# Kolly: AI college admissions coach

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai

Kolly is an AI college admissions coach for US high school students. It reads every essay, activity, honor, and letter of recommendation in an application and reports exactly what to fix. Built by founders who got into the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and MIT.

Kolly's scoring system was calibrated specifically against accepted essays from students admitted to top US universities, not the open internet. It scores essays on six dimensions: hook, theme, detail, authenticity, reflection, and writing. Every score runs through two independent judges to flag low-confidence reads.

Kolly does not write essays for students. It scores drafts, names what to fix, and suggests rewrites the student can accept or reject one at a time. Voice-preserving rewrites are generated from the student's past writing and uploaded context, not a generic AI voice.

## Pricing

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/pricing

### Free plan

- Description: Plan your applications, browse essays from students who got in, and get one full Kolly review of your draft. We don't ask for a card, and there's no trial countdown.
- Price: $0
- Features:
  - One full essay review: score, notes, and rewrite
  - 3,000 Kolly credits to get started
  - Application home: deadlines, schools, roadmap
  - Scholarship and summer program finder
  - Browse accepted essays from top US schools

### Monthly plan

- Description: Same features as the Season Pass, billed monthly. For students who only need Kolly for a deadline or two.
- Price: $29 per month. Renews monthly. Cancel anytime.
- Features:
  - Kolly's strongest scoring model on every review
  - Unlimited essay reviews across the application season
  - Paragraph rewrites in your voice
  - School-specific strategy briefs
  - Mock admissions committee, per school
  - Reviews on activities, honors, and letters of rec
  - Final Read before you submit
  - AI detection on every draft (20,000 words / month)
  - Unlimited chat, rewrites, and drafting

### Application Season Pass plan

- Description: Unlimited reviews on every essay, activity, honor, and letter of recommendation. Mock admissions committee for every school on your list. Billed twice a year, which covers a full application season per charge. A parent can pay from a link you send them.
- Price: $149 per month. Renews monthly. Cancel anytime.
- Features:
  - Kolly's strongest scoring model on every review
  - Unlimited essay reviews across the application season
  - Paragraph rewrites in your voice
  - School-specific strategy briefs
  - Mock admissions committee, per school
  - Reviews on activities, honors, and letters of rec
  - Final Read before you submit
  - AI detection on every draft (20,000 words / month)
  - Unlimited chat, rewrites, and drafting

Refund policy: full refund within 30 days, no questions asked. Email founders@kolly.ai.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does Kolly actually do?

Kolly is the home for your whole college application. Track deadlines, build your school list, find scholarships and summer programs that match you, draft essays next to accepted examples, shape your activities and honors, and run a final read before you submit. It started as an essay reviewer. It's the place the whole application lives now.

### How is Kolly different from ChatGPT?

ChatGPT writes essays for you and forgets the rest of your application. Kolly helps you build the whole application: school list, deadlines, scholarships, summer programs, essays, activities, honors, and a final read before you submit. It was built specifically for college admissions, and its scoring system was calibrated against accepted essays from top US schools. ChatGPT gives anyone an essay. Kolly makes your whole application stronger.

### Is using Kolly cheating?

Cheating is when someone else writes your application and you submit it as yours. Kolly is closer to what a $300/hr private counselor does: helps you plan, drafts, rewrites, sharpens, until each piece is the strongest version of itself. The difference is you have the final say on every line, and you can afford it. Accept every suggestion blindly and you've cheated yourself out of a real application. Use it like a great teacher and you've done what every accepted student does, just without the price tag.

### Will my essay still sound like me?

Yes. Before Kolly suggests anything, it learns your voice from your past writing, your resume, and the personal context you upload. Every suggestion comes one edit at a time. You see the change. You decide what to keep. Most students tell us their final essay sounds more like them after Kolly than before.

### Will colleges know I used Kolly?

No. You're submitting your own writing. Kolly grades and gives feedback, the same way a tutor or English teacher does. There's no AI signature on your final essay because there's no AI writing in your final essay. We even include an AI detector so you can check your draft yourself before submission and rewrite anything that reads off.

### I haven't started yet. Where do I begin?

Most students start with the school list, then look at scholarships and summer programs, then their first essay. Kolly meets you wherever you are. Blank page? Kolly will brainstorm topics with you, build an outline, and write your way through it. Already wrote a draft? Paste it in and get a full review in under a minute.

### Can my parent or counselor work on this with me?

Yes. Share any essay with a private link. They leave comments and suggestions, you decide what to keep, and they don't need an account. Most parents tell us this is the first time they've actually been able to help without taking over the essay themselves.

### How does the Application Season Pass work?

$149 covers six months, then it renews at $149 unless you cancel. Six months is one full application season: unlimited reviews on every essay, activity, honor, and letter of rec, school-by-school strategy, mock admissions committee, and a final read before you submit. You can cancel any time from dashboard settings and keep access through the end of the period you already paid for, so if you're done after one season you won't be charged again.

### What if I only need Kolly for a few weeks?

Then start free. The free tier covers the full application home: school list, deadlines, scholarship finder, summer program finder, and the accepted essay library, plus one full review of your essay. If you want more reviews but don't need a full season, the $29 monthly plan covers everything in the Pass and you can cancel any time.

### Do you store my data?

Yes, privately, in your account. Only you can see your essays, school list, and uploads, plus anyone you choose to share a link with (a parent, a counselor, a teacher). We never sell your writing. We never use it to train AI models, ours or anyone else's. Delete anything or your entire account whenever you want, and it's gone for good. We keep no copies and can't recover it.

### Will my essay be used to train AI?

No. Your essays and the rest of your application stay private and are not used to train any third-party models.

### Why does Kolly exist?

The college application process favors students whose families can afford a $300 per hour private counselor. That's not most students. Kolly was built so every student gets the same level of expert help across the whole application, from school list to final read, for the cost of one consultant hour. The same coaching at a fraction of the cost.

### Can I cancel?

Yes, both plans. The Season Pass renews every six months and the monthly plan renews each month; cancel either any time from your dashboard settings. Your access continues until the end of the period you've already paid for. If you bought a Season Pass before July 2026, that one was a single charge with no renewal and there's nothing to cancel.

