What University Admissions Officers Look For Beyond Grades
- At selective US universities, essays and extracurriculars are each rated "Very Important" by 92% of institutions. Test scores: 40%. Grades still matter, but the story you tell around them matters too.
- In our survey of 104 recent university applicants, essays ranked above GPA as the single most important factor, and test scores came in eighth out of ten.
- Students at highly selective universities rated research experience nearly 40% higher in importance than those at less selective schools — a meaningful gap the headline numbers conceal.
University admissions in the US and UK is holistic, which means grades and test scores are part of the picture, not the whole of it. Admissions officers weigh essays, extracurriculars, recommendations, demonstrated interest, and more alongside academic results.
Understanding what actually moves the needle — and what students consistently underestimate — is one of the most valuable things you can do before your senior year. The data on this is clearer than most students realise.
- At top-50 US universities, essays, extracurriculars, and character are each rated "Very Important" by 92% of institutions — while test scores remain at 40% even at that level of selectivity.
- Across 117 selective US institutions, 85% rate essays as important or very important in admissions decisions. Test scores are rated that way by only 36%.
- NACAC's State of College Admission report places grades in college-prep courses at "considerable importance" for 79% of institutions. Standardised tests: 56%, and falling.
Sources: Common Data Set analysis, 117 selective US institutions, 2024–25 · NACAC State of College Admission
To understand how this plays out in practice, we ran our own survey.
- Graduates of AperioHub's Business Analyst Internship program who had applied to universities in the US or UK
- Asked to rate how much each admissions factor had mattered in their own experience, and to reflect on what they would have done differently
- Enrolled at institutions including Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Southern California, among others
May–Aug 2026 · 104 respondents
What the data actually shows
We asked participants to rate the importance of ten admissions factors on a 1 to 5 scale, drawing from their real application experience. The rankings align closely with the external research — and add granularity that aggregate institutional data cannot.
AperioHub Business Analyst Internship participants who applied to universities in the US or UK. May–Aug 2026. 104 respondents.
Three findings stand out when you read the rankings alongside the external data:
The personal statement topped our list at 4.71 vs 4.67 for grades. This matches what institutional data shows: at top-50 US universities, essays are rated "Very Important" by 92% of admissions offices. Students who have been through the process rate the essay even higher than those preparing for it — suggesting its importance is often underestimated until it is too late. (Common Data Set analysis, 117 selective US institutions, 2024–25)
Despite intensive SAT and ACT preparation being the default strategy for many students, those who had been through admissions rated standardised tests significantly lower than essays, extracurriculars, GPA, and recommendation letters. The NACAC State of College Admission report places grades in college-prep courses at "considerable importance" for 79% of institutions — standardised tests at 56%, and falling.
Research and publications scored lowest among academic factors in the full sample. The picture changes significantly when you look at where respondents ended up. We examine this in the research section below.
What students say they got wrong
The numbers tell part of the story. The reflections are where it gets instructive. We asked participants: looking back, what would you have done differently? Three themes dominated across more than 100 responses.
1. Start essays earlier: by far the most common regret.
Essays were the single most cited regret — not because students wrote them badly, but because they left them too late. The pattern was consistent across domestic and international applicants:
Looking back, I wish I had started my university application preparation earlier, especially the essays and personal statement. As an international student, I learned that strong applications take time — you need to explain your story, goals, and experiences clearly.
2. Build a coherent story, not a long list of activities.
Participants didn't wish they had joined more clubs. They wished their activities had added up to something — a clear, readable narrative about who they are:
I wish I had more of an angle when it came to my extracurriculars. I feel like everyone kept saying "leadership", and I didn't know how to interpret that, so I just did a bit of everything. It was harder to tell a story or connect ideas in my application since everything was kind of scattered.
3. Research was a missed opportunity: especially for students aiming at more selective programs.
Several participants named research independently as something they simply didn't know was an option:
I wish I tried to get more technical internships and fellowships.
Doing more in terms of research projects and publications outside of school to use on a resume or application.
