Research
What the data actually says
Original analysis built on the same data that powers every school profile on this site — UC's own school-by-school admissions counts, federal education data, and 30 years of trend history. Every brief publishes its methodology and reconciles against official published figures.
Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach) · Reporters: custom data cuts on request
Applying · October 2026
Fall 2027 College Application Deadlines, Prompts, and How Many to Send
Open dates, early and regular deadlines at 50 of the most-applied-to colleges, the 7 Common App prompts, and how many applications students really send.
Read the brief →States · October 2026
Georgia College Admissions 2026: 7 of 9 Public Universities Require a Test Score
Test rules by campus, state score averages, HOPE and Zell Miller rules, and the high schools that lead on the Georgia Milestones.
Read the brief →Majors · October 2026
Which Majors Pay, and Where a California Student Can Get Into Them
Federal earnings data for 131 bachelor's majors, plus the program-level admit rate at every California public campus that reports one.
Read the brief →CSU admissions · October 2026
CSU admit odds by campus and major: SDSU Nursing 3.5, Cal Poly SLO Aerospace 12.0
The CSU is selective by campus and by major. SDSU Nursing Pre-Licensure admits 3.5 percent of freshmen, while Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Aerospace Engineering admits 12.0 percent.
Read the brief →States · October 2026
Florida College Admissions in 2026: All 6 Public Universities Require a Test Score
A test score is required at every public university we checked, Bright Futures sets its own GPA and test cutoffs, and the state mean SAT total sits at 970.
Read the brief →Ivy League · October 2026
What It Takes to Get Into the Ivy League in 2026: Scores, Early Decision, Admit Rates
Test rules, score bands, early decision math and admit rates for the eight Ivy League schools, read straight from each college's own published data.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
SAT, ACT and National Merit by State: What the Class of 2025 Numbers Mean
State SAT and ACT averages move with participation, not school quality. Here is how to read your state's number, plus how National Merit sets a different bar in every state.
Read the brief →States · October 2026
New York College Admissions in 2026: Test Policy, Excelsior, and Regents Leaders
A plain guide to test rules at SUNY and CUNY, what New York scores look like, what Excelsior asks for, and which high schools lead on the Regents.
Read the brief →States · October 2026
Texas College Admissions in 2026: Test Rules, Top 10%, and TEXAS Grant
Who still requires a test score, what the Top 10% rule covers, how Texas scored on the SAT and ACT, and which high schools lead the state ratings.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where Alameda County High School Graduates Enroll: UC Reach Scores for 70 Schools
A school-by-school look at UC admits, Reach Scores, and the published college lists from Oakland, Fremont, Berkeley, Dublin, and the rest of the county.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where Do Contra Costa County High School Graduates Go to College?
A school-by-school read of Fall 2025 UC admits, UC Reach Scores, and the two county schools that publish their own college lists.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where Los Angeles County High School Graduates Enroll: 389 Schools, 40 Top UC Boards
A county-wide look at UC admits, Reach Scores, and the college lists that Los Angeles County schools publish themselves.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where Orange County High School Graduates Go to College: 93 Schools, Fall 2025 UC Data
A county-wide look at UC admits, published college lists, and what the numbers do and do not tell a family.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where Riverside County High School Graduates Go to College: 72 Schools, Fall 2025
UC's Fall 2025 admit counts for 72 Riverside County high schools, ranked by UC Reach Score, with the 40 strongest campuses listed in full.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where San Bernardino County High School Graduates Go to College, Fall 2025
A school-by-school look at UC admits, admit rates, and published college lists for 64 San Bernardino County high schools.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where San Diego County High School Graduates Go to College, Fall 2025
A county-wide read of UC admits by high school, plus the five San Diego County schools that print their own college lists.
Read the brief →California counties · October 2026
Where Santa Clara County High School Graduates Go to College: 66 Schools, Fall 2025
A county-wide look at UC admits, published enrollment lists, and what the numbers mean for your family.
Read the brief →Test policy · October 2026
Which Colleges Require the SAT or ACT for Fall 2027? 31 Publics, 12 Top Privates
A state-by-state and college-by-college look at who wants a score from the high school class applying in 2026-27, and who waits until fall 2028.
