How Admissions Works

The mechanics behind a US admissions decision — deadlines, review, and what each part weighs.

Colleges That Accept the Duolingo English Test (2026–27): What 487 Colleges List, and Where the List Falls Short

Oct 25, 20264 min read

Universities Outside the US on the Common App (2026–27): St Andrews, HKU and 47 More

Oct 25, 20266 min read

Common App Courses & Grades (2026–27): Which Colleges Require It, From Stanford to Purdue

Oct 24, 20266 min read

College Application Fees 2026–27: Stanford Charges $100, and 609 Colleges Charge US Applicants Nothing

Oct 23, 20267 min read

International Student Acceptance Rates 2026: US vs International at 64 Private Colleges

Oct 23, 20267 min read

Out-of-State Acceptance Rates at 43 Public Universities: 9.6% at UNC, 73.7% at Binghamton

Oct 21, 20267 min read

The Acceptance Rate You See Is Not the One You Face

Oct 21, 20264 min read

Admitted Early Decision: When 23 Colleges Want Your Answer, and How to Withdraw the Rest

Oct 16, 20266 min read

Early Decision II After a December No: What the Common App and the Colleges Allow

Oct 15, 20267 min read

Deferred in Early Decision: What 20 Colleges Ask For, and What They Don't Want

Oct 14, 20267 min read

When Do Early Decision Results Come Out? The Dates at 40 Colleges

Oct 14, 20267 min read

Deferred in Early Decision? Your Deadlines and Options for 2026-27

Oct 2, 20264 min read

Regular Decision Deadlines 2026-27: Every Date for 238 Colleges

Oct 1, 20265 min read

Do College Interviews Matter? 43 of 70 Schools Say 'Not Considered' (2026)

Sep 26, 20265 min read

Which Colleges Actually Read Recommendation Letters — 27 Rate Them Very Important, 11 Never Open Them (2026)

Sep 25, 20265 min read

Legacy Admissions in 2026: Zero Colleges Call It Important, 37 Say Not Considered

Sep 24, 20265 min read

The 34 Colleges That Rate Your Essay 'Very Important' — and the 8 That Barely Read It (2026)

Sep 21, 20265 min read

How Much Do Test Scores Matter? What 73 Colleges Wrote Down (2026)

Sep 20, 20265 min read

Does Class Rank Matter for College? The Factor Schools Disagree About Most (2026)

Sep 20, 20265 min read

Demonstrated Interest: Which Colleges Say It Counts, and the 42 That Say It Does Not (2026)

Sep 16, 20265 min read

Articles on PrepToDone are for informational purposes only and do not guarantee admission outcomes. All predictions are data-based estimates derived from publicly available data.