college application essay scoring rubric

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Last updated August 6, 2024

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Blog > Common App > The Best College Application Essay Rubric

The Best College Application Essay Rubric

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Kylie Kistner, MA Former Willamette University Admissions

Key Takeaway

Are your eyes blurry from staring at your college essay for hours on end? It's time to pull out a rubric. Rubrics are scoring tools that can help you identify changes to make before you submit.

If you’re reading this post, you probably have a finished draft of your college essay. Congrats!

Now, you might be wondering: what do I do now?

It’s time to evaluate what you’ve written so you can get to editing.

But evaluating writing is difficult. Different people have different opinions about what a piece of writing should do or look like, so one person may love an essay that another person hates. Unlike disciplines with clearer, more objective solutions to problems (think math or chemistry), writing leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

Even in college admissions, what resonates with one admissions officer may be uninspired to a different one.

But if everyone has different opinions, then how do you know whether what you’ve written is good?

Enter: a rubric.

Rubrics are excellent tools to help you evaluate your writing. They’re those pesky tables that your English teachers have probably stapled to the back of your AP Lit essays.

While rubrics won’t eliminate differences of opinion, they can help you understand how your essay stacks up to a generally agreed-upon set of standardized college essay conventions.

In this post, we break down what a rubric is and how you can use one to score your essay. We also give you some tips for editing after you evaluate your essay.

What is a rubric?

Rubrics can have different layouts. But in general, they are tables that outline the specific criteria that a piece of writing should meet. They often measure factors like organization, theme, grammar, and more.

The table then ranks each of these categories on a numerical scale. A lower score means that the essay needs a lot of improvement in that particular category. A higher score means that the essay excels in that category.

Overall, the point of a rubric is to help you evaluate your own essay in a semi-objective way.

This is important because it gives you guidance about how to proceed with your editing process. Just like you should have a plan before you start drafting, you should also have a plan before you start editing.

Application deadlines will be here before you know it, so being strategic about your editing process will help you use your time efficiently. You’ll know where your essay is weakest, so you can focus most of your effort there. You’ll also know where your essay excels, so you can use those sections to build momentum for the rest of your essay.

Alright—let’s go through the rubric.

College Essay Rubric Breakdown

We developed this rubric to help our Essay Academy students assess their essays. If you’d like to join the ranks of Essay Academy members and get a fuller version of this rubric, check out the Essay Academy program .

But this version is available free for download below. It’s designed specifically for the Common Application, and it lists five categories that all good college essays should excel at.

Thematic Development: What is your essay’s theme, and how well do you develop it?

Meaningful Topic: Is your topic meaningful, deeply personal, and vulnerable?

Strengths: Does your essay convey a core strength?

Structure: How well is your essay organized?

Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation: Is your essay free of errors? Does it demonstrate skill in standard written English?

Attention to each of these categories is necessary to writing a successful college essay.

To help you evaluate how well your essay does in each category, the rubric lays out a ranking system, with 1 being the lowest and 4 being the highest.

Each column of the table shows a numerical rank and a description of what an essay that scores in that category will look like.

1: The essay does not meet the requirements of the category and needs significant improvements.

2: The essay makes an earnest attempt at meeting the requirements of the category, but it still needs improvement.

3: The essay meets the requirements of the category but does not exceed them.

4: The essay exceeds the requirements of the category. It is exemplary.

These measurements apply to each of the five categories.

An essay that deserves a “4” in “Thematic Development,” for example, will “retain clear and prompt-fitting focus that develops a clear, consistent main idea throughout the entire essay.”

Now that we’ve gotten the rubric basics down, let’s talk about how to score your essay.

How to Score Your Essay with a Rubric

For the rubric to be useful, you’ll need to score your essay in each category. That means that you’ll need to re-read your essay and honestly evaluate it.

First, a brief note on critical evaluation is in order. Throughout the writing process, there are times to be critical of yourself and times to be forgiving. Evaluating your essay is a time to be critical. That doesn’t mean tearing yourself down or being too harsh on yourself. It does mean being realistic with yourself and not sugarcoating your evaluation. It’s better for you to be critical now than for an admissions officer to be critical later. The consequences of you being critical will be a better final draft. The consequences of an admissions officer being critical could be a rejection.

This process is a little tedious, so we’ll go step by step.

Step 1: Before you being reading, explore the rubric thoroughly and understand what each of the categories asks you to do. You might also consider reading our guide to writing a college essay to get a more holistic view of what you’re aiming for.

Step 2: Start by thinking about the first four categories (thematic development, meaningful topic, strengths, and structure). These are the biggest categories that will have the most significant impact on the overall makeup of your essay.

Step 3: Re-read your essay with these criteria in mind, and circle your scores on the rubric. Don’t worry about fixing them quite yet.

Step 4: Then think through the final category (grammar, spelling, and punctuation).

Step 5: Re-read your essay again, paying particular attention to these sections. As you go, feel free to note any glaring errors, run-on sentences, or odd word choice you notice.

Step 6: Circle your grammar score on the rubric

You should now have five total scores, one in each category.

Step 7: Take the lowest scores, and that’s where you’ll start your revisions.

Using a Rubric to Edit Your College Essay

Once you’ve evaluated your college essay, it’s time to begin editing.

Make a list of which revisions you want to prioritize first based on your lowest scores. Look at the description for a “4” score in those categories. What do those descriptions list that your essay doesn’t have? Make note of each thing you need to improve.

Then get to editing. It’s a good idea to copy and paste your essay into a new document so you don’t lose any of your original work, just in case you want to recover anything.

Start with the larger issues first—those of theme, meaning, strength, and structure. You’ll want to prioritize the biggest revisions because those will likely affect all parts of your essay. Prioritizing these first will help you avoid doing work that you’ll later delete anyway.

Once you’re done with your revisions, re-score your essay using the rubric. You can even hand your essay and the rubric to a trusted adult to score. If you still have areas of improvement, revise again.

When you’re scoring 3-4 in every category, you’ll know you’re ready to submit.

( Psst—need more editing help? Let's work together .)

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Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates

A rubric is a scoring tool that identifies the different criteria relevant to an assignment, assessment, or learning outcome and states the possible levels of achievement in a specific, clear, and objective way. Use rubrics to assess project-based student work including essays, group projects, creative endeavors, and oral presentations.

Rubrics can help instructors communicate expectations to students and assess student work fairly, consistently and efficiently. Rubrics can provide students with informative feedback on their strengths and weaknesses so that they can reflect on their performance and work on areas that need improvement.

How to Get Started

Best practices, moodle how-to guides.

• Workshop Recording (Spring 2024)
• Workshop Registration

Step 1: Analyze the assignment

The first step in the rubric creation process is to analyze the assignment or assessment for which you are creating a rubric. To do this, consider the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the assignment and your feedback? What do you want students to demonstrate through the completion of this assignment (i.e. what are the learning objectives measured by it)? Is it a summative assessment, or will students use the feedback to create an improved product?
• Does the assignment break down into different or smaller tasks? Are these tasks equally important as the main assignment?
• What would an “excellent” assignment look like? An “acceptable” assignment? One that still needs major work?
• How detailed do you want the feedback you give students to be? Do you want/need to give them a grade?

Step 2: Decide what kind of rubric you will use

Types of rubrics: holistic, analytic/descriptive, single-point

Holistic Rubric. A holistic rubric includes all the criteria (such as clarity, organization, mechanics, etc.) to be considered together and included in a single evaluation. With a holistic rubric, the rater or grader assigns a single score based on an overall judgment of the student’s work, using descriptions of each performance level to assign the score.

Advantages of holistic rubrics:

• Can p lace an emphasis on what learners can demonstrate rather than what they cannot
• Save grader time by minimizing the number of evaluations to be made for each student
• Can be used consistently across raters, provided they have all been trained

Disadvantages of holistic rubrics:

• Provide less specific feedback than analytic/descriptive rubrics
• Can be difficult to choose a score when a student’s work is at varying levels across the criteria
• Any weighting of c riteria cannot be indicated in the rubric

Analytic/Descriptive Rubric . An analytic or descriptive rubric often takes the form of a table with the criteria listed in the left column and with levels of performance listed across the top row. Each cell contains a description of what the specified criterion looks like at a given level of performance. Each of the criteria is scored individually.

Advantages of analytic rubrics:

• Provide detailed feedback on areas of strength or weakness
• Each criterion can be weighted to reflect its relative importance

Disadvantages of analytic rubrics:

• More time-consuming to create and use than a holistic rubric
• May not be used consistently across raters unless the cells are well defined
• May result in giving less personalized feedback

Single-Point Rubric . A single-point rubric is breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria, but instead of describing different levels of performance, only the “proficient” level is described. Feedback space is provided for instructors to give individualized comments to help students improve and/or show where they excelled beyond the proficiency descriptors.

