Selectivity - We use selectivity as a reflection of a college’s admission rate. We define a school as Very Selective if its admission rate is lower than 25%. We define Selective as an admission rate between 25-50%. We define a school as Less Selective if its admission rate is between 50-75%. The Least Selective schools are defined over admission rates of 75%.

School Category - We categorize schools depending on their level of selectivity and academic performance relative to current students at that school.

Student Preference - Each student works off of a list of colleges ranked in order of preference.

Matriculation - Enrollment in a college or university.

Early Decision - Early decision is an admission plan that obligates you to attend the institution if accepted.

Early Action - An Early action is an admission option that does not bind you to attend an institution if accepted.

Restrictive Early Action - REA is an admission option that does not bind you to attend an institution if accepted.  It is identical to early action, with one key addition: it also imposes restrictions on where else you can apply. The terms and conditions surrounding REA vary by school.

Regular Decision - Regular decision is the normal process by which students apply by published deadlines, with a promise of receiving an admissions decision no later than April of their senior year.  

Quintile - One of five equal groups into which a class of students is divided based on GPA.

Admissions Selectivity - College Kickstart’s measure of selectivity as defined by a college’s global admissions rate. Very Selective means an admission rate of less than 25%. Selective means an admission rate between 25-50%. Less Selective means an admission rate between 50-75%. The Least Selective means an admission rate over 75%

Global or National Rate is the publicly released admissions rate or average admissions rate for the indicated group of schools.

Barrons - www.barrons.com

US News Top 25 NAT/LAC - Top 25 National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges as determined by US News & World Report. www.usnews.com/best-colleges

Ivy League - consists of Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton, Penn, Cornell, Columbia and Dartmouth.

Ivy League + - Chicago, Duke, MIT, Stanford - Ivies listed above plus UChicago, Duke, MIT, and Stanford.