The College Admissions Process

The College Admissions Process - Behind the Scenes

College admissions departments receive thousands of applications every year. These applications are handled slightly differently at each and every college, but the overall process is often similar. Understanding some of the basics of how colleges and universities process your application may give you some insight into the minds and attitudes of the people who are reading and approving or denying your application. In a college admissions market that is as competitive as the one we are in now, every additional insight into the process is incredibly valuable.

The process as described here is an example taken from one of the top universities in the US.

The applications arrive at the college and are sorted by college staff. There are sometimes hundreds of thousands of items that must be processes due to each application having several components. The entire pool of applications is divided (usually randomly) between a group of staff that serve as the first evaluators of the application. Each application is read and scored by one person from this group that is comprised of staff, alumni, or graduate students. You will notice that this group of evaluators is not made up of people who are exclusively "college admissions officers."

After this first evaluation, the applications are sent to the second group comprised of college admissions officers, each of whom is responsible for a geographic region of applicants. This second group completes their evaluation, and the scores are compiled from both the first and second review. At this point, the top applicants as rated by the first 2 reviews are sent directly to the director of undergraduate admissions. Usually, if both of the application readers recommend that a student in this strongest group of applications be admitted, they will be. However, the director may review any application and send them to the next stage of the process, the selection committee.

Approximately the lowest 25 to 30 percent of the applications are sent to an associate director for review. This usually occurs when both of the first evaluators have recommended denying admission to the applicant. The associate director may then approve the denial, and the decision is made final. All other applications move on to the selection committee. This is where the majority of applications end up, and the selection committee discusses each student and what that student may bring to the university. This is the point in the application process where having a strong application works to your advantage. Without the support of at least one member of the committee, your application is unlikely to be selected for admission. The committee makes a decision on each application, and the results are sent to the director for the final approval, ending the behind-the-scenes portion of the college admissions process.