What Is Class Rank Reporting?

Everything you need to know about class rank & the admissions process.

Students everywhere know that a litany of factors determine whether or not they will be admitted into a certain college. From GPA to test scores, everything is scrutinized during the admissions process. One of the more ambiguous considerations for college is class rank reporting.

Many students don't know their class rank or even what class rank is, let alone how it's determined. And how much does it really matter when applying to colleges? We've broken it down so you feel ready if and when your college asks about your class rank.

What is class rank reporting?

Class rank reporting refers to how your high school reports students' academic performance regarding their graduating class. There are specific factors that impact a student's class rank, which include:

• Degree of difficulty of courses

• The grade earned in the courses

• GPA

This helps colleges determine how well the student did in comparison to everyone else within the same academic environment. Some schools report their class ranks as actual numbers (#1, #2, and so on), while others go off a percentile system (i.e. top 10% of the class).

How class rank reporting impacts college admissions

The importance of class rank varies between colleges and is subject to their own admissions processes. Some colleges may weigh class rank more heavily than other factors. Having a higher class rank is usually an advantage when it comes to college applications, especially for more competitive schools.

However, other factors aside from class rank are also used during the application process, such as:

• Extracurricular activities

• Essays

• Recommendations

• Interviews

How to report your class rank

If your school participates in class rank, it should be automatically included on your high school transcript. Therefore, when you send in your application, the colleges will already have it. If it's not included, most colleges will be able to give an estimate of where the student falls based on other information included in the transcript.

The Common App allows students to self-report their class rank, but this is not required. If your school doesn't participate in class rank, students can indicate this within the app. Colleges are becoming more used to the fact that many colleges are forgoing class rank, and it will not negatively impact your application.

What if your school doesn't do class rank reporting?

It's important to note that some schools have decided against having class ranks. Most high schools still report their class ranks to colleges, but not all of them do. If this is the case, colleges will look at factors like:

• The high school itself and how academically challenging it is

• GPA

• Rigor of courses taken by the student

• Test scores

These factors will weigh heavier if class rank is not an option.

Some selective colleges also use what is known as the Academic Index. This value represents how strong a student's grades are, test scores, and class rank. If you meet the Academic Index cutoff for a certain college, your application will, at the very least, be considered. Colleges do not make public what their specific cutoff is, though.