An Insider’s Guide on Getting into College

UPrep’s Director of College Counseling offers his take on the current admission landscape.

By UPrep September 1, 2025

UPrep Director of College Counseling Kelly Herrington meets with a student.

Photo by Brandon Patoc

This post is sponsored.

During his 20 years directing college counseling at UPrep, a 6–12 private school in Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood, Kelly Herrington has supported more than 1,500 students in their college search. UPrep graduates have matriculated to nearly 400 different colleges and universities in 44 states and 10 countries. Below Kelly shares three observations on the current college admission landscape.

Four UPrep private school students stand in a gym, proudly holding college admission signs for Villanova, Rollins, University of Miami, and Elon. Other people and tables can be seen in the background.

Students at a UPrep college fair.

Photo by Abby Choice

Highly Selective Vs. Highly Acceptive: Apply Across the Spectrum

In 2002, the eight Ivy League members plus MIT, Duke, the University of Chicago, and Stanford received about 175,000 applications. In 2023, they received more than 600,000 applications, with an almost equal number of spots in their class as in 2002. Yes, the application volume has increased at about 100 of the 3,000 four-year colleges in the U.S. A traffic jam of applicants is seeking admission at a small number of “highly selective” colleges, a term rebranded as “highly rejective.”

At most colleges, however, the acceptance rate hovers at 70 percent.

Three people wearing blue aprons and name badges stand behind a NACAC National College Fairs information booth, ready to share insights about UPrep private school and college admission at the event.

At UPrep, three college counselors support students during the college application process.

Photo courtesy of UPrep

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Colleges promote different application plans. With the Early Action (EA) plan, a student applies by a designated date and receives a decision one month later. The EA student, if admitted, is not bound to enroll and can apply to other colleges via other application plans. A student who applies to one college through Early Decision (ED) in November receives a decision a month later. If the ED student is admitted, they must attend this college. The Regular Decision (RD) process typically entails a January application deadline, with a decision rendered in late March. There are also other types of application plans based on an institution’s geography. Many colleges admit a greater percentage of their EA and ED applicants than their RD applicants.

A student and an adult sit across from each other at a table with laptops and papers, discussing college admission in a bright, modern common area at UPrep private school. Other people are seated and talking in the background.

UPrep College Counselors demystify the college application process for students.

Photo by Abby Choice

Standardized Testing: To Submit or Not—That Is the Question

Most colleges are test optional, but there are exceptions. The University of California system, Reed College, and Washington State are test blind and will not accept standardized test scores. A small number of East Coast schools, including Dartmouth, Brown, the University of Florida, and Georgia Tech, require test scores.

Students often submit their test scores to colleges where their scores are at or above the mean and withhold their scores from colleges where their scores are below the mean. The UPrep College Counseling Office helps students discern which colleges they should send their scores to and which colleges they should apply to without including their test scores.

Click here to receive a copy of UPrep’s College Counseling Handbook.