HelloCollege Survey Finds Nearly Half of the Class of 2026 Accepted to Their #1 Choice School

Data released ahead of college application deadline and decision season shows strong outcomes in admissions, financial aid and student confidence

OAK BROOK, Ill., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the high school Class of 2027 enters peak college application season, HelloCollege is releasing new exit survey data showing that the vast majority of its Class of 2026 students landed where they wanted to be.

According to the survey, nearly half of students (49%) were accepted to their single #1 choice school. Additionally, 92% of students (roughly 9 in 10) were accepted to one of their top three college choices. The findings are based on over 300 substantive responses to HelloCollege's Class of 2026 exit survey.

"Getting into a top-choice school is exciting, but having strong options is just as important," said Kevin Krebs, founder and CEO of HelloCollege. "A thoughtful college list can improve a student's odds, reduce some of the stress around admissions and give them more choices when it's time to make that final decision."

Additional findings from the Class of 2026 exit survey and student portal data include:

• 89% of the Class of 2026 reported earning scholarships.
• Among students who received financial aid, the median best offer was $30,000.
• 99.7% felt more confident applying to college after working with HelloCollege.
• 94% of students said they avoided a costly mistake.
• Median score increase as a result of HelloCollege tutoring (10+ hours) was 150 points for the SAT and 5 points for the ACT.
• Across the Classes of 2024–2026, HelloCollege students have been admitted to every Ivy League school, plus MIT, Stanford, Duke and more.

"Families are making one of the biggest educational and financial decisions of their lives, and they need the right information to make it confidently," Krebs added. "They want to understand what a college will cost, whether it's the right fit and what the outcome could look like on the other side. The more transparency and real data families have, the better equipped they are to make the right decision for their student."

HelloCollege's Class of 2026 survey findings are available at https://sayhellocollege.com/our-results/ with the full methodology available at https://sayhellocollege.com/our-results/methodology/. To learn more about HelloCollege or to speak with a college counselor, visit sayhellocollege.com.

About HelloCollege

Founded in 2012 by Northwestern University alum and first-generation college graduate Kevin Krebs, HelloCollege is a national college counseling firm helping families navigate the admissions process with confidence. The company offers each student a dedicated college counselor, backed by an in-house team of specialists in tutoring, essay coaching, financial aid strategy, and other areas of the college +admissions process. HelloCollege has guided more than 5,700 students to top universities and educated over 50,000 families nationwide through free workshops and other educational resources. They hold a 4.9 Google rating with 400+ reviews and a 4.8 TrustScore on TrustPilot with 140 reviews.

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SOURCE HelloCollege