Mark your calendar with the important deadlines for your National College Match application.
Ranking Colleges
Ranking colleges for the Match
Being able to rank colleges is what makes the National College Match so unique. By ranking colleges, you could be “matched” — or admitted early with a guaranteed full four-year Match Scholarship — to the college that appears highest on your list that is also able to match with you.
You can rank up to 15 colleges in order of preference. We encourage you to research all of our college partners as you make your choices. Typically, students who rank more colleges have a higher chance of matching. However, you must be absolutely certain you would attend every college that appears on your list.
Keep in mind
- You can be matched to only ONE school.
- Colleges do not know where you have ranked them.
- When you rank colleges and are matched, the admission decision is binding. You are committed to attending your match school the following fall.*
- If matched, you will receive a full four-year scholarship with no loans or parent contribution. You can be confident that you can afford to attend a great college!
- You have the option not to rank colleges, but then you will not be considered for the Match Scholarship. Not ranking? Explore your options via QuestBridge Regular Decision.
*MIT does not require students admitted through the Match to commit to attending their institution.
Last year, Finalists who matched...
67 %
Matched to one of their top 5 college partners
10
Ranked an average of 10 college partners on their rankings list
69 %
Ranked 7 or more college partners
Match Requirements
If you are selected as a Finalist, you have started an application with the colleges you have ranked, and you must submit additional materials (called Match Requirements) to each of the colleges on your ranking list by November 1. Click the links below to find each college's Match Requirements on their Application Requirements page.
If you have a question about submitting materials that is not answered on the school's Application Requirements page, please contact the school's admissions or financial aid office directly through the contact information on their Application Requirements page.
- Amherst College
- Barnard College
- Bates College
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Bowdoin College
- Brown University
- California Institute of Technology
- Carleton College
- Case Western Reserve University
- Claremont McKenna College
- Colby College
- Colgate University
- College of the Holy Cross
- Colorado College
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Davidson College
- Denison University
- Duke University
- Emory University
- Grinnell College
- Hamilton College
- Harvard College
- Haverford College
- Johns Hopkins University
- Macalester College
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Middlebury College
- Northwestern University
- Oberlin College
- Pomona College
- Princeton University
- Rice University
- Scripps College
- Skidmore College
- Smith College
- Stanford University
- Swarthmore College
- Tufts University
- University of Chicago
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Richmond
- University of Southern California
- University of Virginia
- Vanderbilt University
- Vassar College
- Washington and Lee University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Wellesley College
- Wesleyan University
- Williams College
- Yale University
Review our policy on applying early to other colleges if you are ranking colleges for the Match.
If you are a Finalist who did not match, you can check to see if a college partner you ranked will still consider you for Early Decision or Early Action. Learn more about options following the Match for each school.
FAQs
- Where can I find my Match Agreement Form? →
- How can I obtain the required signatures for my Match Agreement Form? →
- Do I need to submit a Match Agreement Form if I am not ranking schools? →
- Can I rank fewer than 15 schools for the Match? →
- What materials do I need to send to the schools I ranked, and how should I send them? →