Read the brief →College costs · October 2026
How Families Pay for College: Free-Tuition Pledges, Merit Grids, Net Price and Payoff
Five tables, one story: what a college promises by income, what it pays by test score, what families really pay, and what the degree returns ten years later.
Read the brief →Entrance exams · October 2026
The HSPT: 298 questions, five subtests, about 2.5 hours; 31 tracked schools require or accept it
The tables hold what is on the test, as the publisher describes it, and every tracked school that names the HSPT, with the exams each school lists and the test dates and deadlines it states. It is not a census of every school that uses the HSPT.
Read the brief →Entrance exams · October 2026
The ISEE: 160 scored questions, three seasons, once each; 67 tracked schools require or accept it
The tables hold what is on the test, as E3n describes it, and every tracked school that names the ISEE, with the exams each school lists and the test dates and application deadline it states. It is not a census of every school that uses the ISEE.
Read the brief →UC admissions · October 2026
What It Takes to Get Into Each UC: GPA, Residency and Major, Fall 2025
GPA bands, residency and major-level admit rates for all nine UC campuses, read one number at a time.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
An ACT 30 equals an SAT 1370 on the official ACT to SAT conversion table
The table below holds all 28 published rows: each ACT composite, the single SAT total beside it, and the SAT range the two organizations print with it. It does not predict how a student would score on the other test.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
The average SAT score is 1029, and a 1020 is the 50th percentile
The table holds a percentile for every SAT score from 400 to 1600, in both of the columns College Board publishes. It does not say what score any one college is looking for.
Read the brief →College applications · October 2026
24 of the 50 most-applied-to colleges publish their wait-list numbers
The table holds each college's own published wait-list counts for its most recent reported class, and it is blank where a college publishes none.
Read the brief →College applications · October 2026
The Common App gives 10 activity slots, with 50, 100 and 150 character fields
The tables hold the kinds of activities the Common App names, the fields it asks for, and the limit on each field. They do not hold the full dropdown list of activity types, because the Common App does not state that list on a page we can quote.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Zero of 19 Nursing Scholarships Are Open to a Student Not Yet in Nursing School
The table gives each award, the stage of training it asks for, any grade minimum, and the dates. It does not hold an award a high school senior can apply to, because none of these sponsors offers one.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Only 7 of 13 national scholarships post a deadline for fall 2027 entry
The table holds each program's own posted dates, award amounts and award counts, as each page read in October 2026. It does not hold state grants, college merit aid or local scholarships.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Alabama: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Alabama high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Alaska: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Alaska high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Arizona: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Arizona high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Arkansas: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Arkansas high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in California: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a California high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Colorado: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Colorado high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Connecticut: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Connecticut high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Delaware: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Delaware high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Florida: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Florida high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Georgia: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Georgia high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Hawaii: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Hawaii high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Idaho: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Idaho high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Illinois: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Illinois high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Indiana: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Indiana high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Iowa: the 6 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Iowa high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Kansas: the 8 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Kansas high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Kentucky: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Kentucky high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Louisiana: the 5 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Louisiana high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Maine: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Maine high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Maryland: the 5 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Maryland high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Massachusetts: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Massachusetts high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Michigan: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Michigan high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Minnesota: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Minnesota high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Mississippi: the 6 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Mississippi high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Missouri: the 5 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Missouri high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Montana: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Montana high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Nebraska: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Nebraska high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Nevada: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Nevada high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in New Hampshire: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a New Hampshire high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in New Jersey: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a New Jersey high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in New Mexico: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a New Mexico high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in New York: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a New York high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in North Carolina: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a North Carolina high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in North Dakota: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a North Dakota high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Ohio: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Ohio high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Oklahoma: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Oklahoma high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Oregon: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Oregon high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Pennsylvania: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Pennsylvania high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Rhode Island: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Rhode Island high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in South Carolina: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a South Carolina high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in South Dakota: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a South Dakota high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Tennessee: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Tennessee high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Texas: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Texas high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Utah: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Utah high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Vermont: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Vermont high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Virginia: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Virginia high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Washington: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Washington high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in West Virginia: the 1 state program and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a West Virginia high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Wisconsin: the 5 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Wisconsin high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Wyoming: the 5 state programs and what each asks for
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Wyoming high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
State scholarships in every state: 144 programs across all 50 states
The table holds one row per state: how many state programs it runs, how many turn on grades, and the award to read first. Each row links to our page for that state.