### What's your refund policy?

Full refund within 30 days, no questions asked. Email founders@kolly.ai.

## Free tools

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/tools

### Free AI essay reviewer

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer

Paste a 100 to 650 word college essay. Get a scored review across hook, voice, and specificity in about 30 seconds. No signup, no credit card, no email. Three free preview reviews per hour, five per day, per visitor. The full six-dimension model is unlocked with a free Kolly account.

Per-school landing pages calibrate the reviewer's framing to a specific university's accepted-essay style. Same free preview model, school-specific copy. School-specific pages:

- Stanford: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/stanford-university
- Harvard: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/harvard-university
- MIT: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/massachusetts-institute-of-technology
- Yale: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/yale-university
- Princeton: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/princeton-university
- Columbia: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york
- Penn: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-pennsylvania
- Brown: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/brown-university
- Dartmouth: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/dartmouth-college
- Cornell: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/cornell-university
- UChicago: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-chicago
- Duke: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/duke-university
- Northwestern: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/northwestern-university
- Johns Hopkins: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/johns-hopkins-university
- Caltech: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/california-institute-of-technology
- Vanderbilt: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/vanderbilt-university
- Notre Dame: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-notre-dame
- UC Berkeley: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-california-berkeley
- UCLA: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-california-los-angeles
- NYU: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/new-york-university
- USC: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-southern-california
- Georgetown: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/georgetown-university
- Carnegie Mellon: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/carnegie-mellon-university
- UVA: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-virginia-main-campus
- Michigan: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor
- UNC: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill
- Rice: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/rice-university
- WashU: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/washington-university-in-st-louis
- Tufts: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/tufts-university
- Amherst: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/amherst-college
- Williams: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/williams-college
- Pomona: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/pomona-college
- Swarthmore: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/swarthmore-college
- Emory: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/emory-university
- Wellesley: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/wellesley-college
- BU: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/boston-university
- Boston College: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/boston-college
- Northeastern: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/northeastern-university
- UT Austin: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/the-university-of-texas-at-austin
- Georgia Tech: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus
- Illinois: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign
- Wisconsin: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-wisconsin-madison
- Ohio State: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/ohio-state-university-main-campus
- Penn State: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus
- Florida: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/university-of-florida
- William & Mary: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/william-and-mary
- Wake Forest: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/wake-forest-university
- Lehigh: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/lehigh-university
- Bowdoin: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/essay-reviewer/bowdoin-college

### Chance me calculator

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/chance-me

Free college chance estimator. Enter your SAT or ACT and GPA, pick a school, see where your stats land against admitted students. Above the 75th percentile: stats favor you. Inside the middle 50%: stats are in line. Below the 25th: stats are below average and the rest of the application has more to do. Built on US Department of Education College Scorecard data.

### Application timeline generator

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/tools/timeline

Free month-by-month application plan. Tell the tool your grade level (9th through 12th) and it returns a calendar covering SAT or ACT testing windows, Common App personal statement drafts, supplements, recommendation letters, financial aid, and submission dates. Most students should start the summer before senior year for regular decision and spring of junior year for early decision or early action.

### Financial aid calculator

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/financial-aid/calculator

Estimates net price after institutional aid at any college in Kolly's registry. FAFSA opens October 1 of senior year; filing in the first two weeks maximizes need-based aid at most schools.

## College essay prompts

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts

Official supplemental essay prompts, exact word limits, application requirements, and links to each college's published source.

### American University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/american-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: American University admissions

### Amherst College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/amherst-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Amherst College admissions

### Arizona State University Campus Immersion essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/arizona-state-university-campus-immersion
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Arizona State University Campus Immersion admissions

### Auburn University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/auburn-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Auburn University admissions

### Azusa Pacific University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/azusa-pacific-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Azusa Pacific University admissions

### Babson College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/babson-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Babson College admissions

### Barnard College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/barnard-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Barnard College admissions

### Baylor University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/baylor-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Baylor University admissions

### Bentley University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/bentley-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Bentley University admissions

### Berea College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/berea-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Berea College admissions

### Berklee College of Music essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/berklee-college-of-music
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Berklee College of Music admissions

### Biola University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/biola-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Biola University admissions

### Boston College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/boston-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Boston College admissions

### Boston University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/boston-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Boston University admissions

### Bowdoin College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/bowdoin-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Bowdoin College admissions

### Brandeis University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/brandeis-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Brandeis University admissions

### Brigham Young University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/brigham-young-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Brigham Young University admissions

### Brown University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/brown-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Brown University admissions

### Bryant University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/bryant-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Bryant University admissions

### Bryn Mawr College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/bryn-mawr-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Bryn Mawr College admissions

### Bucknell University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/bucknell-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Bucknell University admissions

### California Institute of Technology essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/california-institute-of-technology
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: California Institute of Technology admissions

### California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/california-state-polytechnic-university-humboldt
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt admissions

### Carleton College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/carleton-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Carleton College admissions

### Carnegie Mellon University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/carnegie-mellon-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Carnegie Mellon University admissions

### Case Western Reserve University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/case-western-reserve-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Case Western Reserve University admissions

### Centre College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/centre-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Centre College admissions

### Chapman University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/chapman-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Chapman University admissions

### Claremont McKenna College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/claremont-mckenna-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Claremont McKenna College admissions

### Clemson University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/clemson-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Clemson University admissions

### Colgate University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/colgate-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Colgate University admissions

### Colorado School of Mines essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/colorado-school-of-mines
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Colorado School of Mines admissions

### Columbia University in the City of New York essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Columbia University in the City of New York admissions

### Cornell University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/cornell-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Cornell University admissions

### CUNY Hunter College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/cuny-hunter-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: CUNY Hunter College admissions

### Dartmouth College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/dartmouth-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Dartmouth College admissions

### Davidson College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/davidson-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Davidson College admissions

### Dickinson College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/dickinson-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Dickinson College admissions

### Drexel University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/drexel-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Drexel University admissions

### Duke University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/duke-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Duke University admissions

### Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-daytona-beach
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach admissions

### Emory University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/emory-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Emory University admissions

### Florida International University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/florida-international-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Florida International University admissions

### Florida State University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/florida-state-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Florida State University admissions

### Fordham University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/fordham-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Fordham University admissions

### Franklin W Olin College of Engineering essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/franklin-w-olin-college-of-engineering
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Franklin W Olin College of Engineering admissions

### George Washington University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/george-washington-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: George Washington University admissions

### Georgetown University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/georgetown-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Georgetown University admissions

### Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus admissions

### Gonzaga University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/gonzaga-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Gonzaga University admissions

### Grinnell College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/grinnell-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Grinnell College admissions

### Hamilton College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/hamilton-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Hamilton College admissions

### Hampton University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/hampton-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Hampton University admissions

### Harvard University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/harvard-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Harvard University admissions

### Harvey Mudd College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/harvey-mudd-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Harvey Mudd College admissions

### Haverford College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/haverford-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Haverford College admissions

### Howard University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/howard-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Howard University admissions

### Indiana University-Bloomington essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/indiana-university-bloomington
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Indiana University-Bloomington admissions

### Johns Hopkins University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/johns-hopkins-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Johns Hopkins University admissions

### Lafayette College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/lafayette-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Lafayette College admissions

### Lawrence University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/lawrence-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Lawrence University admissions

### Lehigh University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/lehigh-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Lehigh University admissions

### Lewis & Clark College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/lewis-and-clark-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Lewis & Clark College admissions

### Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/louisiana-state-university-and-agricultural-and-mechanical-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College admissions

### Loyola Marymount University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/loyola-marymount-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Loyola Marymount University admissions

### Loyola University Chicago essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/loyola-university-chicago
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Loyola University Chicago admissions

### Macalester College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/macalester-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Macalester College admissions

### Marquette University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/marquette-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Marquette University admissions

### Massachusetts Institute of Technology essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/massachusetts-institute-of-technology
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology admissions

### Michigan State University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/michigan-state-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Michigan State University admissions

### Michigan Technological University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/michigan-technological-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Michigan Technological University admissions

### Morehouse College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/morehouse-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Morehouse College admissions

### Mount Holyoke College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/mount-holyoke-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Mount Holyoke College admissions

### New York University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/new-york-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: New York University admissions

### North Carolina State University at Raleigh essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: North Carolina State University at Raleigh admissions

### Northeastern University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/northeastern-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Northeastern University admissions

### Northwestern University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/northwestern-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Northwestern University admissions

### Oberlin College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/oberlin-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Oberlin College admissions

### Occidental College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/occidental-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Occidental College admissions

### Ohio State University-Main Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/ohio-state-university-main-campus
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Ohio State University-Main Campus admissions

### Oklahoma State University-Main Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/oklahoma-state-university-main-campus
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Oklahoma State University-Main Campus admissions

### Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus admissions

### Pepperdine University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/pepperdine-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Pepperdine University admissions

### Pitzer College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/pitzer-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Pitzer College admissions

### Pomona College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/pomona-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Pomona College admissions

### Pratt Institute-Main essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/pratt-institute-main
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Pratt Institute-Main admissions

### Princeton University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/princeton-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Princeton University admissions

### Providence College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/providence-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Providence College admissions

### Purdue University-Main Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/purdue-university-main-campus
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Purdue University-Main Campus admissions

### Reed College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/reed-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Reed College admissions

### Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute admissions

### Rhode Island School of Design essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/rhode-island-school-of-design
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Rhode Island School of Design admissions

### Rhodes College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/rhodes-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Rhodes College admissions

### Rice University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/rice-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Rice University admissions

### Rochester Institute of Technology essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/rochester-institute-of-technology
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Rochester Institute of Technology admissions

### Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/rose-hulman-institute-of-technology
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology admissions

### Rutgers University-Camden essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/rutgers-university-camden
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Rutgers University-Camden admissions

### Santa Clara University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/santa-clara-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Santa Clara University admissions

### School of the Art Institute of Chicago essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/school-of-the-art-institute-of-chicago
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: School of the Art Institute of Chicago admissions

### Scripps College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/scripps-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Scripps College admissions

### Seattle University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/seattle-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Seattle University admissions

### Smith College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/smith-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Smith College admissions

### Southern Methodist University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/southern-methodist-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Southern Methodist University admissions

### Stanford University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/stanford-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Stanford University admissions

### Stetson University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/stetson-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Stetson University admissions

### Stevens Institute of Technology essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/stevens-institute-of-technology
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Stevens Institute of Technology admissions

### Stony Brook University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/stony-brook-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Stony Brook University admissions

### Swarthmore College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/swarthmore-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Swarthmore College admissions

### Syracuse University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/syracuse-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Syracuse University admissions

### Texas A&M University-College Station essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/texas-aandm-university-college-station
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Texas A&M University-College Station admissions

### Texas Christian University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/texas-christian-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Texas Christian University admissions

### The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art admissions

### The Juilliard School essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-juilliard-school
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: The Juilliard School admissions

### The New School essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-new-school
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: The New School admissions

### The University of Alabama essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-university-of-alabama
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: The University of Alabama admissions

### The University of Tennessee-Knoxville essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-university-of-tennessee-knoxville
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: The University of Tennessee-Knoxville admissions

### The University of Texas at Austin essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-university-of-texas-at-austin
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: The University of Texas at Austin admissions

### The University of Texas at Dallas essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-university-of-texas-at-dallas
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: The University of Texas at Dallas admissions

### The University of the South essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/the-university-of-the-south
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: The University of the South admissions

### Trinity College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/trinity-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Trinity College admissions

### Trinity University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/trinity-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Trinity University admissions

### Tufts University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/tufts-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Tufts University admissions

### Tulane University of Louisiana essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/tulane-university-of-louisiana
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Tulane University of Louisiana admissions

### Tuskegee University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/tuskegee-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Tuskegee University admissions

### Union College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/union-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Union College admissions

### University at Buffalo essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-at-buffalo
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University at Buffalo admissions

