Reach, Target, and Safety Schools: How to Build Your College List

Applying to college is stressful enough without feeling like you’re throwing applications at a wall. The solution: organize every school on your list into one of three categories: reach schools, target schools, and safety schools. This framework helps you apply strategically so you always have a strong option waiting, no matter the outcome. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly what each category means, how to identify which schools belong where, and how many of each to include on your final college list.

What are Reach, Target, and Safety Schools?

With nearly 6,000 colleges in the United States, it can be hard to decide where to apply. Students can oftentimes create a list so lengthy and random that it’s costly and overwhelming. While there are a lot of colleges to choose from, there’s ultimately only one for you. To narrow it done to “the one,” you need to identify the three categories that your college choices should fall into:

What is a Reach School?

A reach school is a college or university that will be difficult for you to get into, whether that’s for academic, financial, or locational reasons. However, it is still a school that you wish to apply to because the admissions decision may just surprise you. You can determine if a college is a reach school, academically-speaking, by its acceptance rate as well as average GPA and standardized test scores. This information can either be found on the college’s admissions website or on a college search site, like Peterson’s. Financial reach schools are those that don’t fit into your budget. However, it’s still important for you to submit an application. Why? These schools may surprise you with how much merit aid, or scholarships, they award. Typically, more expensive schools have a larger endowment, which means more money to give away to prospective students. Sometimes, these schools can become just as affordable as an in-state, public college once merit aid is accounted. Finally, a reach school may be considered as such because of one simple factor: location. Schools that may be farther away from your hometown – or even across the country – may be hard to grasp because of logistics or anxiety over potential homesickness. Apply anyway. The merit and financial aid packages may be enough to entice you.

What is a Target School?

A target school is a college or university that you know you can get into. It’s a perfect fit academically and/or financially. These are the schools that you should strive to get into because you’re nearly guaranteed a win. Your GPA and test scores, if you need to take the SAT or ACT to be considered for admissions, will be similar to that of the last class that was admitted. Again, take a look at the college website and search for an Admissions Profile or Quick Facts page. This will have statistics on the average incoming student. A great way to figure out which schools fall into your target budget are to use various calculators, like Net Price, Student Aid Index (SAI), and College Cost. These calculators will tell you just how much your target colleges cost, after scholarships and financial aid are taking into consideration, as well as what your family can realistically contribute financially. You can find a variety of college cost calculators on Finaid.org.

What is a Safety School?

Finally, every prospective college student should have one or two safety schools on their list. A safety school is one that you will undoubtedly be admitted to if you apply. Academically, your GPA and test scores are well above those of previous applicants. Financially, you will have to pay very little to attend college there. And location-wise, these schools should be a community college or in-state public college close to home.

How Many Reach, Target, and Safety Schools Should You Apply To?

As you research colleges on the web or attend college fairs, place those that interest you into one of the three categories above. Don’t worry about trimming your list down just yet. Initially, just focus on “filling your buckets.” Once you have a decent-sized list, about 20 or more colleges, consider which schools have enough offerings to entice you to do a campus visit. Those schools that do not incite a need to visit, you can cross off the list. It should be noted here, though, that if there is a school that is far from you and difficult to visit, you can always ask about a virtual tour. Or schedule a Zoom session with an admissions officer at the college to talk through the student experience. After you’ve visited colleges and talked with an admissions officer at each school, it’s time to whittle down your college list. You should have anywhere from 5 – 7 in your Reach and Target buckets as well as at least two schools in your Safety bucket. To make the college application process easier, consider using the Common App. You will be able to fill out one form for all participating schools, thereby lessening your work and stress load.

How to Build Your Final College List: A Step-by-Step Checklist

To recap, here's your step-by-step checklist for building our final college list: • Step 1: Begin researching colleges and attending college fairs. This initial step will give you an idea of the college opportunities both close and far away from home. As you conduct your research, look at major and minor offerings, extracurriculars, study abroad opportunities, and total cost of attendance. Once you've done your research, compile a list of roughly 20 colleges. • Step 2: Separate your colleges into the three buckets: reach, target, and safety. This will require you to lock in on specifics for each school as well as make a few college visits, either in-person or virtually. Create a spreadsheet or table that compares different facets of the school, pros and cons, and overall affordability. • Step 3: Narrow down the list to your top choices for each category. At this point, you will be more confident in what you do and don't want in a college experience. It's time to narrow down the list. Choose 2 - 3 reach, 3 - 5 target, and 2 - 3 safety schools. • Step 4: Apply to colleges. Use the Common App to apply to multiple colleges at once. This will be more efficient for you and the schools. Just be sure to complete any supplemental admissions forms that each college may have. Yes, creating a college list can be daunting; however, implementing this strategy makes your decision-making process practical, easier, and even fun. It will also help you identify what matters to you and which colleges really stick out. Remember, when you group your college list into three categories – reach, target, and safety – you’re better able to measure your success in the college application process. Rather than applying to a list of 20+ colleges, which is way too many, you’re strategically placing applications where it would be ideal to go, great to go, and safe to go. Ultimately, you will face the college application and decision confidently, knowing you did your research and had a well-rounded assortment of colleges to choose from.