• Students must download all application materials from either the home website of the school they are applying to or from one of the online application services listed below.

• Most Private/Independent & Out-of-State colleges will require transcripts at the time of application. Most will also want "mid-year" transcript updates after the fall semester senior grades have posted! Transcripts Page for more information about ordering and sending transcripts.

At Harvard, there is no single academic path we expect all students to follow, but the strongest applicants take the most rigorous secondary school curricula available to them. An ideal four-year preparatory program includes four years of English, with extensive practice in writing; four years of math; four years of science: biology, chemistry, physics, and an advanced course in one of these subjects; three years of history, including American and European history; and four years of one foreign language. While we understand there are differences in the overall strengths of secondary schools, we are most interested in how well applicants have taken advantage of available resources.The Admissions Committee recognizes that schools vary by size, academic program, and grading policies, so we do not have rigid grade requirements. We do seek students who achieve at a high level, and most admitted students rank at the top of their graduating classes.

At Princeton, we do not come to our difficult decisions through a formula. However, we do want to have a clear picture of the rigor of our applicants’ programs and the level of “competition” they face with respect to grading. We know that grading and difficulty of course load, for instance, are not absolutely standard within a single high school, let alone across all the secondary schools on the planet. Any information that illuminates students’ achievements in the context of their high schools is considered thoughtfully. We consider it a promising sign when students challenge themselves with advanced courses in particular and a full, rigorous high school program overall. We understand that not all secondary schools offer the same range and quantity of advanced courses, but our strongest candidates take full advantage of the academic opportunities available to them. We look at a variety of indicators to assess students’ academic abilities and achievements, including the secondary school program and record (which is ultimately the most important factor), as well as SAT results (and other standardized test results if applicable). Teacher and counselor recommendations are also important. We weigh the combination of these indicators to gauge how students might fare in our rigorous academic programs, in which liveliness of mind and independence of thought are valued as much as sheer ability. Intellectual curiosity and academic excellence are the most important factors in our decision.

At Yale, grades and test scores provide a starting point for a committee discussion, but in the end it is the documents that attest to or describe a candidate's qualities - as a student, a person, and as a citizen of his or her school community - that make the crucial difference. . . . In the end, everything matters. The good news is that so many little things figure in an admissions decision that it is fruitless to worry overmuch about any one of them. There is comfort in knowing, too, that for the best students, the little things usually do add up, though they may add up in different ways.

At Stanford, the thorough and elaborate evaluation process in which almost the entire admissions staff is involved each winter and spring cannot be reduced to a quantifiable formula. They attempt to blend the information contained in references with the data from academic credentials. The primary criterion for admission is academic excellence, and the most important single credential is the transcript. There are no minimum figures set for grade point average, test scores, or rank in class, nor are there specific high school course requirements for entrance to Stanford. They do, however, look for those students who have selected as rigorous an academic program as possible, and who have achieved distinction in a range of academic courses. The ablest candidates have mostly "A's" in their courses, but Stanford does find that some students with lower grade point averages may show more real promise for strong college-level course work. We also find that the same may apply with regard to test scores - very high scores; though they may in many cases confirm scholastic promise, do not guarantee admission to Stanford. It is always to an applicant's benefit to have taken the most demanding courses available in their high school. A strong performance in honors or Advanced Placement classes indicates a student's ability and desire to meet academic challenges.