‘My students want to apply to 20 universities’

Students are applying to significantly more colleges than they used to. This trend began taking shape during the pandemic and has continued to escalate ever since. 

Prior to the pandemic, students typically applied to between three and five colleges, while international students tended to apply to between five and seven.

These days, students apply to an average of six to 12 colleges, with international students often falling at the higher end of that range. It is no longer unusual for international students to apply to more than 20 colleges and universities across the globe.

Applying to 20 universities: why is it happening?

Before we move towards offering potential solutions, we should try to identify the root causes of this trend. That this trend needs to be addressed is not in question – it increases the workload for all involved parties: counsellors, students, parents and admissions officers. It also increases competition and adds stress, negatively impacting students’ well-being and their ability to make logical, rather than emotional, decisions. It can also lead to professional burnout for admissions teams, who are handling a high volume of applications but seeing relatively low conversion rates.

One major contributing factor is the increasing stress levels reported by college applicants over the past two decades. In 2003, 56 per cent of students reported feeling a “high” or “very high” level of stress. By 2025, that number had risen to 73 per cent.

When students experience intense fear, anxiety and stress, they may keep expanding their college list. In such emotionally charged situations, counsellors must be proactive and supportive – without limiting the student’s choices too quickly.

However, stress is a symptom, not a cause. One significant underlying factor was the pandemic itself. It affected job security across families, prompting many to pressurise students into applying for more affordable options or seeking merit-based scholarships. In some cultures, this pressure was applied behind the scenes, without clear communication to counsellors – either to hide financial constraints or out of concern about future financial uncertainty.

How should counsellors respond?

This trend has placed counsellors in a difficult position: on the one hand, they must support students who want to submit a high number of applications; on the other, they often do not fully understand the motivations driving that behaviour.

Despite the complications, this trend must be acknowledged and incorporated into counselling practice. Otherwise, students may increasingly turn to private counsellors, potentially overwhelming themselves with applications and missing out on supportive, school-based guidance.

To address this, counsellors can help students create a structured application strategy using a matrix method similar to the one that I have been using throughout my career (see below). This should include not only a range of schools – from dream schools to safety options – but also factor in application timing: early action, regular deadlines and rolling admissions.

Limiting the number of applications 

This timing-based strategy helps students, parents and counsellors reduce stress, work more efficiently and plan wisely – without piling up last-minute deadlines or overloading themselves with too many applications at once.

Show empathy and support. Reassure students that you hear them and are there to help.

Avoid limiting the student’s list too soon. Rational suggestions might not be well received when students are in a high-stress state. Emotional validation is more effective initially.

Collaborate as a team. Ask about the student’s dream schools and backup options. Explore together whether they want to add more schools to either category.

Discuss timing. Most students do not think about application timelines when listing 20 schools, nor do they always realise that admissions requirements may vary across countries.

Assign light research. Ask students to note the application deadlines for each school on their list before your next meeting.

Group schools by deadline. In your follow-up meeting, sort colleges into three categories: early action, regular and rolling admissions.

Encourage early submissions. For US universities, early-action decisions are often released in late November or early December. Even a single early acceptance can significantly reduce stress.

Reassess remaining applications. Once early results arrive, help students re-evaluate their lists. Many reduce the number of additional applications after receiving an early acceptance, and some even commit to a school that accepted them early.