My son had a ~3.9 GPA (UW) and took several AP classes throughout high school. He applied test optional. Also, he was school VP, involved in 4 clubs, community service, and a part time job.
He applied for TE for 2 schools you listed (Gannon & Xavier). He was awarded TE at Xavier (showed demonstrated interest) , but was denied at Gannon (showed zero demonstrated interest).
I definitely think there is something to that (demonstrated interest) ⊠for Xavier, did he do an in-campus visit and open emails or anything beyond this?
An in person visit is great! My son also stayed in contact with his admissions counselor and expressed his interest. You never know, but an admission counselor could recommend or put in a word for your student!
I was the original creator of the admit/reject spreadsheet back in 2023, so Iâve tracked mountains of data on this for a few years. All in all, though, the best quick filters I used (to decide whether to apply) in 2023 (and will again in 2027 when my D27 applies) are: (1) must have an ACT/SAT in the 75% percentile and (2) GPA should be at or above the average freshman admit. If you have both, it makes total sense to apply. If you have (2) but not (1), then personally I wouldnât bother unless youâre right at the high end of the 50% score range. If you have (1) but not (2), who knows - itâs a crap shoot, it depends on how much the school cares about standardized tests. Sometimes schools are forgiving of a lower GPA when they see a 35 or a 36 ACT. I also tend to focus on how many TE they hand out. There are places that get 200 apps and then give 5 kids TE (or less!). In that case, unless the (1) and (2) are really strong, it seems like energy would be better spent elsewhere on other apps. It also matters where the school is. A school in Boston or NYC will be extremely competitive. A school in Missouri with the same overall stats will be less so, even if they hand out the same # of TE in the end. Generally, really good schools in rural areas are also solid bets. Also: demonstrated interest at some schools is a real plus. If itâs possible to do a visit at a school you apply to, do it.
What people really need is data (from schools) on # of apps/# accepts. TE presently has no information at all on this on the website. They do have info on ânumber accepted/number enrolledâ but that only of limited value. The real number we need in addition is #applied. That would provide a better shot of competitiveness. I think most people, seeing a 2% chance at school X, are not going to waste the time doing the app there unless their kid has top of the line scoring. Parents/students need good info from TE on this so that they can make informed decisions and spend time/money/energy wisely, and not waste their time or the time of people in admissions offices. Of course, it would also be great to have info on what the ACT/GPAs were for admits at each school, but I guess thatâs asking too much - and to be honest thatâs why I made the spreadsheet, so that year by year people could at least add their own data and slowly people would have a general idea of the admissions pictures at various schools.
I did email TE a few months ago and they said they planned on providing exactly the info I just mentioned - this coming year. Weâll see. I plan to email them again about it, because Iâd like to have that info available for when my D27 applies.
Excel_Dad, I appreciate all of the efforts youâve gone through with getting these spreadsheets together, and itâs been helpful in putting together a small handful of schools for which TE awards seem plausible 
Iâm finding with schoolsâ cost estimators, that better bets for us than TE include: schools with healthy endowments that award a lot of institutional need-based aid and that also award a lot of merit scholarships, (obviously, our home institution), as well as some publics that are in-state or/and very transparent with what merit discounts are awarded at particular SAT and GPA levels⊠My daughter will be applying for TE, but definitely not counting on it. I also wonder if the merit + institutional grants might be a better deal at some institutions than TE or CIC.
From the handful of people administering TE that I have contacted at various schools, far more schools are in the <10% range than the 11-40% labels [and higher] reveal, (and the <10% range schools seem more like <3% range schools). For people who have a teen who has a 4.4+ GPA, 1500+ SAT, who loves small schools in small towns, then TE may be a different story.
On this page, there is a link to schools that still had Tuition Exchange seats available after May 1. Although itâs not a guarantee that your kid would get TE, it does seem a promising lead:
These are some of the schools from that list that I think could be of interest, based on what youâve shared. Iâve included their Colleges That Change Lives link, if available, as I think the profiles give a good sense of the ethos at various schools, though it is, admittedly, marketing material.
Agnes Scott: Small womenâs college, but in a great walkable area of Atlanta. Agnes Scott College â Colleges That Change Lives
Allegheny (PA ): It has a cute little downtown area, but this is not a big city. But since your list has places like Susquehanna and Bucknell on it, that doesnât seem to be a must-have. Allegheny College â Colleges That Change Lives
Bellarmine (KY): Smaller school, but Louisvilleâs definitely a city
Beloit (WI): Smaller school, but the town of Beloit is about 2.5x bigger than Meadville. Beloit College â Colleges That Change Lives
Drew (NJ): Smaller school in a cute town and about a 50-minute ride on public transportation into NYC
Goucher (MD): Smaller school, but itâs in Baltimore and also part of a consortium that allows students to take classes at Johns Hopkins, Loyola Maryland, and other schools. Goucher College â Colleges That Change Lives
Hamline (MN): Smaller school in Saint Paul in the Twin Cities
Lawrence (WI): Smaller school in a small city. Lawrence University â Colleges That Change Lives
Merrimack (MA): A medium-sized school with about 4200 undergrads thatâs about a 35m drive (in current conditions) from downtown Boston, per Google Maps.
