How to Build Your College List

The Anatomy of an Effective College List How to Build Your College List (How to Start) Building Your College List: Factors to Consider Take the College Selection Quiz Tips on Getting Accepted into Your Dream College FAQs Build Your Future with the Perfect College List

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 4/20/22

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Unsure of what college to choose? This guide will provide all the information you need on building a college list.

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Looking for a college can be intimidating, but you’ll have a much easier time with a college list. You should start by looking at colleges around your junior year and figure out which ones you think are a good fit for you.

Once you do your college research, you can build your college list. That way, you will have already built a well-informed college list when you’re ready to start applying. In this guide, you’ll learn how to organize your college list to give yourself a great head-start.

Read on for everything you need to know about how to make a college list.

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The Anatomy of an Effective College List

What makes up an effective college list? A well-balanced number of schools in any of the four selectivity categories below. You should learn the differences between each category and organize your college lists accordingly.

Safety Schools: Colleges that will most likely accept you. Your GPA and test scores exceed those of an average applicant, well above the 75th percentile. You should apply to two or three of these schools, as long as you genuinely like them.

Match Schools: Colleges that are likely to accept you, but there is a chance that they might not. Your grades and scores are at or above their averages, between the 50th and 75th percentiles. You should apply to three to five of these schools.

Reach Schools: Colleges where you have a slim chance of being accepted, but there is still a chance. Your GPA and scores are lower than the averages they usually accept, between the 25th and 50th percentiles. You should apply to only two to three of these schools if they seem like a good fit.

Far-reach schools: Colleges where it is unlikely that you will be accepted since your grades and test scores are far below their averages, below the 25th percentile. This category includes the colleges where acceptances are highly selective and unpredictable, like the Ivy League schools.

Table outlining your likeliehood of acceptance at Safety, Match, Reach, and Far-Reach schools. The table also outlines how many t Safety, Match, Reach, and Far Reach schools you should apply to

When you’re considering how to make a college list, you should start by finding schools in each category:

Safety
Target
Reach
Far-reach

If you stick to safety schools, you might miss your chance at a high-level university. If you only list reach schools, you could miss out on college altogether. So, shoot for some top colleges and other universities with higher acceptance rates.

Balancing your list will give you chances at the best education for you.

How to Build Your College List (How to Start)

As you can see, there are many questions for you to think about before you build your college list. If you can start early, your future self will thank you for doing most of the work now. Your college application process will go much more smoothly once you have done enough research and reflection to know what you want.

Here are some ideas for how to build a college list:

Start By Building a College List That Includes Every Option

When you’re thinking about how big your college list should be, it’s a good idea to start with a lot. You’ll narrow it down later. Make a list of 15-20 colleges you would like to attend using your list of wants and needs from above.

Make Sure Your List Reflects Your Wants and Needs

If you prefer to stay in your home state for financial and social life reasons, check out the colleges in nearby cities. If you prefer to be closer to home but you are open to traveling for a good journalism program, you should look at schools in and around your home state.

Use college search tools and put in your preferences to list schools that meet your criteria. Your school counselor can also recommend good schools based on what you want. Find out which schools interest you the most and research them further.

Remember not to add more than 20 colleges to your list.

Research the colleges on your list and review their websites, and you will start to notice that you like some colleges over others. As you learn more information, you should write down your thoughts and the pros and cons of each school.

Narrowing Down Your College List

The next step is deciding how to narrow down your college list. You should think about categorizing and prioritizing it.

Identify some of the most significant factors to you and the opportunities offered by colleges. For example, if prestige and reputation are not that important to you, do not let that be the deciding factor between two or more of your potential schools.

Visiting a college campus when classes are in session is a great way to decide if a school is right for you. Do you like the atmosphere on campus? It is a good idea to go with your gut.

Building Your College List: Factors to Consider

While you’re thinking about how to organize your college list, you need to decide which factors are the most important to you. A balanced list should be a good fit for you in academics, social life, post-graduation plans, and finances. It is a good idea to have various colleges to choose from where you can be successful.

Here are several factors and questions to consider as you get started:

Academics

When you consider your academics, it is good to know where you would like to start your studies. Even if you want to enter as an undecided major, this is still important. Try to narrow down schools based on academics first, regardless of whether or not your area of study is highly specialized.

If you know your major, you can ask yourself these specific questions:

Classes

What do you want to study in college and how good is the school in that area?
What colleges have the major(s) that you are interested in?
If you do not know what exactly you want to study, which subjects are you leaning towards?
Do you prefer large lecture halls or small class sizes?

Faculty

Do the professors still work in the industry that they are teaching? (i.e., published books, scholarly articles, side projects, involvement in research, etc.)
Look through the course catalog at the school — are there any interesting courses you would like to take?
What level of course rigor is ideal for you?

Opportunity

What are the admission requirements for the programs you are considering?
Are the programs that you want to join popular at the college? Are they highly-ranked by industry publications for these major(s)?
Are there many internships and research opportunities available to students like yourself?

