The more I learn about college admission, the more I become aware of the complexities involved. Currently, I am wondering about class rank and would love to know your thoughts on the subject. Here’s my take…

When applying to four-year colleges and universities, students and their school counselors may encounter questions about the student’s class rank. High schools typically determine rank by calculating a student's GPA, sometimes granting additional weight for rigorous courses such as Honors, AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment. This calculated GPA is then used to order students by grade level, establishing their comparative rank among peers.

However, a decent number of high schools no longer provide class rank. I saw this trend gaining traction roughly fifteen years ago, with the rationale that while a high rank can benefit the top performing applicants, reporting it for students in certain brackets might be disadvantageous. More importantly, it was also aimed at mitigating unhealthy competition and associated pressures for grade inflation. Thus, around that time, I advocated for a "no harm" practice at my own high school, where rank could be included in counselor letters of recommendation, upon request from a student or if they landed in the top 25%ile, but otherwise as a school, we held to a “we do not rank” policy. 

As time went on, I began to observe that colleges can utilize historical and current applicant data to infer a student's standing within their high school cohort, even when rank isn't explicitly provided. Further, one university in particular essentially required that I provide rank in order for my students’ applications to be given full consideration. In fact, I just checked and that institution currently states on their website, “Transcripts must include your class rank...” 

I know and trust that many U.S. colleges employ a range of admission factors beyond grades; however, it is my understanding that class rank remains a significant factor for some. The 2023-2024 Common Data Set confirms this, with 566 four-year institutions reporting they Consider rank, 296 finding it Important, and 215 deeming it Very Important.

This is complex and nuanced. Yet, Boston University's Class of 2028 "Freshman Profile," states that 91% of enrolled students were in the top 10% of their class, and Yale reports that of enrolled students where rank information was collected, 96% were in the top 10% and 99% in the top 25%. When applying to institutions like Pomona College, the U.S. Naval Academy, UT Austin, Williams, Oberlin, Notre Dame, and the University of Virginia, which prioritize rank as Very Important, I believe students benefit from a realistic assessment of their odds of admission. 

I am grateful to these schools and their peer institutions for posting this data. They are doing the right thing, as the context is extremely helpful to students. -- Unless an applicant possesses an impactful hook like being an athletic recruit, class rank can be a rather useful tool in approximating chances of admission.

In supporting students, I stand firm in encouraging ambitious goals and applications, but I also believe that empowering students and families with knowledge is equally important. I do not purport to know what’s best here in terms of high schools reporting or declining to report rank to students and colleges. However, I do strongly believe that students minimally deserve to know their approximate class standing, as the reality is that colleges often possess a clearer academic profile of an applicant relative to their peers than the student has themselves.

By denying students information about their class standing (or approximate percentile), are we adding fuel to the fire of the mystery of college admission in the United States of America? Instead, what if we gave a little more power to our students on this journey? 

While I am empathetic to the plight of schools/districts facing genuine concerns about the well-being of students being ranked, can we at least agree to empower our students with the knowledge of what percentile they fall into? Would it be a fair compromise to inform students that they fall into the top 10%, the top 25% or the middle 50th percentile? 

By empowering students with this knowledge, they can make more informed choices, applying to schools with eyes wide open, even if their chances appear slim. 

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About Rya Carpenter

Founder of RytePlan: An all-access, Free College Research & Application Planning Platform

Rya holds a Masters Degree in Counseling and Guidance, in addition to a Counseling Credential, which has allowed her to serve as a school based counselor for over 20 years.

She has experience working with students in the public and private school setting, and now as an Independent Educational Consultant, giving her a broad perspective of student experiences and what colleges are looking for in an applicant.

As a member of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC), the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Rya travels to colleges throughout the country regularly for training and connection with colleagues.