Read the brief →Transfer admissions · October 2026
Transfer admit rates at 37 colleges outside California, from 3.2% to 90.7%
The table holds 37 colleges outside California, each with its own transfer applicant and admit counts. California campuses sit on a separate page.
Read the brief →UC admissions · October 2026
The hardest majors to get into at each UC campus in Fall 2025
The table holds UC majors with big applicant pools in Fall 2025, ranked by admit rate; UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs.
Read the brief →College admissions · October 2026
Acceptance rates at the 100 most-applied-to colleges, 3.5% to 99.3%
The table shows the share of first-year applicants each college admitted for fall 2023. That is not the share who enrolled, and not the rate for any one major.
Read the brief →AP courses · October 2026
How many AP courses public high schools offer, state by state
The table holds every state and the District of Columbia, with the share of public high schools that offer any AP course and the average number offered.
Read the brief →College applications · October 2026
What is the application fee at the 100 most-applied-to colleges?
The table holds the undergraduate application fee each college reported for 2023-24, and it does not show fee waivers, which colleges grant to families who qualify.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
Average ACT score in every state for the class of 2025, and what moves it
The table holds every state's average composite and the share of graduates who tested, ordered from the states that test nearly everyone down to the states where almost nobody does. It does not describe a single high school.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
Average SAT score in every state for the class of 2025, and what moves it
The table holds every state's mean SAT total, both section means, and the share of graduates who tested. It does not describe a single high school or a single student.
Read the brief →Majors and pay · October 2026
The Best-Paying College Majors Four Years After Graduation, by Federal Data
The table holds the highest-paying bachelor's majors in the federal file, with the median earnings four years out, how many colleges report the program and how many graduates are in the cohort. It is a national median, not a figure for any one college.
Read the brief →Scholarships - Florida · October 2026
Florida Bright Futures requirements for students graduating in 2027
The table holds the four Bright Futures awards and the bar each one sets for this graduating class. It does not cover the renewal rules that apply once a student is in college.
Read the brief →Majors and pay · October 2026
Business administration in California, the admit rate and pay by campus
The table holds every California college with a business program in the federal data, the program each campus reports under, the admit rate where there is one, and the pay and average net price; 32 report no rate.
Read the brief →High schools - California · October 2026
California high schools where the most graduates finish A-G, 2024-25
The table holds the thirty California high schools with the highest A-G rate, among schools with a class of 100 or more students.
Read the brief →College applications · October 2026
Fall 2027 college application deadlines at 50 colleges, plus UC and Cal State
The table holds each college's own posted dates for fall 2027 first-year entry. Five rows are blank, because those colleges publish no fixed date we could read.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
Which colleges brought back the SAT requirement, and the first class it hit
The table holds all 35 colleges we checked, each one's policy for fall 2027, the first class required to send a score and the page it was read from. Fourteen are still optional.
Read the brief →College outcomes · October 2026
Harvard and Princeton graduate 97.6% of their students in four years
The table holds the four-year completion rate for the most-applied-to colleges, counting students who started there as first-time full-time freshmen and finished there.
Read the brief →College costs · October 2026
85 Colleges That Promise Free Tuition or No Loans Below an Income Line
The table gives each college's own income line, the year it starts and the strings attached. It does not tell you what your family would pay, which only that college's own calculator can.
Read the brief →College applications · October 2026
The seven Common App essay prompts for 2026-2027, unchanged again
The table holds the seven prompts as the Common App publishes them. It does not hold a word limit, because the Common App's own pages do not state one in text we can quote.
Read the brief →Majors and pay · October 2026
Computer science in California, where the admit rate runs 4% to 95.7%
The table holds every California college with a computer science program in the federal data, the admit rate into the major where a system reports one, and the pay and average net price; 19 report no rate.
Read the brief →CSU admissions · October 2026
Every impacted major and campus at the California State University
The table lists every program the CSU marks as impacted, campus by campus; impaction means more applicants than seats, not a low admit rate.
