You should apply to between 6-8 schools; safety, target, and reach
WHEN APPLYING TO MULTIPLE SCHOOLS: You should always apply to at least 2 or 3 schools that are rated somewhat equally. This way, if your child gets accepted to all of them, you may be able to play one against the other when negotiating to get a better financial aid package. Even if your son or daughter is set on one particular college, putting at least 2 or 3 schools on the FAFSA form is always a good strategy.
Your child should apply to at least 2 likely (schools they are aligned to get into according to scores and grades), 2 target (schools where grades and scores fit into the school’s averages for acceptance) and 2 reach schools (schools where scores and grades are a bit below what the school’s average accepted student has). It is also important to check each school’s acceptance rate, as if the school accepts less than 40% of their applicants it would automatically be a reach since they turn away many more students than they accept.
