What the 2026 College Admissions Landscape Is Telling Us

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pierce Coughter

Vice President of Policy and Outreach & Senior Counselor

Pierce has 13 years of experience in college admissions and enrollment, including posts as an admissions dean at the University of Virginia's Undergraduate Admission Office and, most recently, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at UVA's McIntire School of Commerce. He has read tens of thousands of applications, traveled to and evaluated applications from hundreds of schools across the country, and advised students through countless different academic pathways and pursuits. Pierce earned his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Higher Education from Old Dominion University, with a concentration in Student Affairs. He is a passionate college basketball fan and an enjoyer of local music venues. He lives with his wife, young daughter, and their golden retriever, Casper.

If there is one thing I have learned from more than a decade working in college admissions, it is that the process never stays still for very long. The 2026 admissions landscape is a good example. Students are applying to more colleges than they were a decade ago (an average of seven today, compared with four in 2016). At the same time, colleges are navigating demographic shifts, rising costs, changing testing policies, artificial intelligence, and an increasingly competitive fight for the students they want to enroll. That combination is making the college process more complicated for families. It is also becoming increasingly important to approach strategically. At College Solutions, we put together our 2026 State of College Admissions Report to take a closer look at some of the trends shaping the current landscape. Here are a few that stood out to me.