Read the brief →College admissions · October 2026
Early decision admit rates beat the overall rate at every college that publishes both
The table holds all 30 colleges we checked. Each row shows the early and overall applicant and admit counts the college reports in its own Common Data Set. It does not say who the early applicants were.
Read the brief →High schools - Florida · October 2026
Florida's A-rated high schools, ranked by school grade points, 2024
The table holds thirty top A-rated Florida high schools. They are ranked by the share of points they earned, with the English and math results behind the grade.
Read the brief →High schools - Georgia · October 2026
Georgia high schools with the highest Milestones proficiency, 2024-25
The table holds thirty Georgia high schools. They are the ones where the most students scored proficient or better on the core end-of-course tests.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
What counts as a good SAT score for the Ivy League, college by college
The table holds each Ivy's testing policy and its published SAT and ACT bands, next to the share of first-years who sent each test. The bands describe enrolled first-years who sent a score, except at Brown, which publishes a band for admitted students.
Read the brief →CSU admissions · October 2026
The hardest CSU majors to get into for first-year students, Fall 2025
The table holds CSU majors with big first-year applicant pools in Fall 2025, ranked by admit rate; a CSU application names one major at one campus.
Read the brief →College applications · October 2026
How many colleges students actually apply to, and how many UC campuses
The table holds what students actually did, across the whole platform. It is not a recommended number, and it does not say how many colleges any one student should pick.
Read the brief →High schools · October 2026
How many high schools there are in each state, public and private
The table counts schools with a twelfth grade in every state, the District of Columbia and three territories. The private count is a floor, because the private survey is voluntary.
Read the brief →Private high schools · October 2026
The largest private high school in 45 states, by grade 9-12 enrollment
The table names the largest grade 9-12 private school in 45 states, each with at least 200 students. Six states have no school that meets that floor, so a state's best known private school may not be here.
Read the brief →High schools · October 2026
The largest public high schools in America, by grade 9-12 enrollment
The table holds the biggest public high schools in the federal enrollment file. Virtual schools are left out, so online academies with large rolls do not appear.
Read the brief →College majors · October 2026
Mechanical engineering in California, by admit rate and what it pays
The table holds every college in the state that reports an admit rate for this major or federal pay for the degree, with what families pay.
Read the brief →Scholarships · October 2026
The Colleges That Publish a Merit Scholarship You Can Read Off a Chart
The tables give the top tier and the lowest scoring tier of each automatic grid, plus the largest award at each college that makes you apply. They do not hold all 340 tiers, and a grid can change for the next class.
Read the brief →College admissions · October 2026
Which colleges get the most applications? The top 100 by applicant count
The table holds first-year applications and the acceptance rate for each college, and applications are not people: one student can sit in dozens of these pools.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
National Merit sets a different cutoff for each state and does not publish it
The table holds what NMSC itself publishes about the 2027 program. It holds no state cutoff score, because NMSC publishes none.
Read the brief →High schools - New York · October 2026
New York high schools with the highest Regents pass rates, 2024-25
The table holds the thirty New York high schools with the highest average pass rate across the five core Regents exams, and nothing else about them.
Read the brief →Majors and pay · October 2026
What it takes to get into a California nursing program and what it pays
The table holds every California college with a nursing program in the federal data, with the admit rate into the program where a system reports one; 35 of the 47 report none.
Read the brief →College payoff · October 2026
Which colleges leave a graduate the furthest ahead after ten years
The table holds payoff as a dollar amount: ten years of median pay minus four years of the price paid with aid. It is a subtraction, not a ratio.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
Which private colleges require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027 applicants
The table holds all 50 colleges, each one's policy, the term that policy covers and a link to the page it was read from. Public universities are not in it.
Read the brief →Test policy · October 2026
The Public Universities That Accept the Classic Learning Test in 2026
The table gives each school, its test rule for 2026, and the page that names the CLT. It covers public schools only, and a school is here only if its own page names the test.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
SAT and ACT score ranges at the 100 most-applied-to colleges
The table holds each college's published SAT and ACT range next to the share of enrolled first-years who actually sent each test, and it does not describe students who were admitted and went somewhere else.
