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Home / College Admissions Guidance by State

College admissions guidance, by state

Every state sets its own rules for public-university tuition and financial aid, and a few — California most of all — change how a college application even works. Find your state below for general guidance, then start a free preview to see your own Reach, Target, and Likely colleges.

This guidance is general and evergreen — it does not name a specific college's admission rate or guarantee any outcome. University Application Guide never states a probability, percentage, or guarantee of admission; a free preview shows you Reach, Target, and Likely bands built from your own grades, test scores, home state, budget, and intended major.

New England

New England

the Middle Atlantic

the Middle Atlantic

the Great Lakes states

the Great Lakes states

the Upper Midwest and Great Plains

the Upper Midwest and Great Plains

the South Atlantic

the South Atlantic

the East South Central states

the East South Central states

the West South Central states

the West South Central states

the Mountain West

the Mountain West

the Pacific

the Pacific

Where this comes from

States are grouped using the U.S. Census Bureau's standard regional divisions. Nothing on these pages is a college-specific statistic — University Application Guide's real per-college facts (test policy, deadlines, direct-to-major gates) come from a sourced, verified rules table and only appear once you start your own free preview.