Do colleges look at freshman year grades? Most see all four years on the transcript. The University of California calculates its GPA from courses after 9th grade, Stanford calls grade 9 a transition year, and McGill asks for grades 10 to 12. What counts, and why 9th grade still matters.
College AI policies, audited October 6, 2026: 19 of 50 highly selective US colleges publish no rule for applicants on generative AI, 26 permit limited use such as brainstorming or grammar checks, and 3 prohibit it. Every row links to the school's own page. Updated each cycle.
Taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade lets a student reach calculus by senior year without doubling up. About 24% of 13-year-olds were enrolled in Algebra 1 in 2023, down from 34% in 2012. What grade Algebra 1 is taken, what selective colleges expect in math, and how a student can catch up.
An AI major shares its computing core with computer science. At Carnegie Mellon the two degrees require the same five core courses; AI replaces algorithm design and analysis with a statistics course and adds three required AI courses. The bigger difference is how each college admits to it.
The Carnegie Mellon artificial intelligence major (BSAI) began in fall 2018, and the university describes it as the nation's first bachelor's degree in AI. Applicants apply to the School of Computer Science, start undeclared, and declare in the spring of the first year.
USAAIO Round 1 for the 2027 cycle is on February 19, 2027, and registration closes January 31, 2027. The USA AI Olympiad is open to K-12 students in the US and Canada and selects Team USA, which won two gold, three silver, and three bronze medals at the 2026 international olympiad.
Seven selective universities in this guide grant a standalone undergraduate AI major: Carnegie Mellon (since fall 2018), MIT, Penn, UC San Diego, Purdue, and, new for fall 2026, Northwestern and USC. The best colleges for artificial intelligence are grouped here by how a student gets in.
The UPenn AI major is the BSE in Artificial Intelligence at Penn Engineering, announced February 13, 2024 as the first undergraduate AI major in the Ivy League. Applicants choose it on the application; the degree runs 37 course units, and Penn admitted 5.8% of applicants for the Class of 2030.
About 6,700 students win a National Merit Scholarship each year. This guide covers how the competition works, the three award types and what each is worth, the roughly 140 sponsor colleges, and the first-choice rule that decides college-sponsored awards.
About 15,000 students, roughly 95% of Semifinalists, become National Merit Finalists each year. This guide covers the Finalist requirements, the confirming SAT or ACT rule, the Class of 2027 deadlines, and what Finalists receive.
A 1300 on the PSAT/NMSQT predicts a 1300 on the SAT taken the same day, because College Board puts both tests on one scale. This guide explains PSAT to SAT conversion, how national score distributions compare, and how to set an SAT target.
NMSC names about 34,000 Commended Students a year, the high scorers who meet a national qualifying score but fall below their state Semifinalist cutoff. This guide covers how National Merit Commended Scholar status works, scholarships, and admissions value.
Enter two PSAT section scores to get the total score and the NMSC Selection Index, then compare the index with the Class of 2027 Semifinalist cutoff for any state, which ranged from 208 to 223, and with the Commended level of 208.
The average 11th grader scored 1000 on the PSAT in 2025-26, and 3.7% of juniors reached 1400 or higher. This guide covers the PSAT score range, average scores by grade, percentiles, what counts as a good score, and how scores connect to National Merit.
PSAT scores come out October 22, November 5, or November 12, 2026, depending on when the school submits answers. This guide covers the fall 2026 release schedule, how students get scores, what the report shows, and the National Merit dates that follow.
Rice admitted 11.3% of Early Decision applicants for the Class of 2029 (647 of 5,748, CDS 2025-2026) against 7.4% outside the binding rounds, the narrowest ED edge in the top 25 - yet 629 of the 647 enrolled, filling roughly half the class.