Expert Admissions co-hosted a webinar with Sasha DeWind of Tutor Associates to discuss developments in the college admissions process in 2025. We talked about early admissions trends, standardized testing, the impact of AI, and more. Keep reading for highlights from the conversation, and watch the webinar above.
Admissions Trends
From what we’ve seen so far this early admissions cycle, one development of note is that highly selective public schools are extraordinarily popular. We’ve seen significant double-digit increases in applications: almost 25% at the University of Texas and about 12% each in the EA and ED pools at the University of Virginia. Thus far, many of the most highly selective private schools are not yet releasing data, although we are keeping careful track of those that have.
What is very clear across the board is that fit is more important than ever. As admissions get a little tighter each year overall, and the most popular schools continue to attract large pools of applicants, being strategic about where you apply and how you present yourself to each school is paramount. You can assume that a very high percentage of applicants to a particular place are qualified: they have the appropriate grades, scores, and rigor in their academics, and they have done lots of interesting activities. But many of these students are actually indistinguishable from one another from an admissions perspective.
That’s a problem, especially when every college is different, whether you’re comparing the University of Michigan to the University of Texas or Harvard to Yale. So, you need to research and pay attention to the kinds of students each college you are applying to finds compelling. Some schools are looking for more intellectually creative thinkers. Some are looking for more extroverted leaders. Others seek students who have been a bit more proactive in their own learning and their communities, among many other examples. Figure out how you would fit in on a particular campus, and then communicate that fit in detail through your application. You will mainly do this through the essays, which is really the only time when students get to “speak” in the process.
Testing Changes
The new digital ACT will be rolling out in April, but current juniors will still have access to the old paper ACT until September. The good news is that the changes aren’t radical: the structure and content are pretty much the same, and the test has been shortened by ten minutes. The biggest change is that the Science section will technically become optional, and the score for it won’t be included in the composite—the average of the scores that goes to colleges. However, we have no way of knowing how colleges will react to this change. For the time being, current juniors should still plan to take the Science section and assume they will be submitting that score, even if they plan to test in September or later.
Practice materials for the new ACT are slim, unfortunately, and ACT won’t be releasing more until the spring. There is one official practice test online, but it does not provide a scaled score the way the SAT does or allow you to save your progress. For now, junior and even sophomores should feel comfortable practicing with slightly older, paper tests to prepare for this newer, slightly more agreeable test.
The format of the SAT is unchanged from last year, but in the most recent iterations of the test, we have noticed an increased degree of difficulty with Math. Practice materials are gradually being updated to reflect this. Although it can be frustrating to wait for practice materials to catch up with the current test, students and parents can feel reassured knowing that the skills needed to ace either test haven’t changed.
Scores for Test-Optional Schools
Many schools continue to be test optional, which is a nice safety net for students whose scores are lower than they would like, despite their best efforts. Whether or not a student submits scores to every school is very individual and depends on their overall profile, including their grades and other factors. Many students will submit scores to some schools but not others. However, it is always better to submit your scores if they are competitive—meaning towards the higher end of what is expected—for a particular school’s admissions pool. You’ll also find that submitting scores tends to give you better predictive ability about your results– so plan and prepare to do as well as you possibly can.
You stand the best chance of doing this if you start planning early, so that you have time to explore your options and work on improving your score. Tenth grade is the ideal time for the first step, which is to start exploring and diagnosing which test is best for you to take: the ACT or SAT (it makes no difference to colleges which you take!). That said, we do not recommend starting the actual test prep super early. With very few exceptions, students need time to keep developing personally and academically before they are ready for that, and we want to avoid unnecessary stress. Remember, you can always retake a test, but grades ultimately come first and can’t be redone. You have until early senior year for testing, and most students we work with end up taking their chosen test two or three times.
Summer Activities
This is the time of year when many students and parents are starting to make plans for the summer. When deciding what activities a student should do—from enrolling in a pre-college program to working as a waiter—it all comes down to the individual. Your objectives will change from summer to summer, depending on what your overall profile is. Factors to consider include your genuine curiosity and interests, what you have or haven’t been exposed to yet, what grade you are in now, and what kind of colleges and academic programs you will eventually be shooting for.
Activities in general are about much more than just checking a box: they’re about what you put into them and what you get out of them. Ask yourself what you hope to learn, and how you will take those lessons and apply them elsewhere. That is exactly the kind of thing students need to be able to speak to when they write their supplemental essays for their college applications, whether the prompt is directly about an activity or more broadly about their interests and what they care about. Students shouldn’t feel, though, that by pursuing a certain interest one summer, they are locking themselves into it for the long term. It’s great if you find your passion that way, but most people don’t, and every activity is just one part of an overall process of discovery and self-development.
The Impact of AI
Ai is influencing the admissions process in interesting ways from both sides, the admissions side and the student side. We know, for example, that the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill uses AI in their initial analysis of applications. The University of Michigan changed the essay question for their Honors program this year to directly address the issue of students using programs like ChatGPT to write essays; their prompt is for the student to ask a chatbot why the Michigan Honors Program is right for them, have it generate an essay, and then include both the AI-generated essay and an original analysis of why it does or doesn’t capture the student’s reasons for applying. In that way, they’re getting ahead of the threat of AI-generated essays and putting the ball in the student’s court to reflect on the issue. We are continuing to watch how other schools handle the growing use and influence of AI.
On the student side, we expect to start seeing more schools asking for you to verify that the application was done completely by you. Other colleges have said they know students may be using chatbots in their initial brainstorming or research process, but they absolutely expect the essay to be written by the students themselves, and they’re absolutely running them through AI detectors on the admissions end.
All of this speaks to the importance of individuality in the admissions process. Whether it’s writing your essays come senior year, or earlier on—deciding what summer activities to do, whether to take the ACT or SAT, and so much more—the most compelling way to succeed and to stand out to colleges is to be you. Pursue your interests, figure out what you like and don’t like, and pay attention to what works best for you. All of that will also, ultimately, help you understand what colleges will be good fits for you.
For all the details on these topics and more, watch the webinar above.
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