Roanoke (VA): A smaller college in the metro of the same name.
The College of Wooster (OH): A smaller college thatâs 1h9m from Cleveland. College of Wooster â Colleges That Change Lives
U. of Lynchburg (VA): Another smaller school but itâs in a definite town. University of Lynchburg â Colleges That Change Lives
Wheaton (MA): A smaller school, but I think it has a lot of options for either spending a semester or more in Boston and also for other study abroad options as a very regular component of the experience.
Widener (PA ): About 2800 undergrads at this school that is a half hour (driving or via public transportation) to downtown Philly (per Google Maps in current conditions).
York (PA ): Closer to medium-sized with about 3300 undergrads at this school in the city reflecting its name
Of the schools I just mentioned that had TE spots after May 1, these are the classifications on the type of TE award they offer:
Full Tuition
Set Rate
Other Tuition
Unknown (did not specify on TE website)
if it is a helpful data point, when my D20 was applying, Goucher awarded set rate.
Brand new to TE - help me navigate the basics.
My college (Iâm faculty) just joined TE and will be a full participating member beginning next school year 26-27. My oldest is a freshman in college, would she be eligible to apply for TE for the remaining years she will have left or are TE awards generally only considered upon entry/freshman year? Conversely, is TE available for grad or medical/dental school at participating schools or only undergrad?
My next oldest child is a current HS junior so Iâm assuming will have full eligibility to apply for TE when she is making her college applications. Is there a restriction on how many schools you can apply TE for? Thanks in advance!
The answer to your first question is (importing) school-specific. The TE site generally has info on whether a school will award to already-enrolled students, or you can reach out to the TE liaison at her school and ask. I believe TE is only available for undergraduate education.
Info on schools found here: School List - The Tuition Exchange
The (exporting) school can set a limit on applications, if they choose. Generally when they do, it seems to be capped at 10.
Iâm in another group and a parent amazingly created this editable spreadsheet to self report your kidâs stats/activities, where they applied TE, and what the outcome was (TE accepted, rejected, or waitlisted).
Obviously this is a very partial list but the more people who add to it, the more patterns should emerge.
Having that more detailed data available from TE would be so helpful! Please share if you find out that they do provide this data this year. We are at the beginning of the process, and, as you all know, trying to navigate such a murky process in incredibly frustrating.
Is the âTE Results for 2027/28â doc the most recent/best place we could find data on whether or not schools stack?
Hi Bolo -
There should be two of them. One is the 27/28 excel above. The other should be in the Tuition Exchange Class of 2027 thread (thatâs the original one I made, the 27/28 one was my original excel but adapted/altered for the following year). So, if you dig through that other thread, you should be able to find that other excel as well. That gives you two years worth of outcomes, which is helpful. My younger daughter is applying for Fall 2027 (class of 2031) so I was going to try to combine those excels (and add whatever comes up this year) for that year. A few things to keep in mind, at least IMO:
Hope that helps at least to get you started! Itâs exciting as a process, but also frustrating. To be honest, over the past two years TE has actually made the process a lot better. They have way more info on their website than they had in the past. They could have more info - like stats - but I think theyâre trying to make it more informative.
Thank you SO much for taking the time to share so much information and your experiences! Itâs great to feel like we have a more solid start and place to come for help! We have a search spreadsheet with data on location, selectivity, TE status, merit based awards, and we are slowly, slowly eliminating colleges. Deciding whether or not it has a path to affordability, whether it be through TE or merit aid, has been helping us narrow it down. You are right- many schools with set rate TE are not making the cut! I hate eliminating in case theyâd stack, but it does seem that stacking is unlikely.
In your experience, is directly asking admissions or the TE officer listed on the TE site the best way to find out what criteria a school uses in awarding TE? I know that âshowing interestâ seems important to many. Have you found any other common threads in how schools decide how to award TE?
Again, we are grateful!
Iâd contact the TELO. Sometimes they have info you really do need to know. For instance, some schools award TE partially to early action apps, which is good to know. Others (very few) will give you stats for awardees. Some outline how the process generally works. Some have internal pages with more info, and theyâll let you know. Theyâre very helpful - Iâd reach out to each one.
I havenât seen any real common threads other than the standard things: ACT/GPA, rigor of the HS program, extracurriculars, and so on. All expected. Given the large number of apps, I would guess they do a ACT/GPA screen first, and then after that they look at the rest of the things on the table. Not sure how they handle test optional, but itâs clear that many schools are awarding test optional students awards.
Good luck!