Advantages of single-point rubrics:

• Easier to create than an analytic/descriptive rubric
• Perhaps more likely that students will read the descriptors
• Areas of concern and excellence are open-ended
• May removes a focus on the grade/points
• May increase student creativity in project-based assignments

Disadvantage of analytic rubrics: Requires more work for instructors writing feedback

Step 3 (Optional): Look for templates and examples.

You might Google, “Rubric for persuasive essay at the college level” and see if there are any publicly available examples to start from. Ask your colleagues if they have used a rubric for a similar assignment. Some examples are also available at the end of this article. These rubrics can be a great starting point for you, but consider steps 3, 4, and 5 below to ensure that the rubric matches your assignment description, learning objectives and expectations.

Step 4: Define the assignment criteria

Make a list of the knowledge and skills are you measuring with the assignment/assessment Refer to your stated learning objectives, the assignment instructions, past examples of student work, etc. for help.

  Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:

• Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
• Brainstorm and discuss with students
• Can they be observed and measured?
• Are they important and essential?
• Are they distinct from other criteria?
• Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
• Revise the criteria as needed
• Consider whether some are more important than others, and how you will weight them.

Step 5: Design the rating scale

Most ratings scales include between 3 and 5 levels. Consider the following questions when designing your rating scale:

• Given what students are able to demonstrate in this assignment/assessment, what are the possible levels of achievement?
• How many levels would you like to include (more levels means more detailed descriptions)
• Will you use numbers and/or descriptive labels for each level of performance? (for example 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and/or Exceeds expectations, Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Beginning, etc.)
• Don’t use too many columns, and recognize that some criteria can have more columns that others . The rubric needs to be comprehensible and organized. Pick the right amount of columns so that the criteria flow logically and naturally across levels.

Step 6: Write descriptions for each level of the rating scale

Artificial Intelligence tools like Chat GPT have proven to be useful tools for creating a rubric. You will want to engineer your prompt that you provide the AI assistant to ensure you get what you want. For example, you might provide the assignment description, the criteria you feel are important, and the number of levels of performance you want in your prompt. Use the results as a starting point, and adjust the descriptions as needed.

Building a rubric from scratch

For a single-point rubric , describe what would be considered “proficient,” i.e. B-level work, and provide that description. You might also include suggestions for students outside of the actual rubric about how they might surpass proficient-level work.

For analytic and holistic rubrics , c reate statements of expected performance at each level of the rubric.

• Consider what descriptor is appropriate for each criteria, e.g., presence vs absence, complete vs incomplete, many vs none, major vs minor, consistent vs inconsistent, always vs never. If you have an indicator described in one level, it will need to be described in each level.
• You might start with the top/exemplary level. What does it look like when a student has achieved excellence for each/every criterion? Then, look at the “bottom” level. What does it look like when a student has not achieved the learning goals in any way? Then, complete the in-between levels.
• For an analytic rubric , do this for each particular criterion of the rubric so that every cell in the table is filled. These descriptions help students understand your expectations and their performance in regard to those expectations.

Well-written descriptions:

• Describe observable and measurable behavior
• Use parallel language across the scale
• Indicate the degree to which the standards are met

Step 7: Create your rubric

Create your rubric in a table or spreadsheet in Word, Google Docs, Sheets, etc., and then transfer it by typing it into Moodle. You can also use online tools to create the rubric, but you will still have to type the criteria, indicators, levels, etc., into Moodle. Rubric creators: Rubistar , iRubric

Step 8: Pilot-test your rubric

Prior to implementing your rubric on a live course, obtain feedback from:

• Teacher assistants

Try out your new rubric on a sample of student work. After you pilot-test your rubric, analyze the results to consider its effectiveness and revise accordingly.

• Limit the rubric to a single page for reading and grading ease
• Use parallel language . Use similar language and syntax/wording from column to column. Make sure that the rubric can be easily read from left to right or vice versa.
• Use student-friendly language . Make sure the language is learning-level appropriate. If you use academic language or concepts, you will need to teach those concepts.
• Share and discuss the rubric with your students . Students should understand that the rubric is there to help them learn, reflect, and self-assess. If students use a rubric, they will understand the expectations and their relevance to learning.
• Consider scalability and reusability of rubrics. Create rubric templates that you can alter as needed for multiple assignments.
• Maximize the descriptiveness of your language. Avoid words like “good” and “excellent.” For example, instead of saying, “uses excellent sources,” you might describe what makes a resource excellent so that students will know. You might also consider reducing the reliance on quantity, such as a number of allowable misspelled words. Focus instead, for example, on how distracting any spelling errors are.

Example of an analytic rubric for a final paper

Example of a holistic rubric for a final paper

Single-Point Rubric

More examples:

• Single Point Rubric Template ( variation )
• Analytic Rubric Template make a copy to edit
• A Rubric for Rubrics
• Bank of Online Discussion Rubrics in different formats
• Mathematical Presentations Descriptive Rubric
• Math Proof Assessment Rubric
• Kansas State Sample Rubrics
• Design Single Point Rubric

Technology Tools: Rubrics in Moodle

• Moodle Docs: Rubrics
• Moodle Docs: Grading Guide (use for single-point rubrics)

Tools with rubrics (other than Moodle)

• Google Assignments
• Turnitin Assignments: Rubric or Grading Form

Other resources

• DePaul University (n.d.). Rubrics .
• Gonzalez, J. (2014). Know your terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics . Cult of Pedagogy.
• Goodrich, H. (1996). Understanding rubrics . Teaching for Authentic Student Performance, 54 (4), 14-17. Retrieved from   
• Miller, A. (2012). Tame the beast: tips for designing and using rubrics.
• Ragupathi, K., Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education. In: Sanger, C., Gleason, N. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

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Home > Resources > Academic essay rubric

Academic essay rubric

This is a grading rubric an instructor uses to assess students’ work on this type of assignment. It is a sample rubric that needs to be edited to reflect the specifics of a particular assignment. 

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SAT Essay Rubric: Full Analysis and Writing Strategies

We're about to dive deep into the details of that least beloved* of SAT sections, the SAT essay . Prepare for a discussion of the SAT essay rubric and how the SAT essay is graded based on that. I'll break down what each item on the rubric means and what you need to do to meet those requirements.

On the SAT, the last section you'll encounter is the (optional) essay. You have 50 minutes to read a passage, analyze the author's argument, and write an essay. If you don’t write on the assignment, plagiarize, or don't use your own original work, you'll get a 0 on your essay. Otherwise, your essay scoring is done by two graders - each one grades you on a scale of 1-4 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing, for a total essay score out of 8 in each of those three areas . But how do these graders assign your writing a numerical grade? By using an essay scoring guide, or rubric.

*may not actually be the least belovèd.

Feature image credit: Day 148: the end of time by Bruce Guenter , used under CC BY 2.0 /Cropped from original. 

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

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In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

The Complete SAT Essay Grading Rubric: Item-by-Item Breakdown

Based on the CollegeBoard’s stated Reading, Analysis, and Writing criteria, I've created the below charts (for easier comparison across score points). For the purpose of going deeper into just what the SAT is looking for in your essay, I've then broken down each category further (with examples).

The information in all three charts is taken from the College Board site .

The biggest change to the SAT essay (and the thing that really distinguishes it from the ACT essay) is that you are required to read and analyze a text , then write about your analysis of the author's argument in your essay. Your "Reading" grade on the SAT essay reflects how well you were able to demonstrate your understanding of the text and the author's argument in your essay.

You'll need to show your understanding of the text on two different levels: the surface level of getting your facts right and the deeper level of getting the relationship of the details and the central ideas right.

Surface Level: Factual Accuracy

One of the most important ways you can show you've actually read the passage is making sure you stick to what is said in the text . If you’re writing about things the author didn’t say, or things that contradict other things the author said, your argument will be fundamentally flawed.

For instance, take this quotation from a (made-up) passage about why a hot dog is not a sandwich:

“The fact that you can’t, or wouldn’t, cut a hot dog in half and eat it that way, proves that a hot dog is once and for all NOT a sandwich”

Here's an example of a factually inaccurate paraphrasing of this quotation:

The author builds his argument by discussing how, since hot-dogs are often served cut in half, this makes them different from sandwiches.

The paraphrase contradicts the passage, and so would negatively affect your reading score. Now let's look at an accurate paraphrasing of the quotation:

The author builds his argument by discussing how, since hot-dogs are never served cut in half, they are therefore different from sandwiches.

It's also important to be faithful to the text when you're using direct quotations from the passage. Misquoting or badly paraphrasing the author’s words weakens your essay, because the evidence you’re using to support your points is faulty.

Higher Level: Understanding of Central Ideas

The next step beyond being factually accurate about the passage is showing that you understand the central ideas of the text and how details of the passage relate back to this central idea.

Why does this matter? In order to be able to explain why the author is persuasive, you need to be able to explain the structure of the argument. And you can’t deconstruct the author's argument if you don’t understand the central idea of the passage and how the details relate to it.

