Where a student applies from shapes an application more than many families expect. Each state sets its own rules for its public universities, from automatic admission by class rank in Texas to the University of California's own GPA calculation, and the high schools in each region report grades and rigor in their own ways. These guides explain what's different about applying from each region, with every fact checked against the published sources of the colleges and schools involved.
Passage Point Admissions is based in South Florida and offers in-person advising in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties; our locations page has the details. Families everywhere else are advised virtually. For guides to individual high schools, see our high school guides.
Florida
Miami-Dade
College Admissions for Miami-Dade Private School Students
The University of Miami at home, Florida options, bilingual strengths, and hurricane-season realities.
Read the guidePalm Beach County
College Admissions in Palm Beach County
Choice programs, IB and AICE, dual enrollment, Bright Futures, and Florida universities for Palm Beach County students.
Read the guideTexas
Dallas
College Admissions for Dallas Private School Students
Texas automatic admission and class rank, UT Austin and Texas A&M, SMU, and applying nationally.
Read the guideHouston
College Admissions for Houston Private School Students
Rice University close to home, the Texas flagships without automatic admission, and testing across a list.
Read the guideCalifornia
Los Angeles
College Admissions for Los Angeles Private School Students
UCLA and USC side by side, arts portfolios and auditions, and applying from an LA independent school.
Read the guideSilicon Valley
College Admissions in Silicon Valley
UC and CSU for California residents, Stanford's early plan, testing, and competitive peer groups.
Read the guideNew York
New York City
College Admissions for NYC Private School Students
Early Decision culture, peer groups, Cornell contract colleges, and Macaulay Honors for NYC families.
Read the guideWestchester
College Admissions for Westchester Families
Transcripts without rank or AP, counseling through deans, SUNY and the Top 10% Promise, and testing.
Read the guideHow We Write These Guides
Each regional guide is researched from primary sources, including colleges' admission pages, state law, and high schools' published profiles, and each lists its sources along with the month its facts were verified. The guides are educational. They don't imply any relationship with the schools or colleges they mention, and they're written to be useful whether or not a family ever works with us. Our editorial standards explain how we research, review, and correct them.
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