### University of Arizona essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-arizona
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Arizona admissions

### University of California-Berkeley essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-berkeley
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of California admissions

### University of California-Davis essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-davis
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of California-Davis admissions

### University of California-Irvine essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-irvine
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of California-Irvine admissions

### University of California-Los Angeles essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-los-angeles
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of California-Los Angeles admissions

### University of California-Merced essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-merced
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of California-Merced admissions

### University of California-Riverside essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-riverside
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of California-Riverside admissions

### University of California-San Diego essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-san-diego
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of California-San Diego admissions

### University of California-Santa Barbara essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-santa-barbara
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of California-Santa Barbara admissions

### University of California-Santa Cruz essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-california-santa-cruz
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of California-Santa Cruz admissions

### University of Central Florida essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-central-florida
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Central Florida admissions

### University of Chicago essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-chicago
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Chicago admissions

### University of Colorado Boulder essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-colorado-boulder
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Colorado Boulder admissions

### University of Connecticut essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-connecticut
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Connecticut admissions

### University of Florida essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-florida
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Florida admissions

### University of Georgia essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-georgia
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Georgia admissions

### University of Idaho essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-idaho
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Idaho admissions

### University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign admissions

### University of Iowa essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-iowa
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Iowa admissions

### University of Kansas essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-kansas
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Kansas admissions

### University of Kentucky essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-kentucky
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Kentucky admissions

### University of Maryland-College Park essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-maryland-college-park
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Maryland-College Park admissions

### University of Massachusetts-Amherst essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-massachusetts-amherst
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Massachusetts-Amherst admissions

### University of Massachusetts-Boston essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-massachusetts-boston
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Massachusetts-Boston admissions

### University of Massachusetts-Lowell essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-massachusetts-lowell
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Massachusetts-Lowell admissions

### University of Miami essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-miami
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Miami admissions

### University of Michigan-Ann Arbor essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor admissions

### University of Minnesota-Twin Cities essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities admissions

### University of Mississippi essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-mississippi
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Mississippi admissions

### University of Missouri-Columbia essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-missouri-columbia
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Missouri-Columbia admissions

### University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill admissions

### University of Notre Dame essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-notre-dame
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Notre Dame admissions

### University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-oklahoma-norman-campus
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus admissions

### University of Oregon essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-oregon
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Oregon admissions

### University of Pennsylvania essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-pennsylvania
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Pennsylvania admissions

### University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus admissions

### University of Richmond essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-richmond
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Richmond admissions

### University of Rochester essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-rochester
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Rochester admissions

### University of South Carolina-Columbia essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-south-carolina-columbia
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of South Carolina-Columbia admissions

### University of South Florida essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-south-florida
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of South Florida admissions

### University of Southern California essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-southern-california
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Southern California admissions

### University of Utah essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-utah
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Utah admissions

### University of Vermont essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-vermont
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Vermont admissions

### University of Virginia-Main Campus essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-virginia-main-campus
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Virginia-Main Campus admissions

### University of Wisconsin-Madison essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-wisconsin-madison
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison admissions

### University of Wyoming essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/university-of-wyoming
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: University of Wyoming admissions

### Ursinus College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/ursinus-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Ursinus College admissions

### Vanderbilt University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/vanderbilt-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Vanderbilt University admissions

### Vassar College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/vassar-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Vassar College admissions

### Villanova University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/villanova-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Villanova University admissions

### Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University admissions

### Wake Forest University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/wake-forest-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Wake Forest University admissions

### Washington and Lee University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/washington-and-lee-university
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Washington and Lee University admissions

### Washington University in St Louis essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/washington-university-in-st-louis
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Washington University in St Louis admissions

### Wellesley College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/wellesley-college
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Wellesley College admissions

### Wesleyan University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/wesleyan-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Wesleyan University admissions

### Wheaton College (Massachusetts) essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/wheaton-college-massachusetts
Application cycle: 2025-26
Source: Wheaton College (Massachusetts) admissions

### Whitman College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/whitman-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Whitman College admissions

### William & Mary essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/william-and-mary
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: William & Mary admissions

### Williams College essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/williams-college
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Williams College admissions

### Worcester Polytechnic Institute essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/worcester-polytechnic-institute
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Worcester Polytechnic Institute admissions

### Yale University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/yale-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Yale University admissions

### Yeshiva University essay prompts

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/essay-prompts/yeshiva-university
Application cycle: 2026-27
Source: Yeshiva University admissions

## Long-form admissions guides

### Building Your College List: reach, match, safety, done right

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/college-list

Most lists are top-heavy because students cannot stomach including their actual safeties. Here is how to build a list you would still be excited about if you only got into the bottom half.

### Alumni Interviews: how to prep for one without sounding rehearsed

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/interview-prep

Most alumni interviews are conversations, not interrogations. Here is what they actually evaluate and the seven questions you should be ready for.

### General Tips: narrative cohesion, demonstrated interest, and the application as a whole

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/general-tips

The application is not five separate documents. AOs read it as one story. Here are the threads that hold the strongest applications together.

### The Activities Section: a Tier 1 to 4 framework

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/activities

A simple way to evaluate your own extracurriculars the way an admissions officer does. Plus, the formatting moves that turn a weak description into a strong one in under fifty words.

### Letters of Recommendation: who to ask, when, and what to give them

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/recommendations

Most students ask the wrong teacher and then send a one-line email three weeks before the deadline. Here is the version that actually gets you a strong letter.

### Awards and Honors: what counts and how to phrase it

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/awards-honors

Five slots, plenty of pressure to fill them, and a real difference between national and 'school-only' that AOs read every time. The framework, plus phrasing that does not sound like padding.

### The Common App Essay: a structure that actually works

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/essay

Most college essays fail in the first three sentences. Here is the structure that does not, with real examples and the five mistakes that cost students offers every year.

### Supplement Essays: a strategy for writing twelve of them well

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/supplement-strategy

How to write the 'why us' essay so it reads like Wesleyan and not like a Mad Libs of the school's website. Plus the four supplement archetypes that show up everywhere.

