown dedication, leadership, talent, and impact through their extracurricular involvement—often exceeding the typical offerings at their high schools. They value candidates who have participated in competitions or made a significant impact at the community, regional, national, or even international levels.

Extracurricular 1s:

• Demonstrate excellence in at least one extracurricular category by gaining recognition on a regional, national, or international level. Most of these students are involved in other areas as well, but they will present a clear and focused interest.

Examples: Won national science competition; recruited or recruit-able athlete; record of sustained published research; started or instrumental in management of a nonprofit, publication, or other organization that includes individuals from outside the student’s high school

Extracurricular 2s:

• Demonstrate leadership, consistent participation, and commitment within the student’s school across multiple activity areas.

Examples: Captain of a sports team; officer in student council; founder of a school club; won a school science fair; hold a part-time summer job; participate in school and/or community music ensembles

Extracurricular 3s: 

• Participate in school or community clubs and activities.
• Do not possess a record of leadership or innovation but remain active in some extracurriculars.

Examples: Babysitting; JV sports team member; writer for student publication; peer mentor; occasional volunteer with a community organization

Character: 

Of all the criteria that highly selective colleges consider when evaluating applicants, character is the least quantifiable. Admissions personnel are trying to measure things like integrity, resilience, self-confidence, motivation, concern and respect for others, discipline, creativity, and maturity. They use various strategies to gauge these characteristics, including reviewing alumni reports, conducting admission interviews, analyzing letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors, examining student essays, and considering extracurricular activities. Using those resources they attempt to assign a numerical value accordingly.

Character 1s:

• Are considered to be in the top 1-5% of all students with whom teachers and counselors have interacted, and have examples demonstrating integrity, maturity, empathy, curiosity, and community-mindedness.
• Have written essays that demonstrate and refer to positive character traits.
• Are able to demonstrate to interviewers that they would cooperate with and learn from others on a college campus.
• Demonstrate leadership in their academic and extracurricular endeavors.

Character 2s:

• Have standard levels of recommendations from teachers and counselors for these students’ applications.
• May have essays that lack creativity or depth of reflection.
• Typically have received positive feedback about their conversations with interviewers.

Character 3s: 

• Have letters of recommendation, essays, or extracurricular activities may hint at arrogance, competitiveness, or entitlement; interviewers may have noted these concerns as well.

Hooked Applicants:

You might know someone who gained admission to a highly competitive college despite not meeting the level of a “1” in their academic records, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities. This can certainly add to the confusion! However, it’s essential to understand that, while colleges assess each applicant’s individual strengths, they also consider their school’s priorities when constructing their incoming class. If they believe a student will contribute a special talent or other benefit to the university, that student is likely to have some sort of special consideration when their application is evaluated. These students, sometimes called “hooked” applicants, often align with one of these categories:

Recruited athletes 

These students are sought out by university coaches for their potential to contribute to the college’s athletic programs. Typically, recruited athletes are in contact with both collegiate coaches and admissions personnel well in advance of submitting their applications.

“Legacy” applicants

These students’ families may have a long-standing relationship with a particular university and make substantial financial contributions supporting the university’s programs. Not every college considers legacy status, and having alumni parents or other family members who are alumni does not necessarily improve a student’s chance of admission at every university. But in some cases, it does improve a student’s chances of admission to a highly-selective college.

Demographically under-represented students

Colleges almost always seek to enroll students from geographically, religiously, socio-economically, ethnically, and politically diverse backgrounds. Therefore, students who identify as part of a demographic group that is under-represented on college campuses may have an advantage in admissions. For example, many colleges struggle to enroll students from rural areas, which provides some special consideration for applicants who come from rural communities. 

As we mentioned at the beginning of this guide, we are not suggesting that highly selective schools are in any way better than less-selective schools, and we always encourage students to focus on the post-secondary experience that fits them best. We want them to enroll wherever they will be the most successful—however they define success.

We hope the above information lifts the veil of secrecy that surrounds how highly selective colleges award acceptance letters. While many components of a college application are beyond the applicant’s control—like where they live, their family’s income level, and their race—it’s worth mentioning that other components—like grades, extracurricular activities, relationships with teachers and counselors, and demonstrated leadership—can be targeted and improved with planning and hard work.

About Liz Jackson

Liz Jackson serves as the director of College Guidance at University School of Milwaukee. She has more than 15 years of experience helping students and families find the right college. With experience in counseling, higher education research, and school leadership, Liz enjoys getting to know students and matching their interests to the unique offerings of each college.