r/ApplyingToCollege

Community Overview
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About r/ApplyingToCollege

r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to college list help and application advice, career guidance, and more. A2C supports a welcoming and inclusive environment. Harassment, intimidation, and bullying are not tolerated.

The community at a glance

r/ApplyingToCollege is a Subreddit for Students with roughly 1.3M members. It has been around since 2013. It has both a forum and a live chat communication style. It is the 4th largest community in the Students topic page.

Roughly 79K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include College, Looking, and Waitlist. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Pain & Anger. Product recommendations often mention college, university, and business school.

On Reddit
Established 2013
1.3M Members

Community Topics

Community Features

Forum

This community has a forum

Chat

This community has a realtime chat

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +79K members
Growth: +6.3% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2014: 775 members
  • 2015: 3K members
  • 2016: 5K members
  • 2017: 17K members
  • 2018: 44K members
  • 2019: 79K members
  • 2020: 130K members
  • 2021: 310K members
  • 2023: 481K members
  • 2024: 59K members
  • 2025: 152K members
  • 2026: 42K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Jul: 3K members
  • Aug: 5K members
  • Sep: 5K members
  • Oct: 5K members
  • Nov: 8K members
  • Dec: 10K members
  • Jan: 9K members
  • Feb: 7K members
  • Mar: 9K members
  • Apr: 7K members
  • May: 7K members
  • Jun: 3K members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    24 posts in the past month
    1. schools for poly sci that arent ivy’s…?
    2. Question for those who have already applied
    3. hwcs
    #1
    Advice Requests
    schools for poly sci that arent ivy’s…? · Question for those who have already applied · hwcs
    24
  • Pain & Anger
    5 posts in the past month
    1. College admissions are too easy
    2. How the hell do people get into Harvard?
    3. Stop shamming people for not wanting to go to community college or trade school.
    #2
    Pain & Anger
    College admissions are too easy · How the hell do people get into Harvard? · Stop shamming people for not wanting to go to community college or trade school.
    5
  • Ideas
    2 posts in the past month
    1. we need a harder standardized test
    2. ideas for common app essay helpp
    #3
    Ideas
    we need a harder standardized test · ideas for common app essay helpp
    2
  • News
    1 post in the past month
    1. UC considers restoring SAT, ACT after faculty warning on math skills - SF Chronicle
    #4
    News
    UC considers restoring SAT, ACT after faculty warning on math skills - SF Chronicle
    1
  • Money Talk
    1 post in the past month
    1. How much did you guys spend on applications to college
    #5
    Money Talk
    How much did you guys spend on applications to college
    1

Topics

  • College
    208 posts in the past month
    1. What’s it like going to college with billionaire kids?
    2. My Community College Journey to Berkeley
    3. High school student taking class at college during summer but can’t afford material needed
    #1
    College
    What’s it like going to college with billionaire kids? · My Community College Journey to Berkeley · High school student taking class at college during summer but can’t afford material needed
    208
  • Looking
    59 posts in the past month
    #2
    Looking
    59
  • Waitlist
    36 posts in the past month
    1. Penn Waitlist Update: Admissions Office Says Class of 2030 Is Full!
    2. Columbia Waitlist Update
    3. Called Columbia about waitlist
    #3
    Waitlist
    Penn Waitlist Update: Admissions Office Says Class of 2030 Is Full! · Columbia Waitlist Update · Called Columbia about waitlist
    36
  • School
    33 posts in the past month
    1. High school student taking class at college during summer but can’t afford material needed
    2. does my school have inflation or deflation???
    #4
    School
    High school student taking class at college during summer but can’t afford material needed · does my school have inflation or deflation???
    33
  • Admissions
    26 posts in the past month
    1. Do admissions officers really take the “more information” section seriously?
    #5
    Admissions
    Do admissions officers really take the “more information” section seriously?
    26