### The Additional Information section: when to use it, when to leave it blank

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/resources/additional-info

Most students treat Additional Info as bonus space and shove a whole second essay in there. AOs read it as a flag. Here is what it is actually for.

## The Kolly Journal

First-person admissions notes from the founders. Application breakdowns, extracurricular frameworks, and admissions guides for top US universities.

### Admission Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-carnegie-mellon

Carnegie Mellon is less one university than seven schools sharing a campus in Pittsburgh, and admissions works accordingly. You do not apply to CMU. Y…

### Admission Requirements for Georgetown University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-georgetown

Georgetown has spent decades doing admissions its own way. It kept its own application while everyone else consolidated onto the Common App, it interv…

### Admission Requirements for Northwestern University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-northwestern

Northwestern is the school for students who refuse to pick one thing, and it says so out loud. The institutional identity is built on combinations: the…

### Admission Requirements for University of Notre Dame

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-notre-dame

Notre Dame is the most self-aware school on most college lists. It knows exactly what it is: a Catholic research university where most students do service…

### Admission Requirements for Rice University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-rice

Rice is the smallest school in the top tier and admits like it. With around 4,800 undergraduates spread across eleven residential colleges in Houston,…

### Admission Requirements for UCLA

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-ucla

UCLA gets more applications than any university in America, roughly 150,000 a year, and it reads them through a system that looks nothing like the Common App…

### Admission Requirements for UNC Chapel Hill

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-unc-chapel-hill

UNC Chapel Hill is really two schools wearing one name. For North Carolina residents, it is an attainable flagship with in-state tuition under $10,000…

### Admission Requirements for University of Michigan

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-university-of-michigan

Michigan is the public university that private-school applicants keep on their list without quite understanding it. It enrolls over 34,000 undergraduates…

### Admission Requirements for USC

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-usc

USC changed the game this cycle. For fall 2027 applicants, the university is offering binding Early Decision for the first time in nearly every program…

### Admission Requirements for Washington University in St. Louis

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-washu

WashU has spent two decades quietly assembling one of the strongest undergraduate programs in the country, and its admissions process is quietly one o…

### The Kolly scoring methodology

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/essay-scoring-methodology

How Kolly grades a college essay, and what happened when we tested it head to head against a plain chatbot read on the same AI model.

### Introducing Kolly 2.0

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/introducing-kolly-2

A complete rebuild around the first AI model trained on hundreds of thousands of accepted college applications.

### Admission Requirements for Harvard University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-harvard-university

Harvard rejects nearly 96 out of every 100 students who apply. That math is the easy part. The harder question — the one this guide answers — is what…

### How AI college essay reviewers actually work

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/how-ai-college-essay-reviewers-work

An AI college essay reviewer reads your draft against patterns from accepted essays and returns a score plus the most important fix. Here's what that means in practice, and what to look for in a good one.

### Admission Requirements for Stanford University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-stanford

Stanford is the rare school where the brand and the application actually match. The campus sits a bike ride from the venture capital firms funding the next…

### AI essay reviewer vs human reviewer: what each one is actually for

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/ai-essay-reviewer-vs-human-reviewer

An AI essay reviewer is faster, cheaper, and more consistent for diagnosing what's wrong. A human reader is better for judgment, fit, and the questions only context can answer. Use both, in this order.

### Admission Requirements for MIT

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-mit

MIT is one of the strangest applications you'll fill out. It refuses the Common App, asks you five short questions instead of one big one, and was the first top…

### The six things admissions officers actually grade college essays on

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/six-things-admissions-officers-grade-college-essays-on

Admissions officers don't grade essays on grammar. They grade on hook, voice, specificity, flow, authenticity, and conciseness. Here's what each one means and how to fix yours.

### Admission Requirements for Yale University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-yale-university

Yale is one of the most selective universities in the world, but it is also one of the most misread. Applicants tend to flatten it into a generic Ivy with old…

### How to use AI on your college essay without it sounding like AI

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/how-to-use-ai-on-college-essays-without-sounding-like-ai

Use AI as a reviewer, not a writer. Let it diagnose what's wrong. Do the rewriting yourself, in your voice. Here's the exact workflow that keeps your essay sounding human.

### Admission Requirements for Princeton University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-princeton-university

Princeton University, established in 1746, is renowned as one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions within the Ivy League. With a history stretching…

### Admission Requirements for Columbia University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-columbia-university

Columbia is unusual among the Ivies. It is the only one stitched directly into a global city, the only one that still requires every undergraduate to read the…

### Admission Requirements for Brown University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-brown-university

Brown is the Ivy that asks you to design your own education. No distribution requirements, no general education checklist, no "you must take two semesters of a…

### Admission Requirements for the University of Pennsylvania

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-university-of-pennsylvania

Penn is one of the trickiest Ivies to read from the outside. It looks like a traditional liberal-arts powerhouse, but the application is structured around four…

### Admission Requirements for Cornell University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-cornell-university

Cornell is the Ivy that breaks the mold. It is the largest of the eight, the most public-facing, and the only one where you do not really apply to "the…

### Admission Requirements for Dartmouth College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-dartmouth-college

Dartmouth is the smallest Ivy, and it knows it. While Harvard and Columbia compete on prestige and scale, Dartmouth competes on something stranger and more…

### Admission Requirements for Caltech

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-caltech

Caltech is the most unusual school on most students' lists. Roughly 1,000 undergraduates total. Acceptance rates that hover near 4%. A testing requirement that…

### Admission Requirements for Johns Hopkins University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-johns-hopkins

Johns Hopkins occupies a strange and specific place in the American academic landscape. It bills itself as "America's first research university," and that's…

### Admission Requirements for UChicago

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-uchicago

UChicago is the school that asks you to write about what can actually be divided by zero, then expects you to mean it. If most elite admissions feel like a…

### Admission Requirements for Duke University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-duke-university

Duke is one of the strangest schools to apply to. It looks like an Ivy on paper, plays like an SEC school on Saturday, and reads applications with a Southern…

### Admission Requirements for Vanderbilt University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-vanderbilt-university