Here's an example of a statement about our fictional "hot dogs are sandwiches" passage that shows understanding of the central idea of the passage:

Hodgman’s third primary defense of why hot dogs are not sandwiches is that a hot dog is not a subset of any other type of food. He uses the analogy of asking the question “is cereal milk a broth, sauce, or gravy?” to show that making such a comparison between hot dogs and sandwiches is patently illogical.

The above statement takes one step beyond merely being factually accurate to explain the relation between different parts of the passage (in this case, the relation between the "what is cereal milk?" analogy and the hot dog/sandwich debate).

Of course, if you want to score well in all three essay areas, you’ll need to do more in your essay than merely summarizing the author’s argument. This leads directly into the next grading area of the SAT Essay.

The items covered under this criterion are the most important when it comes to writing a strong essay. You can use well-spelled vocabulary in sentences with varied structure all you want, but if you don't analyze the author's argument, demonstrate critical thinking, and support your position, you will not get a high Analysis score .

Because this category is so important, I've broken it down even further into its two different (but equally important) component parts to make sure everything is as clearly explained as possible.

Part I: Critical Thinking (Logic)

Critical thinking, also known as critical reasoning, also known as logic, is the skill that SAT essay graders are really looking to see displayed in the essay. You need to be able to evaluate and analyze the claim put forward in the prompt. This is where a lot of students may get tripped up, because they think “oh, well, if I can just write a lot, then I’ll do well.” While there is some truth to the assertion that longer essays tend to score higher , if you don’t display critical thinking you won’t be able to get a top score on your essay.

What do I mean by critical thinking? Let's take the previous prompt example:

Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich.

An answer to this prompt that does not display critical thinking (and would fall into a 1 or 2 on the rubric) would be something like:

The author argues that hot dogs aren’t sandwiches, which is persuasive to the reader.

While this does evaluate the prompt (by providing a statement that the author's claim "is persuasive to the reader"), there is no corresponding analysis. An answer to this prompt that displays critical thinking (and would net a higher score on the rubric) could be something like this:

The author uses analogies to hammer home his point that hot dogs are not sandwiches. Because the readers will readily believe the first part of the analogy is true, they will be more likely to accept that the second part (that hot dogs aren't sandwiches) is true as well.

See the difference? Critical thinking involves reasoning your way through a situation (analysis) as well as making a judgement (evaluation) . On the SAT essay, however, you can’t just stop at abstract critical reasoning - analysis involves one more crucial step...

Part II: Examples, Reasons, and Other Evidence (Support)

The other piece of the puzzle (apparently this is a tiny puzzle) is making sure you are able to back up your point of view and critical thinking with concrete evidence . The SAT essay rubric says that the best (that is, 4-scoring) essay uses “ relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made. ” This means you can’t just stick to abstract reasoning like this:

That explanation is a good starting point, but if you don't back up your point of view with quoted or paraphrased information from the text to support your discussion of the way the author builds his/her argument, you will not be able to get above a 3 on the Analysis portion of the essay (and possibly the Reading portion as well, if you don't show you've read the passage). Let's take a look of an example of how you might support an interpretation of the author's effect on the reader using facts from the passage :

The author’s reference to the Biblical story about King Solomon elevates the debate about hot dogs from a petty squabble between friends to a life-or-death disagreement. The reader cannot help but see the parallels between the two situations and thus find themselves agreeing with the author on this point.

Does the author's reference to King Solomon actually "elevate the debate," causing the reader to agree with the author? From the sentences above, it certainly seems plausible that it might. While your facts do need to be correct,  you get a little more leeway with your interpretations of how the author’s persuasive techniques might affect the audience. As long as you can make a convincing argument for the effect a technique the author uses might have on the reader, you’ll be good.

Say whaaat?! #tbt by tradlands , used under CC BY 2.0 /Cropped and color-adjusted from original.

Did I just blow your mind? Read more about the secrets the SAT doesn’t want you to know in this article . 

Your Writing score on the SAT essay is not just a reflection of your grasp of the conventions of written English (although it is that as well). You'll also need to be focused, organized, and precise.

Because there's a lot of different factors that go into calculating your Writing score, I've divided the discussion of this rubric area into five separate items:

Precise Central Claim

Organization, vocab and word choice, sentence structure, grammar, etc..

One of the most basic rules of the SAT essay is that you need to express a clear opinion on the "assignment" (the prompt) . While in school (and everywhere else in life, pretty much) you’re encouraged to take into account all sides of a topic, it behooves you to NOT do this on the SAT essay. Why? Because you only have 50 minutes to read the passage, analyze the author's argument, and write the essay, there's no way you can discuss every single way in which the author builds his/her argument, every single detail of the passage, or a nuanced argument about what works and what doesn't work.

Instead, I recommend focusing your discussion on a few key ways the author is successful in persuading his/her audience of his/her claim.

Let’s go back to the assignment we've been using as an example throughout this article:

"Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich."

Your instinct (trained from many years of schooling) might be to answer:

"There are a variety of ways in which the author builds his argument."

This is a nice, vague statement that leaves you a lot of wiggle room. If you disagree with the author, it's also a way of avoiding having to say that the author is persuasive. Don't fall into this trap! You do not necessarily have to agree with the author's claim in order to analyze how the author persuades his/her readers that the claim is true.

Here's an example of a precise central claim about the example assignment:

The author effectively builds his argument that hot dogs are not sandwiches by using logic, allusions to history and mythology, and factual evidence.

In contrast to the vague claim that "There are a variety of ways in which the author builds his argument," this thesis both specifies what the author's argument is and the ways in which he builds the argument (that you'll be discussing in the essay).

While it's extremely important to make sure your essay has a clear point of view, strong critical reasoning, and support for your position, that's not enough to get you a top score. You need to make sure that your essay  "demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay."

What does this mean? Part of the way you can make sure your essay is "well organized" has to do with following standard essay construction points. Don't write your essay in one huge paragraph; instead, include an introduction (with your thesis stating your point of view), body paragraphs (one for each example, usually), and a conclusion. This structure might seem boring, but it really works to keep your essay organized, and the more clearly organized your essay is, the easier it will be for the essay grader to understand your critical reasoning.

The second part of this criteria has to do with keeping your essay focused, making sure it contains "a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas." You can't just say "well, I have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, so I guess my essay is organized" and expect to get a 4/4 on your essay. You need to make sure that each paragraph is also organized . Recall the sample prompt:

“Write an essay in which you explain how Hodgman builds an argument to persuade his audience that the hot dog cannot, and never should be, considered a sandwich.”

And our hypothetical thesis:

Let's say that you're writing the paragraph about the author's use of logic to persuade his reader that hot dogs aren't sandwiches. You should NOT just list ways that the author is logical in support of his claim, then explain why logic in general is an effective persuasive device. While your points might all be valid, your essay would be better served by connecting each instance of logic in the passage with an explanation of how that example of logic persuades the reader to agree with the author.

Above all, it is imperative that you make your thesis (your central claim) clear in the opening paragraph of your essay - this helps the grader keep track of your argument. There's no reason you’d want to make following your reasoning more difficult for the person grading your essay (unless you’re cranky and don’t want to do well on the essay. Listen, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life).

In your essay, you should use a wide array of vocabulary (and use it correctly). An essay that scores a 4 in Writing on the grading rubric “demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice.”

You’re allowed a few errors, even on a 4-scoring essay, so you can sometimes get away with misusing a word or two. In general, though, it’s best to stick to using words you are certain you not only know the meaning of, but also know how to use. If you’ve been studying up on vocab, make sure you practice using the words you’ve learned in sentences, and have those sentences checked by someone who is good at writing (in English), before you use those words in an SAT essay.

Creating elegant, non-awkward sentences is the thing I struggle most with under time pressure. For instance, here’s my first try at the previous sentence: “Making sure a sentence structure makes sense is the thing that I have the most problems with when I’m writing in a short amount of time” (hahaha NOPE - way too convoluted and wordy, self). As another example, take a look at these two excerpts from the hypothetical essay discussing how the author persuaded his readers that a hot dog is not a sandwich:

Score of 2: "The author makes his point by critiquing the argument against him. The author pointed out the logical fallacy of saying a hot dog was a sandwich because it was meat "sandwiched" between two breads. The author thus persuades the reader his point makes sense to be agreed with and convinces them."

The above sentences lack variety in structure (they all begin with the words "the author"), and the last sentence has serious flaws in its structure (it makes no sense).

Score of 4: "The author's rigorous examination of his opponent's position invites the reader, too, to consider this issue seriously. By laying out his reasoning, step by step, Hodgman makes it easy for the reader to follow along with his train of thought and arrive at the same destination that he has. This destination is Hodgman's claim that a hot dog is not a sandwich."

The above sentences demonstrate variety in sentence structure (they don't all begin with the same word and don't have the same underlying structure) that presumably forward the point of the essay.

