QuestBridge
Pathway to a Top College with a Full Four-Year Scholarship
The National College Match is a college admission and scholarship process through which high-achieving, low-income students can be admitted early with full four-year scholarships to QuestBridge college partners.
What is a QuestBridge match?
The National College Match is a college admission and scholarship process through which high-achieving, low-income students can be admitted early with full four-year scholarships to QuestBridge college partners.
How does the National College Match work?
QuestBridge is a non-profit organization that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission and scholarships to 42 of the country’s top-ranked colleges. QuestBridge does this by partnering with these schools to identify and support students who otherwise may not apply to leading colleges. We administer a unique application (the National College Match application) that focuses on the achievements and academic success of students who face economic challenges, and help to guide applicants through the college admissions process. Our college partners ultimately decide which students to admit, and they provide the scholarships, not QuestBridge.
You can learn more about the National College Match process by reviewing the following pages on our website:
We also encourage you to read QuestBridge Scholar stories for inspiration from past QuestBridge applicants.
Academic Achievement
We seek students who have demonstrated a level of academic achievement that meets or exceeds the admissions standards of our colleges. The following is based on profiles of past Finalists, and are not strict cut-offs:
Grades and rigor of high school curriculum
Primarily A's in the most challenging courses available (usually including Honors, AP, and/or IB level courses.)
Class rank
Top 5-10% of graduating class.
Standardized test scores (if taken)
SAT score >1280
ACT composite score >27
We also recommend submitting any AP, IB, TOEFL, or SAT Subject Test scores, if available.
Students who do not have standardized test scores can still be selected as Finalists if the rest of their application is strong; however, they should ensure they meet the standardized testing requirements for each college partner they're interested in.
Additional criteria
We also look for evidence of strong writing ability, intellectual spark, and determination through essays and teacher/counselor recommendations.
NATIONAL COLLEGE MATCH: WHO SHOULD APPLY
We are looking for high school seniors who have shown outstanding academic ability despite financial challenges. We take a holistic approach to reviewing applications, and we do not have absolute criteria or cut-offs for GPA, standardized test scores, income, or other factors.
In order to be eligible to apply to the National College Match in the fall of 2020, applicants must graduate from high school during or before the summer of 2021 and plan to enroll as a freshman in college in the fall of 2021.
Financial Qualifications
Finalists typically come from households earning less than $65,000 annually for a typical family of four and have minimal assets. This is not a strict cut-off and we encourage students who feel they have faced significant financial hardship to review these financial criteria carefully to see if they may qualify.
Personal Circumstances
We also take the following factors into account when reviewing applications:
Parents' level of education
70% of Finalists are among the first generation in their family to attend a four-year college in the U.S.
Extenuating circumstances
Students who have an unusual level of responsibility, such as part-time jobs to help their parents pay the bills, or caring for siblings if their parents are absent or at work.
Extracurricular achievements
Accomplishments and leadership roles in extracurricular and community activities.