Thank you to the posters who have explained Common Data sets on this site. I started reading and posting a few weeks ago while traveling to college visits with my oldest child, a junior, and helping him put together his final list of schools to apply to. He’s juggling a list of a lot of different interests and has learned a lot about what appeals to him about a school, what is more or less important to him, how he could fit in/contribute to different college environments, etc.
I pulled the common data sets of all of the colleges that are on his list (14 right now but I’m hoping he will cut it down to no more than 10 by the time he actually applies). He’s got a good mix of schools and has done pre-reads with two of them that have been promising so far.
Are colleges required to publish a common data set by some entity or it is just professional courtesy? Why would a college put far less information than other colleges on their common data set? If my child’s stats are outside of the norms (below or above) of the common data set statistics, would it make sense to eliminate that college from his application list? Or, if he really likes the school, should he still apply anyway and just manage his expectations? TIA
Colleges are not required to complete a CDS, but most do. Many do leave some CDS fields blank, because well, not required to fill in everything. One of the most important things to remember is that the CDS reflects matriculant data only, not admitted student data.
Right now some CDSs may still be from 2021-22, so class of 2025 (two years ago). The 2022-23 CDSs have been coming out, and those are for Class of 2026. So just beware that the data may be 2 years old, and therefore may not be all that relevant.
Some particular situations on CDS that one must navigate include the average GPA section. There is no set way for schools to calculate this, so it is not consistent from school to school (if this section is even completed). Further, sometimes the institutional reporting department does not calculate GPA the same way as admissions people calculate it when making admissions decisions.
Generally, treat the average GPA number as garbage. If it’s a school that has their own way to calculate GPA, say U Florida, using that number is probably ok, but again it may be not the most current data…websites are often better.
Another issue is test score ranges. CDS may reflect only the ranges of those who applied with tests, or they may reflect the range of the entire class (some schools require test optional matriculants to provide test scores if they took a test). Only way to know is to ask (the institutional reporting dept).
Schools are not required to post a CDS, but most do.
Ha! I had just typed my first sentence.
As for where your student’s stats fit, if he’s way below, it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to apply unless he has some very unique experiences. If he’s above, absolutely. That’s the band the bulk of admitted students comes from, and where students have a better chance for merit aid.
I think just about all of the schools that had notoriously held out on publishing CDS—Columbia, JHU, UChicago, BC, Rochester, and Syracuse come to mind, I am sure I’m missing some—make them available now.
Keep in mind that schools can elect to skip individual fields: for example, my theory for why UChicago didn’t publish was that they did not want to reveal how many students were accepted in ED rounds. Lo and behold, that field was left blank on their CDS, along with wait list numbers.
One thing to keep in mind when you look at ranges and calculate acceptances rates from a CDS is that these are aggregated for the whole university. Individual programs — computer science, engineering, nursing, business, and others that can also be school-dependent — could be much more competitive.
Universities very rarely release data for individual colleges or programs in any format, but CS at UMass Amherst or Kelley at IU or nursing at Pitt will be much tougher admits than the CDS might indicate for the school overall.
This is an excellent post and I have been wondering the same about CDS and some schools’ failure to publish them.
CDS are so useful and I always feel that a school is hiding something if they don’t provide the information. The info about U Chicago and lack of WL numbers is interesting. NYU also fails to provide info about WL numbers.
How far above or below is the question. If, for example, the average GPA at a school is 3.8, and your son has 3.75, I’d probably still apply. If it was 3.5, I might not, but that could depend on other factors, such as being hooked, or mitigating circumstances.
@anon87843660
Another great resource is: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
You can get solid information on career outcomes (as long as there are enough students that report) by major and loan default rates. Also, while not as detailed as CDs, snapshot data on admission etc.