In general, if you're doing well in all the other Writing areas, your sentence structures will also naturally vary. If you're really worried that your sentences are not varied enough, however, my advice for working on "demonstrating meaningful variety in sentence structure" (without ending up with terribly worded sentences) is twofold:

• Read over what you’ve written before you hand it in and change any wordings that seem awkward, clunky, or just plain incorrect.
• As you’re doing practice essays, have a friend, family member, or teacher who is good at (English) writing look over your essays and point out any issues that arise. 

This part of the Writing grade is all about the nitty gritty details of writing: grammar, punctuation, and spelling . It's rare that an essay with serious flaws in this area can score a 4/4 in Reading, Analysis, or Writing, because such persistent errors often "interfere with meaning" (that is, persistent errors make it difficult for the grader to understand what you're trying to get across).

On the other hand, if they occur in small quantities, grammar/punctuation/spelling errors are also the things that are most likely to be overlooked. If two essays are otherwise of equal quality, but one writer misspells "definitely" as "definately" and the other writer fails to explain how one of her examples supports her thesis, the first writer will receive a higher essay score. It's only when poor grammar, use of punctuation, and spelling start to make it difficult to understand your essay that the graders start penalizing you.

My advice for working on this rubric area is the same advice as for sentence structure: look over what you’ve written to double check for mistakes, and ask someone who’s good at writing to look over your practice essays and point out your errors. If you're really struggling with spelling, simply typing up your (handwritten) essay into a program like Microsoft Word and running spellcheck can alert you to problems. We've also got a great set of articles up on our blog about SAT Writing questions that may help you better understand any grammatical errors you are making.

How Do I Use The SAT Essay Grading Rubric?

Now that you understand the SAT essay rubric, how can you use it in your SAT prep? There are a couple of different ways.

Use The SAT Essay Rubric To...Shape Your Essays

Since you know what the SAT is looking for in an essay, you can now use that knowledge to guide what you write about in your essays!

A tale from my youth: when I was preparing to take the SAT for the first time, I did not really know what the essay was looking for, and assumed that since I was a good writer, I’d be fine.

Not true! The most important part of the SAT essay is using specific examples from the passage and explaining how they convince the reader of the author's point. By reading this article and realizing there's more to the essay than "being a strong writer," you’re already doing better than high school me.

Change the object in that girl’s left hand from a mirror to a textbook and you have a pretty good sketch of what my junior year of high school looked like.

Use The SAT Essay Rubric To...Grade Your Practice Essays

The SAT can’t exactly give you an answer key to the essay. Even when an example of an essay that scored a particular score is provided, that essay will probably use different examples than you did, make different arguments, maybe even argue different interpretations of the text...making it difficult to compare the two. The SAT essay rubric is the next best thing to an answer key for the essay - use it as a lens through which to view and assess your essay.

Of course, you don’t have the time to become an expert SAT essay grader - that’s not your job. You just have to apply the rubric as best as you can to your essays and work on fixing your weak areas . For the sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics stuff I highly recommend asking a friend, teacher, or family member who is really good at (English) writing to take a look over your practice essays and point out the mistakes.

If you really want custom feedback on your practice essays from experienced essay graders, may I also suggest the PrepScholar test prep platform ? I manage the essay grading and so happen to know quite a bit about the essay part of this platform, which gives you both an essay grade and custom feedback for each essay you complete. Learn more about how it all works here .

What’s Next?

Are you so excited by this article that you want to read even more articles on the SAT essay? Of course you are. Don't worry, I’ve got you covered. Learn how to write an SAT essay step-by-step and read about the 6 types of SAT essay prompts .

Want to go even more in depth with the SAT essay? We have a complete list of past SAT essay prompts as well as tips and strategies for how to get a 12 on the SAT essay .

Still not satisfied? Maybe a five-day free trial of our very own PrepScholar test prep platform (which includes essay practice and feedback) is just what you need.

Trying to figure out whether the old or new SAT essay is better for you? Take a look at our article on the new SAT essay assignment to find out!

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Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

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• Institute of Effectiveness
• Developing Program Learning Outcomes
• Developing Course Learning Outcomes
• Curriculum Mapping
• Sample Rubrics
• Examples of Direct Evidence of Student Learning
• Examples of Indirect Evidence of Student Learning
• Assessment Management System
• Assessment Coordinators List (PDF)
• Student Learning Outcomes at the Program Level
• Institutional Learning Outcome
• Mission Fulfillment Indicators

SAMPLE RUBRICS

Examples of scoring rubrics:, value rubrics (valid assessment of learning in undergraduate education):.

The VALUE Rubrics are meta-rubrics sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and reflect expectations for the AAC&U Essential Learning Outcomes (LEAP project). Each rubric contains the most commonly and broadly shared criteria considered critical for judging the quality of student work for each respective outcome.

Click each learning outcome below to retrieve the corresponding VALUE rubric. If you would like to download all of the rubrics in one PDF document, please click here.

Intellectual and Practical Skills

• Inquiry and Analysis
• Critical Thinking
• Creative Thinking
• Written Communication

Oral Communication

• Quantitative Literacy
• Information Literacy
• Problem Solving

Personal and Social Responsibility

• Civic Engagement
• Intercultural Knowledge and Competence
• Ethical Reasoning
• Foundations and Skills for Lifelong Learning
• Global Learning

Integrative and Applied Learning

• Integrative Learning

Samples of Rubrics from Other Institutions

Below is a sample of rubrics that can be found on the websites of other institutions. If you have a rubric you’d like to share, please email it to us.

Collaboration, Teamwork, Participation

• Group Participation (analytic rubric)
• Participation (holistic rubric)

Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking

• Design Project (analytic rubric)
• Critical Thinking (analytic rubric)

Ethical Deliberation

• Focus Contemporary Ethical Issues, UH Mānoa General Education

Reflection/Metacognition

• Rubric to evaluate students’ reflective essays, Mānoa General Education
• Focus Oral Communication rubric to score oral presentations, UH Mānoa General Education
• Foundations Written Communication rubric to score essays and narratives, UH Mānoa General Education
• Writing (holistic rubric; portfolio)
• Media and Design Elements (analytic rubric; portfolio)

• Faculty and Staff

Assessment and Curriculum Support Center

Creating and using rubrics.

Last Updated: 4 March 2024. Click here to view archived versions of this page.

On this page:

• What is a rubric?
• Why use a rubric?
• What are the parts of a rubric?
• Developing a rubric
• Sample rubrics
• Scoring rubric group orientation and calibration
• Suggestions for using rubrics in courses
• Equity-minded considerations for rubric development
• Tips for developing a rubric
• Additional resources & sources consulted

Note:  The information and resources contained here serve only as a primers to the exciting and diverse perspectives in the field today. This page will be continually updated to reflect shared understandings of equity-minded theory and practice in learning assessment.

1. What is a rubric?

A rubric is an assessment tool often shaped like a matrix, which describes levels of achievement in a specific area of performance, understanding, or behavior.

There are two main types of rubrics:

Analytic Rubric : An analytic rubric specifies at least two characteristics to be assessed at each performance level and provides a separate score for each characteristic (e.g., a score on “formatting” and a score on “content development”).

• Advantages: provides more detailed feedback on student performance; promotes consistent scoring across students and between raters
• Disadvantages: more time consuming than applying a holistic rubric
• You want to see strengths and weaknesses.
• You want detailed feedback about student performance.

Holistic Rubric: A holistic rubrics provide a single score based on an overall impression of a student’s performance on a task.

• Advantages: quick scoring; provides an overview of student achievement; efficient for large group scoring
• Disadvantages: does not provided detailed information; not diagnostic; may be difficult for scorers to decide on one overall score
• You want a quick snapshot of achievement.
• A single dimension is adequate to define quality.

2. Why use a rubric?

• A rubric creates a common framework and language for assessment.
• Complex products or behaviors can be examined efficiently.
• Well-trained reviewers apply the same criteria and standards.
• Rubrics are criterion-referenced, rather than norm-referenced. Raters ask, “Did the student meet the criteria for level 5 of the rubric?” rather than “How well did this student do compared to other students?”
• Using rubrics can lead to substantive conversations among faculty.
• When faculty members collaborate to develop a rubric, it promotes shared expectations and grading practices.

Faculty members can use rubrics for program assessment. Examples:

The English Department collected essays from students in all sections of English 100. A random sample of essays was selected. A team of faculty members evaluated the essays by applying an analytic scoring rubric. Before applying the rubric, they “normed”–that is, they agreed on how to apply the rubric by scoring the same set of essays and discussing them until consensus was reached (see below: “6. Scoring rubric group orientation and calibration”). Biology laboratory instructors agreed to use a “Biology Lab Report Rubric” to grade students’ lab reports in all Biology lab sections, from 100- to 400-level. At the beginning of each semester, instructors met and discussed sample lab reports. They agreed on how to apply the rubric and their expectations for an “A,” “B,” “C,” etc., report in 100-level, 200-level, and 300- and 400-level lab sections. Every other year, a random sample of students’ lab reports are selected from 300- and 400-level sections. Each of those reports are then scored by a Biology professor. The score given by the course instructor is compared to the score given by the Biology professor. In addition, the scores are reported as part of the program’s assessment report. In this way, the program determines how well it is meeting its outcome, “Students will be able to write biology laboratory reports.”