Vanderbilt is the rare school that takes academic seriousness and sheer fun equally seriously. People sometimes call it "the most fun Ivy" — not an actual Ivy,…

### Admission Requirements for NYU

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-nyu

NYU has changed faster than almost any school in the Common App. A decade ago it was a strong, accessible private university with an acceptance rate near 35%.…

### Admission Requirements for UVA

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-uva

The University of Virginia is a public school in name and a Public Ivy in practice. It admits roughly 16% of applicants overall, and the OOS pool is admitted…

### Admission Requirements for UC Berkeley

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-uc-berkeley

UC Berkeley is one of the strangest schools to apply to in the country, and most students don't realize it until they're halfway through the application.…

### Admission Requirements for UT Austin

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-ut-austin

UT Austin is one of the most misunderstood schools in the country. People hear "22% acceptance rate" and assume it's a comfortable target. Then they apply for…

### Admission Requirements for Wake Forest

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/admission-requirements-for-wake-forest

Wake Forest is one of the more misunderstood schools on the application list. People look at the size and the location and assume it's a regional safety with a…

### Busting Top 5 College Application Myths

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/the-top-5-misconceptions-about-the-college-application-process

In the journey of higher education, the college application process is a critical milestone. However, with a myriad of details and nuances, it's no surprise…

### Extracurriculars Ranking List

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/ranking-extracurriculars

Extracurricular activities form a key part of any student's college application, often serving as the platform to demonstrate skills, passions, and commitments…

### Reviewing my Harvard Admission's File

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/blog/reviewing-my-harvard-admissions-file

Hey! I'm Khoi Nguyen, one of the co-founders of Kolly and a current Harvard student! Venturing into the world of university applications can often feel like…

## College rankings

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/rankings

Built on federal data, not surveys or popularity contests. Each list documents its methodology.

- [Most selective colleges](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/most-selective): The lowest acceptance rates in the United States. Most are reaches for any applicant, regardless of stats.
- [Highest test-score schools](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/highest-test-scores): Where the middle 50% SAT range starts highest. A reasonable proxy for academic profile, not a measure of school quality.
- [Highest graduation rates](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/highest-graduation-rate): Schools where the most freshmen graduate within six years. A strong signal of student support and academic fit.
- [Highest retention rates](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/highest-retention-rate): Where the highest share of freshmen return for sophomore year.
- [Best financial aid](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-financial-aid): Schools where institutional aid covers the most of the sticker price. Run each school's net price calculator for a number that reflects your situation.
- [Lowest cost after aid](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/lowest-cost-after-aid): Where students actually pay the least each year. Different from sticker price.
- [Best student-faculty ratio](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-student-faculty-ratio): Schools with the smallest classes and the most direct access to faculty.
- [Best liberal arts colleges](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-liberal-arts-colleges): Top liberal arts colleges in the US, ranked by graduation rate among small (under 5,000 student) institutions.
- [Best public universities](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-public-universities): Top public flagships ranked by graduation rate.
- [Best private research universities](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-private-universities): Top private research universities by graduation rate.
- [Best HBCUs](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-hbcus): Historically Black colleges and universities, ranked by graduation rate.
- [Best women's colleges](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-womens-colleges): Women's colleges ranked by graduation rate.
- [Best computer science schools](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-cs-schools): Schools where computer science is in the top reported majors. Ranked by overall academic profile.
- [Best engineering schools](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-engineering-schools): Schools where engineering is a top reported major.
- [Best economics schools](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-economics-schools): Top schools for studying economics.
- [Best pre-med schools](https://www.kolly.ai/rankings/best-pre-med-schools): Schools where biology and biomedical fields are top majors. Pre-med is a track, not a major; this is a proxy.

## Top US colleges

Canonical URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges

Profiles for every top US college, built on the federal College Scorecard. Each profile includes acceptance rate, SAT and ACT middle 50% ranges, cost after institutional aid, top majors, and templated copy describing what admissions officers actually weigh at that school.

### California Institute of Technology

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/california-institute-of-technology
Location: Pasadena, CA
Acceptance rate: 2.6%
Average cost after aid: $16,075 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

California Institute of Technology is a very small private university in Pasadena, CA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 3%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Stanford University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/stanford-university
Location: Stanford, CA
Acceptance rate: 3.6%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $13,807 per year
Graduation rate: 92%

Stanford University is a small private university in Stanford, CA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 4%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Harvard University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/harvard-university
Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 3.6%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 36
Average cost after aid: $19,066 per year
Graduation rate: 98%

Harvard University is a small private university in Cambridge, MA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 4%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Yale University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/yale-university
Location: New Haven, CT
Acceptance rate: 3.9%
SAT middle 50%: 1470 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $23,777 per year
Graduation rate: 96%

Yale University is a small private university in New Haven, CT, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 4%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Columbia University in the City of New York

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york
Location: New York, NY
Acceptance rate: 4.0%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $21,590 per year
Graduation rate: 96%

Columbia University in the City of New York is a mid-sized private university in New York, NY, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 4%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### University of Chicago

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/university-of-chicago
Location: Chicago, IL
Acceptance rate: 4.5%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $14,860 per year
Graduation rate: 96%

University of Chicago is a small private university in Chicago, IL, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 4%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Massachusetts Institute of Technology

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology
Location: Cambridge, MA
Acceptance rate: 4.5%
SAT middle 50%: 1520 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 36
Average cost after aid: $20,111 per year
Graduation rate: 96%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a small private university in Cambridge, MA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 5%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Curtis Institute of Music

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/curtis-institute-of-music
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance rate: 4.6%
Graduation rate: 96%

Curtis Institute of Music is a very small private university in Philadelphia, PA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 5%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Princeton University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/princeton-university
Location: Princeton, NJ
Acceptance rate: 4.6%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $6,128 per year
Graduation rate: 98%

Princeton University is a small private university in Princeton, NJ, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 5%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Northeastern University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/northeastern-university
Location: Boston, MA
Acceptance rate: 5.2%
SAT middle 50%: 1440 to 1540
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $30,915 per year
Graduation rate: 91%

