Many students wonder how many US universities they should apply to. UCAS only allows five choices—but the US does not have such limitations! The Common Application, which over 900 schools use, allows up to 25 applications. This is not including schools that use their own application portals—including but not limited to: Georgetown, MIT, and the University of California System.

However, US university applications require a significant amount of time to complete. At Vela Education, we believe in only applying to a school if you can submit an excellent application. Thus, carefully curating a list that has the right schools, not more schools, is the best way forward.

US university admissions is competitive, though. An ambitious and responsible application list does need to have schools at every level of selectivity: aspirational, target, and secure. Thus, if you are determined to have a US university option at the end of this time-intensive process, you need to apply to 8 to 10 schools. Ideally, this list includes 3-4 aspirational schools, 3-4 target schools, and at least 2 secure options. How do you determine a school’s selectivity? It’s important to look at each school’s acceptance rate and academic benchmarks and then honestly compare that information to your own student performance. Working with an expert advisor and seeking feedback about your school list is one way to ensure it is both ambitious and responsible. A great place to start is with our strategic consultation.  

Some students and families tell Vela Education advisors that they only want aspirational and target choices and are happy to have their secure options be in their home countries. We are happy to support students with this strategy as long as they are clear that they may not have a US option at the end of the process. Vela Education is committed to providing students and families with the most accurate and transparent advice so they can make an informed choice.

If you have any questions about how to select schools for your application list, please reach out to us. We are here to help.