When it comes to college admission acceptance rates, mainstream media always focuses on the most selective colleges and universities (the most difficult schools to get accepted to). Typically, media reports include nothing but doom and gloom with statements like, “10,000 student applications were received for only 1,500 available freshman openings.” While it is true acceptance rates at Ivy League schools and similar highly selective universities are extremely low, they are far from the average for the more than 2,000 other four-year colleges and universities.

The 2009 State of College Admission Report released by National Association of College Admission Counselors on October 20, 2009, documents more attractive acceptance rates for the vast majority of colleges. The Report states that although news media primarily focus on the most selective colleges, “. . . the average acceptance rate across all four-year institutions in the US is approximately two-thirds (67 percent), according to the most recent data. In addition, no statistical difference was found between acceptance rates for private and public institutions.”

This means the average acceptance rate for students applying for admission to four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. is nearly seven out of ten.

This approximate 67 percent acceptance rate contradicts the never-ending stories about intense competition for college admission. While the number of applications received by colleges is increasing, and therefore competition for admission is increasing, what families don’t realize is the high acceptance rates of numerous top colleges and universities outside the most selective schools.

College-bound students must navigate the difficult college admission and financial aid process. However, success can be achieved by nearly all students with good grades and decent test scores when they apply to several schools which include both selective “reach” schools and colleges with relatively high admission rates.