3. What are the parts of a rubric?

Rubrics are composed of four basic parts. In its simplest form, the rubric includes:

• A task description . The outcome being assessed or instructions students received for an assignment.
• The characteristics to be rated (rows) . The skills, knowledge, and/or behavior to be demonstrated.
• Beginning, approaching, meeting, exceeding
• Emerging, developing, proficient, exemplary 
• Novice, intermediate, intermediate high, advanced 
• Beginning, striving, succeeding, soaring
• Also called a “performance description.” Explains what a student will have done to demonstrate they are at a given level of mastery for a given characteristic.

4. Developing a rubric

Step 1: Identify what you want to assess

Step 2: Identify the characteristics to be rated (rows). These are also called “dimensions.”

• Specify the skills, knowledge, and/or behaviors that you will be looking for.
• Limit the characteristics to those that are most important to the assessment.

Step 3: Identify the levels of mastery/scale (columns).

Tip: Aim for an even number (4 or 6) because when an odd number is used, the middle tends to become the “catch-all” category.

Step 4: Describe each level of mastery for each characteristic/dimension (cells).

• Describe the best work you could expect using these characteristics. This describes the top category.
• Describe an unacceptable product. This describes the lowest category.
• Develop descriptions of intermediate-level products for intermediate categories.

Important: Each description and each characteristic should be mutually exclusive.

Step 5: Test rubric.

• Apply the rubric to an assignment.
• Share with colleagues.

Tip: Faculty members often find it useful to establish the minimum score needed for the student work to be deemed passable. For example, faculty members may decided that a “1” or “2” on a 4-point scale (4=exemplary, 3=proficient, 2=marginal, 1=unacceptable), does not meet the minimum quality expectations. We encourage a standard setting session to set the score needed to meet expectations (also called a “cutscore”). Monica has posted materials from standard setting workshops, one offered on campus and the other at a national conference (includes speaker notes with the presentation slides). They may set their criteria for success as 90% of the students must score 3 or higher. If assessment study results fall short, action will need to be taken.

Step 6: Discuss with colleagues. Review feedback and revise.

Important: When developing a rubric for program assessment, enlist the help of colleagues. Rubrics promote shared expectations and consistent grading practices which benefit faculty members and students in the program.

5. Sample rubrics

Rubrics are on our Rubric Bank page and in our Rubric Repository (Graduate Degree Programs) . More are available at the Assessment and Curriculum Support Center in Crawford Hall (hard copy).

These open as Word documents and are examples from outside UH.

• Group Participation (analytic rubric)
• Participation (holistic rubric)
• Design Project (analytic rubric)
• Critical Thinking (analytic rubric)
• Media and Design Elements (analytic rubric; portfolio)
• Writing (holistic rubric; portfolio)

6. Scoring rubric group orientation and calibration

When using a rubric for program assessment purposes, faculty members apply the rubric to pieces of student work (e.g., reports, oral presentations, design projects). To produce dependable scores, each faculty member needs to interpret the rubric in the same way. The process of training faculty members to apply the rubric is called “norming.” It’s a way to calibrate the faculty members so that scores are accurate and consistent across the faculty. Below are directions for an assessment coordinator carrying out this process.

Suggested materials for a scoring session:

• Copies of the rubric
• Copies of the “anchors”: pieces of student work that illustrate each level of mastery. Suggestion: have 6 anchor pieces (2 low, 2 middle, 2 high)
• Score sheets
• Extra pens, tape, post-its, paper clips, stapler, rubber bands, etc.

Hold the scoring session in a room that:

• Allows the scorers to spread out as they rate the student pieces
• Has a chalk or white board, smart board, or flip chart
• Describe the purpose of the activity, stressing how it fits into program assessment plans. Explain that the purpose is to assess the program, not individual students or faculty, and describe ethical guidelines, including respect for confidentiality and privacy.
• Describe the nature of the products that will be reviewed, briefly summarizing how they were obtained.
• Describe the scoring rubric and its categories. Explain how it was developed.
• Analytic: Explain that readers should rate each dimension of an analytic rubric separately, and they should apply the criteria without concern for how often each score (level of mastery) is used. Holistic: Explain that readers should assign the score or level of mastery that best describes the whole piece; some aspects of the piece may not appear in that score and that is okay. They should apply the criteria without concern for how often each score is used.
• Give each scorer a copy of several student products that are exemplars of different levels of performance. Ask each scorer to independently apply the rubric to each of these products, writing their ratings on a scrap sheet of paper.
• Once everyone is done, collect everyone’s ratings and display them so everyone can see the degree of agreement. This is often done on a blackboard, with each person in turn announcing his/her ratings as they are entered on the board. Alternatively, the facilitator could ask raters to raise their hands when their rating category is announced, making the extent of agreement very clear to everyone and making it very easy to identify raters who routinely give unusually high or low ratings.
• Guide the group in a discussion of their ratings. There will be differences. This discussion is important to establish standards. Attempt to reach consensus on the most appropriate rating for each of the products being examined by inviting people who gave different ratings to explain their judgments. Raters should be encouraged to explain by making explicit references to the rubric. Usually consensus is possible, but sometimes a split decision is developed, e.g., the group may agree that a product is a “3-4” split because it has elements of both categories. This is usually not a problem. You might allow the group to revise the rubric to clarify its use but avoid allowing the group to drift away from the rubric and learning outcome(s) being assessed.
• Once the group is comfortable with how the rubric is applied, the rating begins. Explain how to record ratings using the score sheet and explain the procedures. Reviewers begin scoring.
• Are results sufficiently reliable?
• What do the results mean? Are we satisfied with the extent of students’ learning?
• Who needs to know the results?
• What are the implications of the results for curriculum, pedagogy, or student support services?
• How might the assessment process, itself, be improved?

7. Suggestions for using rubrics in courses

• Use the rubric to grade student work. Hand out the rubric with the assignment so students will know your expectations and how they’ll be graded. This should help students master your learning outcomes by guiding their work in appropriate directions.
• Use a rubric for grading student work and return the rubric with the grading on it. Faculty save time writing extensive comments; they just circle or highlight relevant segments of the rubric. Some faculty members include room for additional comments on the rubric page, either within each section or at the end.
• Develop a rubric with your students for an assignment or group project. Students can the monitor themselves and their peers using agreed-upon criteria that they helped develop. Many faculty members find that students will create higher standards for themselves than faculty members would impose on them.
• Have students apply your rubric to sample products before they create their own. Faculty members report that students are quite accurate when doing this, and this process should help them evaluate their own projects as they are being developed. The ability to evaluate, edit, and improve draft documents is an important skill.
• Have students exchange paper drafts and give peer feedback using the rubric. Then, give students a few days to revise before submitting the final draft to you. You might also require that they turn in the draft and peer-scored rubric with their final paper.
• Have students self-assess their products using the rubric and hand in their self-assessment with the product; then, faculty members and students can compare self- and faculty-generated evaluations.

8. Equity-minded considerations for rubric development

Ensure transparency by making rubric criteria public, explicit, and accessible

Transparency is a core tenet of equity-minded assessment practice. Students should know and understand how they are being evaluated as early as possible.

• Ensure the rubric is publicly available & easily accessible. We recommend publishing on your program or department website.
• Have course instructors introduce and use the program rubric in their own courses. Instructors should explain to students connections between the rubric criteria and the course and program SLOs.
• Write rubric criteria using student-focused and culturally-relevant language to ensure students understand the rubric’s purpose, the expectations it sets, and how criteria will be applied in assessing their work.
• For example, instructors can provide annotated examples of student work using the rubric language as a resource for students.

Meaningfully involve students and engage multiple perspectives

Rubrics created by faculty alone risk perpetuating unseen biases as the evaluation criteria used will inherently reflect faculty perspectives, values, and assumptions. Including students and other stakeholders in developing criteria helps to ensure performance expectations are aligned between faculty, students, and community members. Additional perspectives to be engaged might include community members, alumni, co-curricular faculty/staff, field supervisors, potential employers, or current professionals. Consider the following strategies to meaningfully involve students and engage multiple perspectives:

• Have students read each evaluation criteria and talk out loud about what they think it means. This will allow you to identify what language is clear and where there is still confusion.
• Ask students to use their language to interpret the rubric and provide a student version of the rubric.
• If you use this strategy, it is essential to create an inclusive environment where students and faculty have equal opportunity to provide input.
• Be sure to incorporate feedback from faculty and instructors who teach diverse courses, levels, and in different sub-disciplinary topics. Faculty and instructors who teach introductory courses have valuable experiences and perspectives that may differ from those who teach higher-level courses.
• Engage multiple perspectives including co-curricular faculty/staff, alumni, potential employers, and community members for feedback on evaluation criteria and rubric language. This will ensure evaluation criteria reflect what is important for all stakeholders.
• Elevate historically silenced voices in discussions on rubric development. Ensure stakeholders from historically underrepresented communities have their voices heard and valued.