Read the brief →College costs · October 2026
State Merit Scholarships and the GPA and Test Score Each One Requires
The table holds every program we track in California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia, with the award, the GPA line, the test line, any income ceiling and a link to the state agency's own page.
Read the brief →College costs · October 2026
Median student debt at graduation runs from $10,250 to $26,000
The table holds the median federal loan debt of students who finished a degree at each college. It leaves out private loans, parent loans, and students who left without a degree.
Read the brief →School counselors · October 2026
How many students each high school counselor carries, state by state
The table holds every state and the District of Columbia. It counts counselor jobs, not how much of each counselor's day goes to college planning.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
Which colleges ignore an SAT or ACT score even when a student sends it
The table holds all 24 colleges and systems we checked, each one's policy for fall 2027 and the page it was read from. It is not a list of every test-blind college.
Read the brief →Texas admissions · October 2026
How Texas automatic admission works in 2027 and what UT Austin requires
The table holds the state rule and the thresholds the two flagships have published. Automatic admission is a seat at the university, not a seat in a major.
Read the brief →High schools - Texas · October 2026
Texas high schools with the highest A-F ratings and scores, 2024-25
The table holds the thirty Texas high schools with the highest overall score. The three domain scores behind it are there too.
Read the brief →CSU admissions · October 2026
Transfer admit rates by major at every CSU campus in Fall 2025
The first table ranks the lowest Fall 2025 transfer admit rates; the second shows the majors that drew the most applicants, all for one major at one campus.
Read the brief →UC admissions · October 2026
UC transfer admit rates at all nine campuses, Fall 2026 and Fall 2025
The table holds all nine undergraduate campuses for Fall 2026 and Fall 2025. These are offers of admission, not students who enrolled.
Read the brief →UC admissions · October 2026
What GPA Do You Need for Each UC Campus? Admit Rates by GPA Band
The table holds the Fall 2025 admit rate in each GPA band, campus by campus, for California-resident first-year applicants. It does not cover out-of-state or international applicants, and it is not broken out by major.
Read the brief →UC admissions · October 2026
UC Admit Rates for Californians, Out-of-State and International Applicants
The table holds Fall 2025 first-year applicants, admits and the admit rate for each group, by campus, plus a systemwide row. The systemwide row counts each applicant once. The campus rows do not.
Read the brief →Majors and pay · October 2026
What the 25 most common college majors pay four years after the degree
The table holds the federal median pay four years out for each of these 25 majors, pooled across every college that reports the program; it does not say what one college's graduates earn.
Read the brief →College costs · October 2026
What families actually pay at the colleges everyone applies to
The table holds two prices for each college: the average yearly price for students who received aid, and the published full cost of a year. Neither one is a quote for your family.
Read the brief →Test scores · October 2026
At 112 Colleges, Fewer Than Half of First-Years Sent a Test Score
The table gives each college's SAT and ACT submit share, the SAT range it publishes and its rule for 2026; it does not say whether sending a score helped anyone get in.
Read the brief →College admissions · October 2026
Which Colleges Admit Students With a 3.5 GPA? What Their Own Numbers Show
The first table shows the share of each college's first-year class in each GPA band. The second lists colleges whose published average GPA is 3.75 or lower. A 3.5 sits near the middle of the class there.
