The College Counseling findings below reflect responses from 92 INDEX schools and provide a snapshot of college counseling staffing and how students are navigating an increasingly complex admissions landscape.
Full survey findings, including the ability to benchmark your school against other INDEX schools, are available in your INDEX portal.
College Counselors Serve About 32 Seniors Each
INDEX schools average 32 graduating seniors per College Counselor FTE, with a median of 31.
Why this matters: College counseling is a significant staffing investment. This provides schools with a useful benchmark for evaluating staffing levels and counselor workloads.
Standardized Testing Remains Widespread
An average of 71% of seniors take the SAT and 41% take the ACT. Average scores are 1344 on the SAT and 29.7 on the ACT.
Why this matters: Despite the widespread availability of test optional admissions, standardized testing remains a significant part of the college process at INDEX schools.
Test Optional Use Varies by School
59% of INDEX schools report that at least one senior applied test optional. At those schools, an average of 44% of seniors applied test optional to at least one college.
Why this matters: Test optional is not used uniformly across schools, but where it is part of the strategy, it is often used by a substantial portion of the senior class.
College Application Lists Are Broad
Students submit an average of 10 applications each, while the typical senior class applies collectively to 206 colleges and universities and ultimately matriculates to 58 different institutions.
Why this matters: The breadth of college lists highlights the complexity of the counseling process, with counselors supporting students across many institutions.
Early Decision Plays a Major Role
An average of 48% of seniors submit an Early Decision application, and 28% ultimately matriculate through Early Decision. Another 9% submit a Restrictive Early Action application.
Why this matters: Early Decision has become a defining feature of the college admissions landscape at INDEX schools, shaping application strategy for nearly half of seniors and determining where more than one quarter ultimately enroll.