Honor students’ strengths in performance descriptions

When describing students’ performance at different levels of mastery, use language that describes what students can do rather than what they cannot do. For example:

• Instead of: Students cannot make coherent arguments consistently.
• Use: Students can make coherent arguments occasionally.

9. Tips for developing a rubric

• Find and adapt an existing rubric! It is rare to find a rubric that is exactly right for your situation, but you can adapt an already existing rubric that has worked well for others and save a great deal of time. A faculty member in your program may already have a good one.
• Evaluate the rubric . Ask yourself: A) Does the rubric relate to the outcome(s) being assessed? (If yes, success!) B) Does it address anything extraneous? (If yes, delete.) C) Is the rubric useful, feasible, manageable, and practical? (If yes, find multiple ways to use the rubric: program assessment, assignment grading, peer review, student self assessment.)
• Collect samples of student work that exemplify each point on the scale or level. A rubric will not be meaningful to students or colleagues until the anchors/benchmarks/exemplars are available.
• Expect to revise.
• When you have a good rubric, SHARE IT!

10. Additional resources & sources consulted:

Rubric examples:

• Rubrics primarily for undergraduate outcomes and programs
• Rubric repository for graduate degree programs

Workshop presentation slides and handouts:

• Workshop handout (Word document)
• How to Use a Rubric for Program Assessment (2010)
• Techniques for Using Rubrics in Program Assessment by guest speaker Dannelle Stevens (2010)
• Rubrics: Save Grading Time & Engage Students in Learning by guest speaker Dannelle Stevens (2009)
• Rubric Library , Institutional Research, Assessment & Planning, California State University-Fresno
• The Basics of Rubrics [PDF], Schreyer Institute, Penn State
• Creating Rubrics , Teaching Methods and Management, TeacherVision
• Allen, Mary – University of Hawai’i at Manoa Spring 2008 Assessment Workshops, May 13-14, 2008 [available at the Assessment and Curriculum Support Center]
• Mertler, Craig A. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation , 7(25).
• NPEC Sourcebook on Assessment: Definitions and Assessment Methods for Communication, Leadership, Information Literacy, Quantitative Reasoning, and Quantitative Skills . [PDF] (June 2005)

Contributors: Monica Stitt-Bergh, Ph.D., TJ Buckley, Yao Z. Hill Ph.D.

Scoring CLEP Essays

College Composition and Spanish with Writing essays are graded by college professors. Below are additional facts about essay scoring:

• Essays are scored by readers who are college faculty members, not by computer programs that search for patterns or word pairings.
• Each reader participates in an online training course and passes a certification test before the scoring session.
• Scoring rubrics and guidelines are designed to measure college-level skills and knowledge.
• Test takers respond to two essay topics, spending approximately 45 minutes on each. Each essay is scored by at least two separate readers.

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How College Admissions Decisions Are Made and What to Do Next

Check out our Just Admit It! Podcast

IvyWise counselors Victoria  and Christine  break down the college admissions rubric and discuss examples of different hard and soft factors that admissions officers evaluate on the Just Admit It! college admissions podcast , giving listeners expert insight from former admissions officers.

When making admissions decisions, colleges and universities in the U.S. don’t just look at grades and test scores. There is a myriad of factors that admissions officers consider when evaluating college applications, and it’s important to understand what colleges are looking for in order to have the best chance of admission to your top-choice colleges.

Colleges want to build well-rounded classes made up of specialists who can contribute to the campus community in ways other than great academic performance. Taking only the applicants with the top grades and test scores may not make for a diverse or well-rounded student body. This is why in addition to the “hard factors” (GPA, grades, and test scores) of a student’s application, colleges also place great weight on the “soft factors” (essays, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and demonstrated interest) in order to gain a full picture of applicants. How these components are evaluated, however, can be confusing to families and make the college admissions process somewhat mysterious.

What Are the People Called Who Look at College Applications?

An admissions committee is a group of people who review your application and decide whether you’ll be a good match for their school.

Gone are the days of paper applications, when admissions offices had stacks of files in cabinets and had to go through them all by hand. In today’s environment, your application is completed, uploaded, and read online.

An important, and often mysterious, component of the application review process is the admissions committee. In the current admissions process, a vast amount of applications are decided without ever being brought to a committee for review thanks to advancements in technology that make it easier for admissions officers to sort and read through applications. For those fortunate enough to make it through the initial review, some will go into an admissions committee setting where admissions officers will discuss and review those applicants. Here’s an example of what might transpire in the committee review process.

“Next we have Alex’s profile to consider. She rates a 3 on our academic scale and a 5 on the personal qualities/activities scale. Alex’s testing falls within our averages and she makes straight A’s. She has not taken the most rigorous courses offered at her high school, with only three APs when the school offers nine. Her guidance counselor said, ‘Alex is the quintessential leader in our community.’”

“What is compelling about Alex is that she was a paralympic athlete in the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games as a competitive downhill skier. Her essay writing style was effortless, yet erudite. She focused on being legally blind in her right eye and will eventually lose her vision completely due to birth complications. She feels charged with helping her visually impaired community. She organized a drive in her hometown for underprivileged kids to have eye exams. Alex did her homework about our university and understands the complexities of our unique curriculum offerings and wants to continue her interest in helping those with disabilities…. I recommend we….”

There may be some questions from the committee, and then a vote. Based on the majority opinion, Alex’s file will be flagged in the admissions portal as accepted, holding for review, or denied.”

So how does an application make it to this point in the review process? Or more specifically, how does the admissions committee review work?

It begins with the software of the admissions office. There will be a portal for counselors to utilize where your general information is organized and where your actual application can be viewed. Every university reads a little differently. Given the growth in application numbers, you’ll find, on average, that larger universities are more likely to have the first review of the application done through a computer program. Many of these are done within the context of a specific college; College of Engineering, College of Management, etc. This helps to weed out those that really fall far below their academic averages.

It’s important to note that there are also universities that have strayed from using admissions committees altogether and rely more on computer-generated sorting and/or just one to two readers for each application. However, in most elite universities and private liberal arts schools, admissions committees still have a role in the decision-making process.

Typically, the regional representative on the admissions staff does the first read of an application before it arrives in a committee setting. GPA and test scores can be the sole reason you are denied, but at the top universities in the U.S., they will never be the sole reason you are accepted.

One constant among every college and university in the U.S. is that each applicant is given a score on an academic scale. It may factor in a weighted or unweighted GPA and will be taken into consideration within the context of the high school, rigor of courses, and test scores. Some universities have two scales while others have even more.

There is also a place in the admissions portal for anecdotes where one might find a guidance counselor quote or a teacher’s quote. This is a place for the first reader to make notes, especially for those factors that the scales do not address.

Once applications are run through the initial vetting process and rated based on the admission office’s scales, the committee review can begin. However, the committee does not view the entire application. It includes those important scale ratings, but also other key information so the committee can vote without having to read the whole application in its entirety. It’s now in the hands of the graduate school admissions counselor who read the application initially to present the student to their colleagues and to act as the student’s advocate.

What to discuss first or how to showcase why the student would be a good fit for that particular university is considered. For example, if someone has a low verbal score, the presenter may start by addressing how the student’s second language is English, whether he or she wrote solid essays, and how the student scored a 4 on the AP English exam. Everyone has a story, and it is the responsibility of the admissions officer to share it to entice the committee to vote yes. They are not always successful, and if the vote comes to hold a student for consideration later, the presenter needs to make notes so the committee remembers the student when he or she is reconsidered. This is the beauty of the committee experience. Admissions officers remember the student because of their previously discussed highlights.

“Remember, he’s the one who did research on the effects of nighttime light exposure on skin cancer.”

“Oh, she’s the one who started a global initiative to promote understanding of Muslim women,” or “Let’s talk again about the Intel Science third-place medal winner who crafted a machine-learning algorithm.”

When building a well-balanced class, the committee review process can be a great tool to help admissions officers learn what makes a particular student tick and why he or she might be a good fit for the class. Especially in highly-selective admissions, where many applicants can begin to look the same on paper, students can stand out in the committee review process, helping their chances to gain admission. It’s important to remember that, while some initial vetting is completed by computers or software, building a well-rounded class is a very human process, so it’s important to be genuine and thoughtful when applying to your top-choice colleges.

How Long Does It Take for the Committee to Review an Application?

An applicant who applies after the deadline will likely receive an acceptance letter before the end of the semester. Colleges often make decisions within six to eight weeks. The application process is competitive, so students should apply early.

How College Applications Are Evaluated?

Most U.S. universities use the “holistic review” process when evaluating college applications. This means admissions officers place emphasis on the applicant as a whole person, not just his or her academic achievements, so soft factors may be given just as much consideration as the empirical data present in hard factors.