Northeastern University is a mid-sized private university in Boston, MA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 5%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Brown University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/brown-university
Location: Providence, RI
Acceptance rate: 5.4%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $25,184 per year
Graduation rate: 96%

Brown University is a small private university in Providence, RI, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 5%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Dartmouth College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/dartmouth-college
Location: Hanover, NH
Acceptance rate: 5.4%
SAT middle 50%: 1500 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $29,519 per year
Graduation rate: 96%

Dartmouth College is a small private university in Hanover, NH, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 5%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### University of Pennsylvania

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Acceptance rate: 5.4%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 36
Average cost after aid: $28,699 per year
Graduation rate: 97%

University of Pennsylvania is a mid-sized private university in Philadelphia, PA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 5%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Duke University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/duke-university
Location: Durham, NC
Acceptance rate: 5.7%
SAT middle 50%: 1500 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $29,612 per year
Graduation rate: 97%

Duke University is a small private university in Durham, NC, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 6%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Vanderbilt University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/vanderbilt-university
Location: Nashville, TN
Acceptance rate: 5.9%
SAT middle 50%: 1500 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $15,846 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

Vanderbilt University is a small private university in Nashville, TN, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 6%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Johns Hopkins University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/johns-hopkins-university
Location: Baltimore, MD
Acceptance rate: 6.4%
SAT middle 50%: 1520 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 36
Average cost after aid: $18,809 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

Johns Hopkins University is a small private university in Baltimore, MD, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 6%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Colby College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/colby-college
Location: Waterville, ME
Acceptance rate: 7.1%
SAT middle 50%: 1460 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 32 to 34
Average cost after aid: $17,180 per year
Graduation rate: 89%

Colby College is a very small private university in Waterville, ME, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 7%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Pomona College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/pomona-college
Location: Claremont, CA
Acceptance rate: 7.1%
SAT middle 50%: 1490 to 1560
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $19,285 per year
Graduation rate: 93%

Pomona College is a very small private university in Claremont, CA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 7%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Bowdoin College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/bowdoin-college
Location: Brunswick, ME
Acceptance rate: 7.1%
SAT middle 50%: 1470 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $14,398 per year
Graduation rate: 95%

Bowdoin College is a very small private university in Brunswick, ME, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 7%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Washington University of Science and Technology

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/washington-university-of-science-and-technology
Location: Alexandria, VA
Acceptance rate: 7.3%
Graduation rate: 67%

Washington University of Science and Technology is a very small private university in Alexandria, VA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 7%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Swarthmore College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/swarthmore-college
Location: Swarthmore, PA
Acceptance rate: 7.5%
SAT middle 50%: 1490 to 1560
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $23,149 per year
Graduation rate: 92%

Swarthmore College is a very small private university in Swarthmore, PA, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 7%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Northwestern University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/northwestern-university
Location: Evanston, IL
Acceptance rate: 7.7%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $29,167 per year
Graduation rate: 95%

Northwestern University is a mid-sized private university in Evanston, IL, in a city setting.

Acceptance is roughly 8%, so admitted students nearly always have stats above the bottom of the mid-50. That said, stats alone do not get anyone in here. The applications that work read as coherent applicants with a clear academic and personal narrative more than as resumes. Admissions officers are reading for specifics: what you actually did, what you cared enough to follow through on, and how you write when you sound like yourself rather than a candidate.

### Rice University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/rice-university
Location: Houston, TX
Acceptance rate: 8.0%
SAT middle 50%: 1510 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $13,370 per year
Graduation rate: 95%

Rice University is a small private university in Houston, TX, in a city setting.

Rice University accepts roughly 8%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Williams College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/williams-college
Location: Williamstown, MA
Acceptance rate: 8.3%
SAT middle 50%: 1490 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $17,716 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

Williams College is a very small private university in Williamstown, MA, in a city setting.

Williams College accepts roughly 8%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Cornell University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/cornell-university
Location: Ithaca, NY
Acceptance rate: 8.8%
SAT middle 50%: 1500 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $28,690 per year
Graduation rate: 95%

Cornell University is a mid-sized private university in Ithaca, NY, in a city setting.

Cornell University accepts roughly 9%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Barnard College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/barnard-college
Location: New York, NY
Acceptance rate: 8.8%
SAT middle 50%: 1470 to 1560
ACT middle 50%: 32 to 34
Average cost after aid: $28,800 per year
Graduation rate: 93%

Barnard College is a small private university in New York, NY, in a city setting.

Barnard College accepts roughly 9%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### University of California-Los Angeles

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Acceptance rate: 9.0%
Average cost after aid: $12,548 per year
Graduation rate: 93%

University of California-Los Angeles is a large public university in Los Angeles, CA, in a city setting.

University of California-Los Angeles accepts roughly 9%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Amherst College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/amherst-college
Location: Amherst, MA
Acceptance rate: 9.0%
SAT middle 50%: 1490 to 1580
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $23,367 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

Amherst College is a very small private university in Amherst, MA, in a city setting.

Amherst College accepts roughly 9%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### The Juilliard School

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/the-juilliard-school
Location: New York, NY
Acceptance rate: 9.2%
Average cost after aid: $43,571 per year
Graduation rate: 93%

The Juilliard School is a very small private university in New York, NY, in a city setting.

The Juilliard School accepts roughly 9%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### New York University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/new-york-university
Location: New York, NY
Acceptance rate: 9.2%
SAT middle 50%: 1480 to 1560
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $37,050 per year
Graduation rate: 88%

New York University is a large private university in New York, NY, in a city setting.

New York University accepts roughly 9%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### United States Naval Academy

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/united-states-naval-academy
Location: Annapolis, MD
Acceptance rate: 9.3%
SAT middle 50%: 1210 to 1410
ACT middle 50%: 25 to 31
Graduation rate: 93%

United States Naval Academy is a small public university in Annapolis, MD, in a city setting.

United States Naval Academy accepts roughly 9%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Claremont McKenna College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/claremont-mckenna-college
Location: Claremont, CA
Acceptance rate: 9.6%
SAT middle 50%: 1470 to 1560
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $28,849 per year
Graduation rate: 91%

Claremont McKenna College is a very small private university in Claremont, CA, in a city setting.