What admissions officers are actually looking for
The student data aligns closely with what admissions offices publish when they are being candid about their process. Four principles appear consistently:
Admissions officers read for a clear story. A student who has done four years of theatre and written about it compellingly will often stand out more than one with fifteen scattered club memberships. Depth and direction read as intentional — and intentional reads as ready.
The essay is where admissions officers look for self-awareness, genuine reflection, and a sense of the person behind the application. What tends to land is specificity and honest voice — the story only you can tell, written the way you actually think.
Visiting campus, attending virtual information sessions, emailing admissions officers thoughtful questions, and tailoring supplement essays to each school all signal genuine commitment. For schools that track demonstrated interest, these actions carry real weight in the final review.
A glowing letter full of adjectives ("brilliant", "dedicated", "exceptional") is worth less than one that tells a specific story. Students who have built real relationships with teachers, mentors, and supervisors are better positioned to ask for the kind of letter that actually helps.
The research gap: why it matters more than the overall number suggests
The overall research rating of 38% in our survey looks low. But when we break down responses by the selectivity of the institution participants attended, a different picture emerges.
(Cornell, Northwestern, Dartmouth, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, UMich)
(avg research rating, all others)
That is a gap of nearly one full point on a five-point scale: roughly 40% higher relative importance among students who got into more competitive programs.
This pattern has support in external data as well. According to University of Pennsylvania's admitted Class of 2026, nearly one-third of admitted students had engaged in academic research during high school, a proportion that reflects how the pool skews at highly selective institutions.
The students in our survey who expressed regret about research had simply missed the opportunity. Research was available to them — through structured programs, near-peer mentoring, and online platforms — but they were unaware it was an option or where to begin.
What this means for your application strategy:
- Start essays earlier than feels necessary. Students who regretted their essays almost universally said they ran out of time, not ideas. The summer before senior year (Year 12 / US 11th grade) is the right time to begin drafting.
- Build around a thread, not a list. Before you start your application, articulate in one sentence what you genuinely care about and how your activities reflect that. If you can't do it in one sentence, an admissions officer won't be able to either.
- Prioritise GPA over test scores. Grades in core subjects matter more consistently across institutions. Test prep is useful — just keep it from coming at the cost of your coursework performance.
- Use demonstrated interest deliberately. If a school tracks it, make sure your interest is on record — visit if you can, attend info sessions, write supplement essays specific to each institution.
- Think about your recommenders early. The strongest letters come from people who have seen you do something. Teachers, coaches, research supervisors, and program mentors who have worked with you in a substantive context are your best options.
- Consider research experience as a long-term investment. Even if you are in Year 10 or US 9th grade, starting a research project now gives you a year or more to develop it into something you can write about, present, or publish before you apply.
Research mentoring for high school students
Structured projects with university mentors — typically 8 to 10 weekly sessions — for students who want real research experience without an existing academic network to access it.
Find a research mentorQuestions on this topic
In our survey of 104 university applicants, GPA ranked second overall (avg 4.67 out of 5) while test scores ranked eighth (avg 3.22). This aligns with NACAC's annual State of College Admission report, which consistently finds grades in core subjects rated as considerably more important than standardised tests across US institutions.
They matter a great deal, but in a specific way. 93% of our survey participants rated extracurriculars as high-importance. The students who expressed regret, however, consistently said they wished their activities had been more focused and coherent, not that they had done more. Quality and narrative coherence matter more than volume.
This is a real challenge that affects many students outside major metropolitan areas or well-resourced school networks. Our data shows that students who attended more selective universities rated research experience nearly 40% higher in importance than those who did not. Structured programs like near-peer research mentoring exist specifically to bridge this gap, connecting students with university mentors regardless of their school's existing resources.
Earlier than most students start. The majority of participants who expressed regret said they had started their essays, extracurricular planning, and application research too late. Year 11 (or US 10th/11th grade) is a reasonable point to begin thinking seriously about the story your application will tell.
Yes. Structured internship and fellowship experiences, particularly those involving independent research, cross-cultural collaboration, or professional mentorship, can strengthen applications in multiple ways: as an extracurricular experience, as the basis for essay content, and as a source of meaningful recommendations. AperioHub's Business Analyst Internship program has supported students from 30+ countries at this stage of their academic journey.