Social Life

When deciding on the school’s social fit, you should think about your life on campus. Make a list of what you want and what you do not want. Get a feel for each of the schools that you search.

Here are some questions you should be asking yourself about what kind of social life you want at college.

Location

Where do you think you will fit best, and what about the college gives you that feeling?
What locations are you willing to consider? Think about the weather and possible opportunities in the area. In what areas will you feel most comfortable?
How far away from home do you want to be? How often are you willing to make the plane ride or car ride home?

Student Body

Do you want to go to a college that is the size of your high school student body or the size of a city? Or somewhere in the middle? What is the student-to-faculty ratio?
What kind of campus do you want to live on? Do you want a college that is in an urban, suburban, or rural setting?
Is the diversity of the student body important to you? Do you want to attend a school with relatively higher percentages of female students and students from ethnic minorities?

Extracurriculars

What clubs and extracurricular activities are important to you? Do you want to be a college athlete and compete for your college? What division will you consider? If you don’t want to participate competitively, do you want to play a specific intramural sport?
Do you want to attend a religious college?

Housing

What kind of housing options are you looking for? Do you prefer to live on campus in a dorm? Would you rather rent an apartment off-campus?
Are there any other aspects of campus life that are important to you? Add it to your list, even if it seems trivial.

After School

The next step in building your college list is to think about your intended path after graduation and whether or not a school can help you achieve those goals. A few of the questions may overlap in the other sections, but you should spend some more time evaluating those factors in particular.

Career Planning

Are there enough internship and research opportunities available?
Is there an effective career center at the college?

Graduation

What is the school’s graduation rate? This figure is usually a good way to tell if a college provides enough for its students.
What percentage of students are employed within three months of graduation?
Does this college send students to reputable graduate schools with reasonable employment rates?

Employment

What do you want to do after college for work or graduate school?
Where do alumni go after graduating from this school?
What are their average starting salaries and signing bonuses, if applicable?
Will you be able to connect with an extensive network of alumni and potential employers?

Finances

Another important factor to consider is the financial fit of each school with your or your family’s circumstances. You should set realistic expectations about the costs before narrowing down your college list. Applying to schools that are well outside of your price range may ultimately lead to disappointment.

Cost

What is the actual price of the college (sticker price vs. net price)?
How important is the cost of tuition and room and board to your family? Is it a deal-breaker?
How does the cost of your degree compare to its value in the workplace?

Budget

What are you able to pay for college, and which schools are feasible for this budget?
If a school you want to attend is too expensive, how much money will you need in scholarships and financial aid to make it affordable?
Are you working now? How much money do you have saved for college?
Do you plan to work while going to school? If so, you will need to consider how you can balance all of your commitments.

Funding

What is your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC)?
What does success in the application process mean to you? Is it getting accepted to the most selective school on your list, or is it unlocking the maximum amount of aid?
Are you willing to take out a student loan? How soon do you think you can pay off the loan?

When you build your college list, it’s important to put down schools that excite you. There are tons of great schools out there, so you’re bound to find schools that fit your needs!

Take the College Selection Quiz

Take our free and interactive college selection quiz to discover the best schools for you!

Take a look at some commonly asked college list-creaton FAQs below!

College List FAQs

Still curious about building your college list? Here are some common questions answered?

1. Is it Too Early to Think about Building a College List?

It is never too early to start thinking about college, and you can even start this process as soon as freshman year if you want. A good rule of thumb is to start building your college list in your junior year and applying to schools soon afterward.

2. How Big Should My College List Be?

Your longer list should have around 15-20 colleges, but you should narrow it down to about six to ten schools. Those will be the schools you apply to.

3. Should I Make a College List if I Already Know Where I Want to Go?

Yes, because you should have a plan and multiple backup plans. It is perfectly fine to be set on going to one college. But you should think about what you like about it and find more schools with similar qualities. That way, if you change your mind at any point, you have a few other options to consider.

4. Do I Have to Know My Major to Build a College List?

No, but it may help you narrow down your choices if you do. You should figure out which subjects you may be interested in, but do not feel pressured to know what exactly you want to study.

5. Should I Include Ivy League Schools on My College List?

If you want to attend an Ivy League school, you should put it on the list. Even if it’s a far-reach school for you, it’s worth trying.

6. What Is the Most Important Considering for My College List?

That depends on what you’re looking for in a college. Generally, the most important factor is academics since you’re going to college to get a great education.

Build Your Future with the Perfect College List

As you may have already figured out, the college application process requires time and hard work. You can make things easier for yourself by starting early and building a well-researched college list.

The list does not need to be permanent, and you can edit it as many times as you want. It is a good idea to think carefully about what you value the most in a school, whether that deals with your academics, social life, post-college plans, or finances.

Remember that it is normal for you not to know what career you want to have yet. But you can start by thinking about which schools you can see yourself fitting in well. Now that you know how to build a college list, you can feel comfortable knowing you’re preparing yourself well for college.