How to Get Into Top Colleges

School-specific admissions guides — concrete steps, common mistakes, and a reality check for borderline applicants. Honest, free, and updated for 2026.

How to get into Harvard

How to get into Harvard: what an actually competitive application looks like

How to get into Stanford

How to get into Stanford: intellectual vitality matters more than raw stats

How to get into MIT

How to get into MIT: the application format that lets the right kids in

How to get into Yale

How to get into Yale: writing matters more than at peer schools

How to get into Princeton

How to get into Princeton: undergrad focus + the research culture

How to get into UT Austin

How to get into UT Austin: the top 6% rule and what to do if you miss it

How to get into UC Berkeley

How to get into Berkeley: the UC PIQs and major-specific admissions

How to get into Rice

How to get into Rice: residential colleges and the 'Owl Days' culture

How to get into Duke

How to get into Duke: ED bump and the right kind of leadership

How to get into Carnegie Mellon

How to get into CMU: separate-college admissions and program-specific competitiveness

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KidToCollege is free to use and editorially independent. Data sourced from public records including IPEDS, Common Data Sets, College Board and FAFSA.gov. Always verify deadlines and requirements directly with institutions. Not a guarantee of admission or financial aid.