Flair

  • Application Question
    42 posts in the past month
    1. Former AO: Stop Wasting the 150 Characters in the Activities Section
    2. Parents not letting me ask 10th grade teacher for LOR.
    3. Is representing the USA in any one of the well known Science olympiads internationally basically a shoo in for t10 unis?
    #1
    Application Question
    Former AO: Stop Wasting the 150 Characters in the Activities Section · Parents not letting me ask 10th grade teacher for LOR. · Is representing the USA in any one of the well known Science olympiads internationally basically a shoo in for t10 unis?
    42
  • Waitlists/Deferrals
    33 posts in the past month
    1. Penn Waitlist Update: Admissions Office Says Class of 2030 Is Full!
    2. i just got off brown waitlist
    3. Columbia Waitlist Update
    #2
    Waitlists/Deferrals
    Penn Waitlist Update: Admissions Office Says Class of 2030 Is Full! · i just got off brown waitlist · Columbia Waitlist Update
    33
  • College Questions
    32 posts in the past month
    1. Why is Duke, Uchicago, and Northwestern still so resistant about reinstating a mandatory standardized testing requirement??
    2. Brown vs Cornell
    3. what school is most like stanford but on the east coast?
    #3
    College Questions
    Why is Duke, Uchicago, and Northwestern still so resistant about reinstating a mandatory standardized testing requirement?? · Brown vs Cornell · what school is most like stanford but on the east coast?
    32
  • Discussion
    28 posts in the past month
    1. Atlantic article: Actually, the SAT Was Necessary After All
    2. we need a harder standardized test
    3. Penn announces 5.8% acceptance rate for Class of 2030
    #4
    Discussion
    Atlantic article: Actually, the SAT Was Necessary After All · we need a harder standardized test · Penn announces 5.8% acceptance rate for Class of 2030
    28
  • Advice
    28 posts in the past month
    1. How did I not make it absolutely anywhere
    2. Choosing between a full ride and a top 25 school
    3. My Community College Journey to Berkeley
    #5
    Advice
    How did I not make it absolutely anywhere · Choosing between a full ride and a top 25 school · My Community College Journey to Berkeley
    28

Product recommendations

  • college
    34 posts in the past month
    1. best college i can get into (in the florida area)?
    2. Best College I can get into?
    3. which is the best option for an international student?
    #1
    college
    best college i can get into (in the florida area)? · Best College I can get into? · which is the best option for an international student?
    34
  • university
    20 posts in the past month
    1. UCSB (full price) or best private uni in home country (not globally recognised) as an international student
    2. My UK Acceptances - Which Program is Best?
    3. What are the best colleges for Goldman Sachs
    #2
    university
    UCSB (full price) or best private uni in home country (not globally recognised) as an international student · My UK Acceptances - Which Program is Best? · What are the best colleges for Goldman Sachs
    20
  • business school
    6 posts in the past month
    1. Best universities for Econ/Business in a "good" price for international students
    2. Which college has the best undergrad business/finance program?
    3. Which college has the best undergrad business/finance program?
    #3
    business school
    Best universities for Econ/Business in a "good" price for international students · Which college has the best undergrad business/finance program? · Which college has the best undergrad business/finance program?
    6
View full analysis on GummySearchSynced 6/16/2026

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/ApplyingToCollege for?
Best for Students enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion, live chat.
Is r/ApplyingToCollege free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/ApplyingToCollege have?
Roughly 1.3M members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/ApplyingToCollege on?
r/ApplyingToCollege runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/ApplyingToCollege cover?
On the Hive Index, r/ApplyingToCollege is organized under Students.
How do I join r/ApplyingToCollege?
You can join r/ApplyingToCollege by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Students communities like?
Communities for students at high school, university, and graduate level, covering study skills, campus life, career prep, and mental health. Discord hosts massive study communities with focus rooms and accountability systems, while Reddit has subreddits for specific schools, programs, and academic disciplines.
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Added 10/21/2021

Monthly Stats

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