Read the brief →High schools - Alabama · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Alabama? 505 Public and 149 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Alabama by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Alaska · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Alaska? 252 Public and 12 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Alaska by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Arizona · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Arizona? 831 Public and 103 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Arizona by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Arkansas · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Arkansas? 333 Public and 52 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Arkansas by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - California · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in California? 2,574 Public and 687 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in California by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Colorado · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Colorado? 483 Public and 92 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Colorado by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Connecticut · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Connecticut? 217 Public and 123 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Connecticut by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Delaware · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Delaware? 59 Public and 26 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Delaware by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - District of Columbia · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in District of Columbia? 47 Public and 31 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in District of Columbia by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Florida · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Florida? 1,113 Public and 815 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Florida by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Georgia · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Georgia? 509 Public and 293 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Georgia by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Hawaii · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Hawaii? 67 Public and 52 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Hawaii by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Idaho · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Idaho? 264 Public and 36 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Idaho by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Illinois · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Illinois? 1,028 Public and 243 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Illinois by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Indiana · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Indiana? 459 Public and 127 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Indiana by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Iowa · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Iowa? 339 Public and 52 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Iowa by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Kansas · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Kansas? 345 Public and 56 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Kansas by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Kentucky · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Kentucky? 439 Public and 104 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Kentucky by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Louisiana · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Louisiana? 352 Public and 117 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Louisiana by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Maine · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Maine? 122 Public and 55 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Maine by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Maryland · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Maryland? 274 Public and 189 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Maryland by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Massachusetts · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Massachusetts? 405 Public and 197 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Massachusetts by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Michigan · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Michigan? 1,163 Public and 140 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Michigan by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Minnesota · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Minnesota? 1,095 Public and 96 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Minnesota by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Mississippi · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Mississippi? 323 Public and 80 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Mississippi by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Missouri · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Missouri? 734 Public and 143 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Missouri by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Montana · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Montana? 181 Public and 32 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Montana by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Nebraska · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Nebraska? 337 Public and 44 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Nebraska by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Nevada · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Nevada? 163 Public and 27 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Nevada by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - New Hampshire · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in New Hampshire? 76 Public and 51 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in New Hampshire by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - New Jersey · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in New Jersey? 531 Public and 242 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in New Jersey by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - New Mexico · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in New Mexico? 235 Public and 48 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in New Mexico by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - New York · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in New York? 1,395 Public and 447 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in New York by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - North Carolina · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in North Carolina? 593 Public and 277 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in North Carolina by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - North Dakota · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in North Dakota? 167 Public and 14 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in North Dakota by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Ohio · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Ohio? 936 Public and 224 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Ohio by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Oklahoma · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Oklahoma? 462 Public and 52 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Oklahoma by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Oregon · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Oregon? 318 Public and 77 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Oregon by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Pennsylvania · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Pennsylvania? 754 Public and 415 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Pennsylvania by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Rhode Island · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Rhode Island? 70 Public and 28 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Rhode Island by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - South Carolina · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in South Carolina? 315 Public and 129 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in South Carolina by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - South Dakota · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in South Dakota? 187 Public and 23 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in South Dakota by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Tennessee · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Tennessee? 447 Public and 189 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Tennessee by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Texas · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Texas? 2,302 Public and 436 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Texas by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Utah · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Utah? 238 Public and 59 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Utah by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Vermont · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Vermont? 73 Public and 42 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Vermont by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Virginia · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Virginia? 349 Public and 265 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Virginia by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Washington · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Washington? 757 Public and 130 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Washington by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - West Virginia · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in West Virginia? 160 Public and 43 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in West Virginia by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Wisconsin · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Wisconsin? 589 Public and 136 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Wisconsin by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →High schools - Wyoming · October 2026
How Many High Schools Are in Wyoming? 111 Public and 7 Private
The table lists the 15 largest public high schools in Wyoming by the number of students in grades 9 through 12.
Read the brief →UC admissions · October 2026
What Is the UC Acceptance Rate at Each Campus? Fall 2026, All Nine
The table holds each campus's first-year applicants, offers of admission and admit rate from the University of California's own summer release. These are offers, not students who enrolled.
Read the brief →Test policy · 50 states · October 2026
The 2026 Public University Test Policy Report
Which states' public universities require the SAT or ACT, which are test-optional, and which will not look at a score — every flagship and every large public in all 50 states, checked against its own admissions page. One page per state answers the question in its first sentence.
Read the brief →UC admissions · the $276M compact · August 2026
California paid $276 million to swap out nonresident students. The swap is unwinding.
The state paused the deal's funding in 2025-26 — and in the same cycle, first-year classes at Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego went back to their 2019 nonresident share. The admit files show it was a decision, not a yield accident, and the compliance metric won't register it for years.