In order to evaluate these factors, admissions officers use a “rubric” as a guide. Rubrics are not one-size-fits-all and differ from school to school, but most evaluate these core components of an applicant’s profile (in no particular order):

• Course Rigor
• Standardized Test Scores
• Extracurricular Activities
• Recommendation Letters
• Strength of School
• Demonstrated Interest

In most rubrics, each factor is evaluated against the admissions standards for the school, and whether it is above, equal to, or below the standard outlined in the rubric.

For example, if the average SAT score of previously admitted students is 2100, that then serves as the benchmark for evaluating new applicants. If an applicant has an SAT score above 2100, he or she can be given the highest score for that particular category. If the applicant has an SAT score right at the average, or 2100, he or she is given a middle score, and a low score is given for an SAT score below the average. Again, different schools use different rubrics and scoring systems can vary. Here’s a visual representation of this “scoring.”

Many schools publicize the median GPA and test scores of admitted applicants in order for prospective students to get an idea of the scores they will need in order to be considered for admission. The goal for applicants is to submit an application with components equal to or above the admissions standards set by the admissions office.

Things like extracurricular activities and essays can seem harder to judge, but an admissions rubric does make the process seem a little more straightforward.

For example, a school can choose to rate essays based on what they learn about the applicant and whether the essays are well-written. A stand-out essay in which the reader learns a lot about the applicant can earn top marks, while a well-written essay that reveals little about the applicant can earn middle-of-the-road marks, and a poorly written essay where the reader learns nothing new about the applicant can get a low mark.

Evaluating the strength of your extracurricular activities, course load, essays, and other soft factors against the admissions standards of the college or university, however, isn’t as simple as checking the information on the school’s website. Help from your college counselor is most valuable for these components.

Gaining admissions isn’t as simple as getting the highest marks in all rubric categories. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Analysis of yield from last year, budgets, departmental needs, and more are all considered when determining the threshold students have to meet to be qualified for admission to the university.

For example, if 3 is the max score that an applicant can get for the eight categories listed above, then 24 is the top score an applicant can get on the rubric. After analyzing all institutional needs and goals, the admissions office might decide that a student with a rubric score of 20 or above is qualified to attend and if admitted will be able to do the work and graduate within four years.

So, if a student whose test scores fall slightly below the average of previously admitted students, giving them a 1 in that category, but scores a 3 everywhere else, that student still meets that 20-point threshold. Such students are qualified to attend.

On the flip side, a student with above-average grades and test scores might get top marks in those categories, but if he or she has a poor essay, little extracurricular involvement, an easy course load, and poor recommendation letters, he or she will most likely score below that 20 point threshold — not qualifying for admission.

The bottom line is that there’s not one factor — grades, test scores, essays, etc. — that will make you a shoo-in for your top-choice colleges. Everything is taken into consideration — including factors that are outside of your control like budgetary restrictions, departmental needs, and more. The goal for every applicant should be to understand what colleges are looking for and what they can do, whether it’s improving their GPA, raising their test scores, or building stronger teacher and counselor relationships, in order to put together the strongest application possible.

Colleges look at everything from all four years of high school, so it’s never too early to prepare for college admissions. Students should meet with their counselors as early as freshmen year to begin mapping out action plans. These plans should include classes they’re taking now, what courses to take next and in the following years, SAT and ACT test-prep timelines, and how to begin building balanced college lists.

IvyWise counselors Victoria and Christine break down the college admissions rubric and discuss examples of different hard and soft factors that admissions officers evaluate, giving listeners expert insights from former admissions officers. Listen Now!

How to Stay Calm While Waiting for Admissions Decisions

Although applicants have already done the “hard” part by compiling their submissions, sometimes waiting can feel like the most challenging component of the process.

While staying in limbo isn’t easy for anyone, there are a couple of steps students can take to ease their nerves and stay calm while awaiting results. Keep reading to learn how you can maintain a level head while looking out for admissions outcomes from your top choice schools.

Trust the Process

Students who have done their due diligence and applied to a balanced list of best-fit schools don’t have anything to worry about. While it’s natural to have your sights set on your top choice option, don’t forget that each school on your list has its own array of exciting opportunities. Instead of fixating on the most selective school on your list, get excited about the potential to attend any of the schools you have applied to. Remember that each institution has something to offer and trust that admissions officers will recognize and reward what you’re bringing to the table.

Focus on the Positives

It can be easy to dwell on the negatives surrounding the admissions process, but try to look at everything with a positive spin. Yes, it can feel scary to be unsure about your next steps, but it’s also exciting knowing that a major transition awaits. Wherever you ultimately choose to attend college will be an exciting opportunity for you to expand your horizons, deepen your knowledge of your current passions, and discover new interests and pursuits. Cherish these last few days before admissions outcomes are announced and strive to live in the moment as much as possible.

Reconnect With Your Passions

To avoid fixating entirely on college admissions results, reconnect with whatever brings you the most joy. Stop checking your email frantically and pick up a paintbrush, practice your soccer skills, or take an hour to reread part of your favorite book . Yes, the college admissions process is time-consuming and important, but it’s also essential to make time for activities that are entirely unrelated to it. Come back to your passions and give yourself a chance to unwind by doing what you love.

Reach Out to Friends

You’re not the only one awaiting admissions results; it’s likely that your friends are too. Share your feelings with your peers and offer to support each other during this challenging time. Connecting with peers, even if it’s just a group video call, can help take your mind off of upcoming admissions decisions and serve as an outlet when you need someone to talk to.

Give Yourself Time to Cope

Regardless of what kind of college admissions news you receive, anticipate that you will need time to take it all in. Acceptances, waitlists , and rejections all come with their own host of emotional responses and next steps to take. Understand that coping with these admissions outcomes is part of the growth process and trust that with time and support, you will be able to handle whatever admissions news comes your way.

What to Do if You Were Not Accepted to College?

Rejection in the college admissions process is a hard reality that many students must face. In some cases, students can be left with few college options, but there are actually a number of routes that students can take to ultimately fulfill their college dreams.

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the average acceptance rate across all four-year institutions in the U.S. is around 67% . Even though this average has been steadily declining over the past few years, it has recently stabilized. But for students seeking admission to highly selective colleges and universities, the statistics are often not in their favor.

With more students applying to more colleges than ever, the chances of receiving a rejection increase, especially if students fail to create a balanced list of colleges that include a likely, target, and a reach school. So what should students do if they are denied from their top-choice colleges and left with few, or no, college options for the fall? Here are some tips.

Look For Colleges That Are Still Accepting Applications

If you’re set on attending college in the fall, but did not receive many or any offers of admission to the colleges to which you already applied, consider finding colleges that are still accepting applications. Every year the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) releases a list of colleges still accepting applications for admission to the fall class. This list is usually released at the beginning of May after enrollment decisions are in.

However, don’t apply just to apply. Do your research and make sure the colleges you are considering submitting some last-minute applications to are good fit schools for your social, academic, and financial goals.

Take a Gap Year

For many students who had a difficult or unsuccessful admissions process, a gap year can be a great option post-graduation. There are a number of things that students can do during a gap year, including working, interning, volunteering, traveling, or even taking a few classes, before preparing for the admissions process again. If you’re unhappy with your college options, consider meeting with your counselor to discuss the benefits of a gap year, and what you can do during your time off to enhance your chances of admission during the next application cycle.

Attend a Local or Community College

Don’t let college rejections keep you from pursuing higher education. Taking classes at a local or community college while you figure out your next steps is a smart move, as it can help you fulfill some general credits and can keep you from falling behind your peers. If you plan to apply to your top-choice colleges again next year as a transfer student, take classes that align with your interests, and that will transfer to the institutions you’re interested in.

Make a Plan to Apply Again Next Year

Whether you take a gap year, attend a local or community college, or just take some time to work and gain real-world experience, you’ll need a plan of action should you choose to apply to college again in the fall. It’s important to start thinking about that now, as your choices now will affect how you apply to college in the fall.

For example, if you choose to attend another college and transfer, you’ll need to apply as a transfer student . If you take a gap year, you’ll be applying again as a freshman, but you might have to disclose that you previously applied to that college. Take some time to consider your options, and once you have a plan for the next year, begin planning for the college admissions process again. Just because you’ve been through it once before doesn’t mean you don’t need to take time to prepare.

Rejection is never easy, and for many students, it can alter plans that they’ve had for years, and leave them lost about what to do next. It’s important to stay positive and remember that there are plenty of options for students to consider outside of the traditional college path.

What to Do if You Are Accepted Into Your Top-Choice School?

Congratulations! All of your hard work has paid off and you’ve gained admission to your best-fit college! It’s an exciting time and you should take the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the experience, but don’t forget there’s still more to do. Check out this LinkedIn post to learn what to do next if you have been accepted into your dream school.