Claremont McKenna College accepts roughly 10%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### University of Southern California

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/university-of-southern-california
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Acceptance rate: 9.8%
SAT middle 50%: 1450 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 32 to 35
Average cost after aid: $32,740 per year
Graduation rate: 92%

University of Southern California is a large private university in Los Angeles, CA, in a city setting.

University of Southern California accepts roughly 10%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Emory University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/emory-university
Location: Atlanta, GA
Acceptance rate: 10.7%
SAT middle 50%: 1470 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 32 to 35
Average cost after aid: $22,585 per year
Graduation rate: 91%

Emory University is a small private university in Atlanta, GA, in a city setting.

Emory University accepts roughly 11%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Middlebury College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/middlebury-college
Location: Middlebury, VT
Acceptance rate: 10.8%
SAT middle 50%: 1445 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $31,483 per year
Graduation rate: 91%

Middlebury College is a very small private university in Middlebury, VT, in a city setting.

Middlebury College accepts roughly 11%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### University of California-Berkeley

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley
Location: Berkeley, CA
Acceptance rate: 11.0%
Average cost after aid: $13,481 per year
Graduation rate: 93%

University of California-Berkeley is a large public university in Berkeley, CA, in a city setting.

University of California-Berkeley accepts roughly 11%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Boston University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/boston-university
Location: Boston, MA
Acceptance rate: 11.1%
SAT middle 50%: 1420 to 1530
ACT middle 50%: 32 to 34
Average cost after aid: $24,402 per year
Graduation rate: 89%

Boston University is a mid-sized private university in Boston, MA, in a city setting.

Boston University accepts roughly 11%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### University of Notre Dame

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/university-of-notre-dame
Location: Notre Dame, IN
Acceptance rate: 11.3%
SAT middle 50%: 1455 to 1560
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $26,780 per year
Graduation rate: 95%

University of Notre Dame is a mid-sized private university in Notre Dame, IN, in a city setting.

University of Notre Dame accepts roughly 11%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Tufts University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/tufts-university
Location: Medford, MA
Acceptance rate: 11.5%
SAT middle 50%: 1470 to 1560
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $39,998 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

Tufts University is a small private university in Medford, MA, in a city setting.

Tufts University accepts roughly 11%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Carnegie Mellon University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/carnegie-mellon-university
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Acceptance rate: 11.7%
SAT middle 50%: 1500 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 35
Average cost after aid: $31,944 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

Carnegie Mellon University is a small private university in Pittsburgh, PA, in a city setting.

Carnegie Mellon University accepts roughly 12%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### College of the Ozarks

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/college-of-the-ozarks
Location: Point Lookout, MO
Acceptance rate: 12.0%
SAT middle 50%: 1050 to 1220
ACT middle 50%: 20 to 25
Average cost after aid: $6,100 per year
Graduation rate: 64%

College of the Ozarks is a very small private university in Point Lookout, MO, in a city setting.

College of the Ozarks accepts roughly 12%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Washington University in St Louis

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis
Location: St. Louis, MO
Acceptance rate: 12.1%
SAT middle 50%: 1500 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $21,786 per year
Graduation rate: 94%

Washington University in St Louis is a small private university in St. Louis, MO, in a city setting.

Washington University in St Louis accepts roughly 12%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Haverford College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/haverford-college
Location: Haverford, PA
Acceptance rate: 12.4%
SAT middle 50%: 1460 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $25,314 per year
Graduation rate: 90%

Haverford College is a very small private university in Haverford, PA, in a city setting.

Haverford College accepts roughly 12%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### United States Military Academy

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/united-states-military-academy
Location: West  Point, NY
Acceptance rate: 12.4%
SAT middle 50%: 1200 to 1430
ACT middle 50%: 27 to 33
Graduation rate: 87%

United States Military Academy is a small public university in West  Point, NY, in a city setting.

United States Military Academy accepts roughly 12%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Harvey Mudd College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/harvey-mudd-college
Location: Claremont, CA
Acceptance rate: 12.7%
SAT middle 50%: 1500 to 1570
ACT middle 50%: 34 to 36
Average cost after aid: $35,924 per year
Graduation rate: 92%

Harvey Mudd College is a very small private university in Claremont, CA, in a city setting.

Harvey Mudd College accepts roughly 13%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Georgetown University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/georgetown-university
Location: Washington, DC
Acceptance rate: 12.9%
SAT middle 50%: 1390 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 31 to 35
Average cost after aid: $40,815 per year
Graduation rate: 95%

Georgetown University is a small private university in Washington, DC, in a city setting.

Georgetown University accepts roughly 13%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Bates College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/bates-college
Location: Lewiston, ME
Acceptance rate: 13.3%
SAT middle 50%: 1420 to 1530
ACT middle 50%: 31 to 34
Average cost after aid: $29,351 per year
Graduation rate: 90%

Bates College is a very small private university in Lewiston, ME, in a city setting.

Bates College accepts roughly 13%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Davidson College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/davidson-college
Location: Davidson, NC
Acceptance rate: 13.4%
SAT middle 50%: 1400 to 1530
ACT middle 50%: 31 to 34
Average cost after aid: $17,379 per year
Graduation rate: 91%

Davidson College is a very small private university in Davidson, NC, in a city setting.

Davidson College accepts roughly 13%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Hamilton College

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/hamilton-college
Location: Clinton, NY
Acceptance rate: 13.6%
SAT middle 50%: 1450 to 1550
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 35
Average cost after aid: $28,985 per year
Graduation rate: 91%

Hamilton College is a very small private university in Clinton, NY, in a city setting.

Hamilton College accepts roughly 14%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.

### Colgate University

URL: https://www.kolly.ai/colleges/colgate-university
Location: Hamilton, NY
Acceptance rate: 13.9%
SAT middle 50%: 1430 to 1540
ACT middle 50%: 33 to 34
Average cost after aid: $28,786 per year
Graduation rate: 91%

Colgate University is a small private university in Hamilton, NY, in a city setting.

Colgate University accepts roughly 14%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.