There are over 2,600 higher ed institutions in the US to make sense of, and too often college guides, message boards and rankings emphasize the 20-50 that admit the fewest students. This tool allows you to search through what might be considered within the top 15% of colleges that exercise some selectivity in their admission review, and that, based on counselor feedback and experience, students might apply to from beyond their home state.

 

The list strikes a balance between the suggestions of online tools that are too broad or random, and lists that are too narrow and "reachy" for most students. I've been working in college admission and counseling for over 25 years, as an admission officer, and as Director of College Counseling at independent college prep schools in 4 states and overseas. I've helped over 1,000 students with their college lists. The List Starter makes use of the knowledge I maintain in my ongoing work in this field to help you filter quickly to the most likely good options.

 

In 2017, I published the first edition of this resource, a static document generated from daily college counseling work that College Essay Guy Ethan Sawyer shared on his website, along with a conversation he and I had. That version has reached far beyond what I imagined-- I hear all the time from school counselors, independent educational consultants, and families for whom it has been a lifeline. It has even been used as a reference resource in the University of California college counselor training certificate program.

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Thanks to requests from counselors and families, I updated the list in 2024 as a sortable Airtable, published here.

 

This new, interactive version, published in 2026, is more informative and reflective of the realities of the post-Covid, largely test-optional college admission landscape. This tool is both robust and intentionally streamlined. Further research is required to dive deeper, and some more nichey, relatively open enrollment or regional colleges may not be on the list-- but the included schools are shaped by my 25+ years advising students and frequent conversation with other college admission professionals. The usual suspects for most traditional college students are here, along with some gems you might not know about.

 

As a counseling professional, I find this data immensely helpful to keep open in a tab on my browser! The data in the list is continually updated with new releases of information from Common Data Set, IPEDS and other sources.

 

The table allows you to sort by a number of factors: Region, Selectivity Band (grouped by admission rates), Strong Financial Aid, Generous Merit Scholarship, Size, Required Testing, and other factors that influence student fit and admissibility, like HBCU, single-gender, public honors colleges, engineering programs, and other frequently requested sort criteria.

 

Even among this relatively small percentage of the nation's colleges and universities, there's something here for any student who wants to go to college. My categories and descriptions are designed to inform and help students and families search by factors more important than prestige and scarcity of seats. I hope you find this resource useful, that you share it with families trying to make sense of the college landscape, and that you find your fits!