College Admission Quick Facts

In Spring 2017, 3.5 million students graduated from high school; 68% will immediately enroll in college.

35%of first-time freshmen had applied to seven or more colleges during the Fall 2016 admission cycle (Higher Education Research Institute’s The American Freshmen report )
80% of Fall 2013 freshman applied to at least three colleges (NACAC)
66% of applications are accepted (NACAC)

There are 2,278 four-year colleges in the US (degree-granting, nonprofit).

Four-year colleges accepted two-thirds of freshman applicants, on average.

The average application fee at four-year colleges is about $45. 20% of institutions don’t have fees. You may qualify for a fee waiver.

Students who meet one-on-one with a high school counselor to discuss admission and financial aid are three times more likely to enroll in college.

Access to college information and counseling in school is a significant benefit to students in the college application process. For many students, particularly those in public schools, college counseling is limited at best. Counselors are few in number, often have large student caseloads, and have additional constraints on the amount of time they can dedicate to college counseling.
Student-to-Counselor Ratio: According to US Department of Education data, in 2014-15 each public school counselor (including elementary and secondary) was responsible for 482 students, on average.