After receiving an acceptance, you should sit down with your parents and evaluate the admission offer. Did you receive financial aid? If so, how much? Now is the time to have a final discussion about finances. If everything is in order and meets your needs and goals, get ready to send in your deposit! Most schools require admitted students to secure a spot by May 1, so take your time to consider the offer, but be mindful of deadlines. Next, look into freshmen housing, and orientation dates, and arrange for your final transcript to be sent to your new college.

What to Do if You Have More Than One Offer of Admission?

Many students end up weighing more than one offer of admission. Even if a student is accepted to his or her top-choice college out of their college list, other offers can come in that are just as enticing. Remember, you should be happy to attend any of the colleges you apply to, so it’s okay to feel a little conflicted when presented with more than one offer of admission.

First, evaluate all your options. Look at the financial aid offers, refer back to your research and notes on the school, and talk with your parents. If one or two schools really stand out but you’re still not sure which to choose, see if you can make one last visit during an admitted students’ weekend.

Again, take your time deciding, but be mindful of enrollment deadlines. If all else fails, go with your gut – you’ve done your research so you know what’s going to be the best option for your goals.

5 Tips on What to Do if You Get Put on the Waitlist

#1 decide if the waitlist school is still your top-choice college.

Being placed on the waitlist can be a gut-check for many students. After the initial excitement of other acceptances, a waitlist decision could put a top-choice college out of the running for some students, and that’s okay! Feelings about schools can change throughout the course of the college admissions process, especially as decisions come in. If you receive a waitlist decision, take time to consider if that college is still a top choice.

Remember that many waitlist acceptances don’t come until the end of the spring or even in the early summer, so students will have to decide if they’re comfortable with waiting that long to receive a final decision.

Weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision before enrollment deadlines. Once you’ve made your decision, make sure to take the appropriate steps to inform the college whether or not you intend to remain waitlisted. This may require a written response, a call to the admissions office, or accepting a spot online in an applicant portal.

#2 Secure Your Spot at Another School

As mentioned before, many waitlist decisions don’t come until much later in the spring or summer, well after the May 1 enrollment deadline for many colleges. Taking into account the low percentage of students accepted off the waitlist, it’s smart to go ahead and accept a spot at one of the best-fit colleges that did accept you. Don’t worry — accepting an admission offer at another college will not hurt your chances of being admitted off the waitlist.

Colleges realize that students need a place to go in the fall and will not penalize someone for accepting a spot somewhere else while waiting to hear back on a waitlist decision. Weigh your acceptances without factoring in the waitlist college. If you applied to a balanced list of colleges you should be excited to attend any of the colleges where you were accepted. Get excited! Make an informed decision and send in your enrollment deposit before the deadline.

#3 Update the Admissions Office on What You’ve Done This Past Semester

Many times after accepting a place on the waitlist, colleges will encourage students to give the admissions office a little more information about what they’ve been doing since they submitted their applications. This can include anything from final grades and AP test scores to updates on extracurriculars, community service, academic interests, and more. This is also your opportunity to reiterate your commitment to the college and articulate that you intend to enroll if accepted. This factors into demonstrated interest, as the college, will want to admit students that want to enroll. Explain why that college is still your top choice and how you intend to contribute to the campus community if admitted.

#4 Proceed Like You’re Not Waiting for a Waitlist Acceptance

After accepting your spot and informing the college of your continued interest, there isn’t much more you can do other than wait to hear if you’ve been accepted. This is where it’s important to have realistic expectations and focus your energy on the college in which you’ve enrolled. Spend your summer operating as if you’re not waiting to hear back from another school. Attend orientation and freshmen events at your new college. Network with other students and get excited about the future! Neglecting the college where you did accept a spot will only set you up for disappointment should you not get into your waitlist college.

#5 If You Are Accepted, Reevaluate Your Options

If you do get word later this spring or summer that you’ve been accepted off the waitlist, congratulations! Your diligence and patience have paid off. Again, take some time to consider the offer and whether or not your feelings have changed. After some time and preparing to attend another college, you may not want to attend the waitlist college after all — and that’s okay, too!

Sit down with your family and discuss your options. There is some cost involved, as you may have to forfeit any enrollment and housing deposits you’ve already put down at another school, but it may be worth it in the end if you get to attend the college of your dreams after all. If you decide to accept the spot off the waitlist, inform the college and send in your deposit.

Then let your alternative college know you will not be attending in the fall after all. If you decide not to accept the spot off the waitlist, let the college know so they can offer the spot to someone else ASAP.

Not enough? Learn more tips on how to get off the waitlist .

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Using Rubrics to Review Scholarship and Fellowship Applications

Your institution’s programs are one of a kind—and offering scholarships and fellowships can help you share these assets with a wider community. As you design applications and set up review, remember that the first step in any smart process is the creation of a thorough rubric. Rubrics are detailed outlines for how each application will be read and scored. Using rubrics to review scholarship and fellowship applications helps reviewers stay consistent, minimizes personal bias, and provides a useful reference for everyone involved in the process.

Most commonly created by teachers to assess student performance, rubrics are useful for evaluation processes of all kinds. If you create a rubric before building your application, it can help ensure all requested information is relevant and necessary. This saves time for applicants as well as your team.

According to Brown University’s Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, there are a series of vital considerations for creating a successful review system. Here are six steps they identified, refocused for using rubrics to review scholarship and fellowship applications: 

1. Define the rubric’s purpose

Consider the components of your application and how each should be assessed. What would an outstanding application include? How detailed do you want to be with scoring? Should each application component receive a distinct score?

2. Choose between a holistic and analytic rubric

In terms of basic distinctions, the holistic rubric is easier to put together but offers less detail than an analytic rubric regarding specific strengths and weaknesses within an application. For example, a holistic rubric might ask reviewers to assign a score of 1-4 for the application as a whole (where a Level 1 application includes a high GPA, excellent references, and an outstanding essay). An analytic rubric would assess the GPA, references, and essay using distinct scales and criteria.  

3. Define rubric criteria

These criteria identify each component for assessment. For fellowships and scholarships, common review criteria include:

• Academic achievement (GPA)
• Test scores
• Personal statements
• Resumes or CVs
• Application essays
• Supplemental essays
• Letters of recommendation
• Extracurricular achievements

4. Design the rating scale

Although this could include letter grades, for application review, numeric scores are likely to be the most useful. Most scales include 3-5 rating levels.

5. Write descriptions for each rating

Clarity and consistency of language here will help accurately guide reviewers. Focus on observations that can be accurately measured and include the degree to which criteria are successfully met.

6. Finalize your rubric (for now)

Format your rubric for easy access and reference, assess effectiveness, collect relevant feedback, and revise accordingly. Using rubrics to review scholarship and fellowship applications should involve ongoing updates to your system—a rubric is only as effective as it is relevant to current goals. 

Other considerations

A strong rubric not only helps guide reviewers—it also offers the opportunity to deeply assess and streamline your application. If part of your application didn’t make the rubric, do you really need it to review your candidates?

A few additional rubric strategies to employ:

• Assess your rubric carefully for language that could be misinterpreted. It’s important to avoid assumptions about reviewers, especially regarding how they will process the criteria, rating scale, and descriptions you provide.  
• Steer clear of industry jargon or acronyms. Use plain language and where possible and give examples to solidify what you want to say.
• Determine the relative weight of review criteria. For example, will letters of recommendation be more or less important than GPA? Design your rating scale accordingly.

Sharing your rubric for transparency

Anyone who takes the time to apply for your scholarship or fellowship wants to submit the best possible application. Unfortunately, every application process is different and prospective applicants may not know what your organization is looking for. Sharing clear information about your assessment criteria and timeline is a huge help—and rubrics are a great way to do this.

While you don’t have to show the point system or all of your evaluation guidelines, sharing the main criteria for a successful application established in the rubric benefits everyone involved in your process:

• It demonstrates respect for applicants’ time. When they can access assessment guidelines, applicants know where to focus in assembling their application.
• It increases the appropriateness of applications. Clarity around expectations and review criteria can help you receive more relevant applications, saving your review team time.
• It minimizes questions and doubt. If applicants know what to prioritize in their application, they’re less likely to reach out and inquire. That’s one less email for both of you.
• It spotlights your organization’s values. Using rubrics to review scholarship and fellowship applications (and being willing to share from them) demonstrates that you care about diligent, fair, and consistent review. It also shows that you understand the value this information holds for applicants and you’re prepared to support them.

Being more transparent about your process by sharing the criteria in your rubric sets you apart from other institutions, facilitates trust from potential applicants, and brings clarity to the whole process. Just be sure what you share is easy to access and written in a simple, jargon-free format.

Submittable’s custom review forms are perfect for incorporating your rubric. Looking for scholarship management software or fellowship management software ? Submittable is here to help. For more tips on a fair and efficient scholarship and fellowship review process, check out this guide . 

Rachel Mindell is a Special Projects Editor at Submittable. She also writes and teaches poetry. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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About Submittable

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