Read the brief →UC testing review · August 2026
“Show me the data”: the school-level numbers behind the UC math debate
Newsom asked for data; 3,000+ UC faculty asked for a test. For 1,121 California high schools, both halves of the question are already public. The join: proficiency and UC outcomes rise together (r = 0.72) — yet 20 of the UC's 100 biggest feeder schools post grade-11 math proficiency under 50%.
Read the brief →UC admissions · campus yield · August 2026
UC admits a lot of out-of-state students. Outside Berkeley and UCLA, almost none of them come.
Campus-by-campus first-year yield by residency. UC Davis gives most of its offers to non-Californians, but Californians are 80% of the students who actually enrol — out-of-state yield is 4.8% there and 2.8% at Riverside, against roughly 29% at the two flagships. Full nine-year table as a CSV.
Read the brief →UC admissions · new data · August 2026
Getting into a UC and getting into the UC you wanted are two different things
UC admitted a record 102,031 California first-year students for Fall 2026. The campus-by-campus table — applicants, admit rates from 10.5% to 94.7%, and the admitted-GPA bands — plus why the two flagships now differ sharply on in-state share.
Read the brief →UC admissions · July 2026
The Berkeley Exception: at the same GPA, only one UC favors Californians
Controlling for applicant GPA, an out-of-state student is admitted at a higher rate than an identical Californian at every selective UC except Berkeley — at Irvine, Davis, and Santa Barbara by roughly 30 points.
Read the brief →UC admissions · 30 years · July 2026
The 30-year arms race: applications up 6.8×, admit rates 62% → 27%
In 1994, UC Santa Barbara admitted four of every five applications and UCLA admitted half. The full 1994–2026 series, campus by campus, from UC's own counts — and why parents' intuitions about 'getting in' misfire.
Read the brief →College costs · July 2026
The $134K blind spot: the federal cost data ends where the median college family begins
The government's net-price brackets stop at $110K+ — below the ~$134K median income of college-parent-age families — and average only aid recipients. Across 800 privates, the published figure runs 42% below the no-aid price.
Read the brief →Test scores · July 2026
Do test scores still matter? The colleges' own numbers say yes
At selective test-optional colleges, score submitters were admitted at 1.2 to 3.2 times the rate of non-submitters — derived from each school's own published data. The table, the reinstatement wave, and how a family should decide whether to test.
Read the brief →College mobility · July 2026
The colleges that move kids up: the mobility leaders are regional publics, not famous names
Opportunity Insights measured which colleges take students from the bottom of the income ladder to the top. The leaders are regional publics — six CUNY campuses and Cal State LA among the top twelve — with mobility rates about six times the Ivy-Plus median. The leaderboard, and the access-versus-success math behind it.
Read the brief →AI · Colleges · July 2026
The AI-ready colleges: which schools are actually building for the AI economy
There is no official AI ranking, so we measured three primary-source signals across 1,268 four-year colleges: the AI and computing degrees they confer, their AI research output, and whether they host a federal NSF AI Institute. The leaders differ by lens — and a bachelor's degree in AI itself is still remarkably rare.
Read the brief →National enrollment · July 2026
Where America's high schools are growing — and where they're not
National high-school enrollment is flat — but the flat line hides a sixteen-point spread: 24 states growing (Oklahoma +8.4%), 26 shrinking (Hawaii −6.9%). The state-by-state table, and what it means for the administrators on each side.
Read the brief →Enrollment · July 2026
The public-private divergence: California's high schools are shrinking — except the ones that aren't
Public high-school enrollment fell 1.7% from 2020 to 2025 while private enrollment grew 4.3% — shrinking is now the majority experience for public schools, and the statewide senior-class peak is already behind us. School-by-school winners and losers.
Read the brief →The county series · 20 counties
Where California's high school grads get into the UC system, county by county
Every high school in the county with published 2025 UC outcomes — public and private — ranked by UC Reach Score, with the story behind the table. Covers every California county reporting at least fifteen schools.
In the pipeline
The GPA arms race (what a 4.0 bought in 1994 vs. today) · Does your high school matter? What school-average GPA does — and doesn't — predict · Test-optional in practice: submitter vs. non-submitter admit rates from colleges' own data · District-level tables for the largest unified districts. New briefs monthly — follow a school to hear when they land.