College Fit Vs. Top College Rankings: How Families Should Choose The Right College

For many students, college list building begins in one place: college rankings. Whether they intentionally scour lists from U.S. News and World Report and Forbes or simply begin with a general awareness of the top 25 institutions, students often assume that their reach schools should come from the same pool of Ivy+ institutions, with matches and safeties selected from the most highly ranked schools where their grades and test scores align with the median of accepted students.

But a new report from the College Board indicates that this approach fails to account for one of the most important factors applicants should consider: institutional fit.

In a recent study titled The Fit Imperative, College Board found that 42% of students build their college list around roughly 10 selective schools that enroll only 3% of the student population. Relatedly, only 47% of college freshmen completely agree that their institution is a good fit. These numbers indicate that many students not only struggle to critically assess school fit, but receive little support or encouragement to do so before enrolling.

What does th...