Introducing The Oriel 25: A Search for the Most Remarkable New Students of the Class of 2030
By Rona Aydin
TL;DR: The Oriel 25 is an annual editorial recognition list from Oriel Admissions honoring 25 remarkable incoming first-year students of the Class of 2030 at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford, and MIT. There is no fee to enter and no monetary prize; each honoree receives a written profile published by Oriel Admissions and coordinated press outreach to hometown and national outlets. Entries are open now, close on September 30, 2026, and the list will be announced on October 13, 2026. A complete entry takes about ten minutes and is verified through an active college .edu email address. Complete the entry form here.
What Is The Oriel 25?
Every fall, a new class arrives at the ten most selective campuses in America carrying stories that deserve a wider audience: the researcher who ran experiments on a kitchen table, the debater who built a program for an entire region, the founder who turned a family hardship into a nonprofit. Those stories usually stay local. We think they should not.
Today Oriel Admissions is opening entries for The Oriel 25, an annual editorial project recognizing 25 remarkable incoming students of the Class of 2030 across Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford, and MIT.
The Oriel 25 is a recognition list, not a scholarship and not a contest of grades. Our editorial team reads every entry and selects 25 students whose paths to campus tell us something worth sharing: unusual research, entrepreneurship, artistry, service, athletic or academic distinction, or a story of persistence that stands on its own. Each honoree receives a written profile published by Oriel Admissions on October 13, 2026, along with coordinated press outreach so that hometown and national outlets can tell the story too.
There is no fee to enter and no monetary prize. The recognition is the profile, the platform, and the press moment at the start of a college career.
Who Can Enter The Oriel 25?
Entry is open to students who meet all of the following criteria:
- You are a United States resident.
- You are 18 or older at the time of entry.
- You are enrolled as an incoming first-year student in the Class of 2030 at one of the ten universities listed above.
Verification is simple by design. We confirm enrollment through your active college .edu email address. There are no transcripts to send, no documents to upload, and no letters of recommendation. A complete entry takes about ten minutes. Full eligibility terms appear on the entry form.
Current and former clients of Oriel Admissions are not eligible, in this edition or any future edition. The list only means something if selection is independent, and we intend to keep it that way.
How Does Selection Work?
Entries are reviewed internally by our founder, who leads all editorial decisions, and the Oriel Admissions editorial team. We read for substance rather than polish. A plainly written entry about real work will always beat an elaborate one about very little.
What Are The Key Dates?
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Entries open | Open now |
| Entries close | September 30, 2026 |
| The Oriel 25 announced | October 13, 2026 |
How Do You Enter?
Complete the entry form at this link. Questions can go to oriel25@orieladmissions.com.
If you are starting at one of these ten schools this fall, or you know someone who is, we would love to read the story. Counselors, teachers, and proud family members are welcome to pass this along; the entry itself must come from the student.
We will see you on October 13.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Oriel 25
No. The Oriel 25 is an editorial recognition list. There is no fee to enter and no monetary prize. Each honoree receives a written profile published by Oriel Admissions and coordinated press outreach at the start of a college career.
The Oriel 25 recognizes incoming first-year students at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford, and MIT.
Entry is open to United States residents who are 18 or older at the time of entry and enrolled as incoming first-year students in the Class of 2030 at one of the ten universities on the list.
No. Current and former clients of Oriel Admissions are not eligible, in this edition or any future edition. Independent selection is essential to the credibility of the list.
Enrollment is confirmed through an active college .edu email address. There are no transcripts to send, no documents to upload, and no letters of recommendation. A complete entry takes about ten minutes.
Each honoree receives a written profile published by Oriel Admissions on October 13, 2026, along with coordinated press outreach so that hometown and national outlets can share the story.
No. Counselors, teachers, and family members are welcome to share the opportunity, but the entry itself must come from the student.
The team reads for substance rather than polish: unusual research, entrepreneurship, artistry, service, athletic or academic distinction, or a story of persistence that stands on its own. A plainly written entry about real work will always beat an elaborate one about very little.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a Princeton-based college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy. Our strong team guides students through a distinctive 360 approach that covers every dimension of the application. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
