How MyAdmitFit scores your profile against the institutional priorities that colleges actually publish — and why that’s different from every other college matching tool.
The Admissions Fit Index (AFI) is MyAdmitFit’s proprietary scoring methodology that calculates how well a student’s profile aligns with each college’s published admissions priorities. Unlike generic college matching tools that rely on acceptance rates and rankings alone, AFI uses the specific institutional factors that colleges themselves report in their official Common Data Set filings.
Every accredited US university publishes a Common Data Set (CDS) annually. Section C7 of the CDS asks each institution to rate 18 academic and nonacademic factors as “Very Important,” “Important,” “Considered,” or “Not Considered” in their admissions decisions. AFI is built on these self-reported ratings — the same data admissions officers define themselves.
Every AFI score is calculated using these 18 factors, divided into academic and nonacademic categories:
Each C7 rating is converted into a numerical weight that drives the AFI score calculation:
| CDS Rating | AFI Weight | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Very Important | 4 | This factor strongly influences admissions decisions |
| Important | 3 | This factor meaningfully influences admissions decisions |
| Considered | 2 | This factor may influence decisions at the margin |
| Not Considered | 1 | This factor does not influence admissions decisions |
For each school, AFI calculates a compatibility score by cross-referencing the student’s profile against that institution’s published factor weights. Factors for which we have student data (GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, first-generation status, etc.) contribute directly to the score based on their institutional weight. Factors without direct student data contribute a baseline value.
The result is a normalized score out of 24 — corresponding to the maximum possible weighted value across all 18 factors — which is then labeled by tier:
| FitScore Range | Label |
|---|---|
| 20–24 | Highly Competitive |
| 17–19 | Competitive |
| 14–16 | Moderately Competitive |
| Below 14 | Reach |
MyAdmitFit generates two distinct scores for each school:
The Match Score reflects how well a school aligns with your stated preferences — major, budget, campus setting, school size, and priorities. It is calculated by our AI based solely on your 10 quiz answers. It is a preference-fit score, not an admissions-likelihood score.
The FitScore is driven by the AFI methodology described on this page. It cross-references your academic and personal profile against each school’s published CDS institutional priorities. It is calculated independently from your quiz answers using verified CDS data, and provides a data-grounded view of how well your credentials align with what each school has publicly stated it values most.
Neither score predicts admission. AFI measures fit against published priorities. Admissions decisions involve factors that are never disclosed publicly — legacy status, development interest, athletics, and institutional enrollment goals. Use FitScore to understand where you are positioned, not to predict outcomes.
All institutional factor ratings are sourced directly from each university’s official Common Data Set PDF, verified manually by MyAdmitFit staff against the institution’s published document. Acceptance rates, SAT/ACT ranges, and cost of attendance figures are sourced from the same CDS filings and cross-referenced with IPEDS and official university admissions pages.
CDS data is updated annually each spring when universities publish their new filings. MyAdmitFit updates its database to reflect new CDS publications on a rolling basis. The current dataset reflects the most recent available CDS filing for each institution, as universities publish on different schedules throughout the year.
US News rankings are updated annually each September and maintained manually in our database. Ranking data displayed on school profiles reflects the most recently published US News National University rankings.
Every C7 rating in our database is verified directly against the following official institutional research portals. These are the same sources used by college counselors and admissions professionals:
All institutions in our database have corresponding official CDS publications. View individual school profiles at myadmitfit.com/schools.
MyAdmitFit’s AFI weight coefficients are proprietary and constitute trade secret. We disclose the methodology framework, factor categories, rating scale, and data sources publicly. The specific numerical weights applied to each factor are not published. This is consistent with industry practice for proprietary scoring models — FICO, for example, discloses that payment history influences credit scores without publishing exact multipliers.
CDS participation is voluntary. Not every college publishes Common Data Set data — and many institutions, particularly open-enrollment schools, for-profit colleges, and some regional universities, have never disclosed their admissions criteria publicly.
MyAdmitFit only includes institutions with verified CDS Section C7 data. This means every school in our database has officially disclosed the weight it places on GPA, test scores, essays, extracurriculars, and 14 other factors. You’re not seeing guesswork — you’re seeing what each institution actually stated.
“If a school hasn’t told you what they value, we haven’t guessed.”
Tools like Niche, CollegeData, and Appily show data for thousands of schools — including schools that have never disclosed their admissions criteria. When those tools show you an “admissions likelihood,” they’re often working from IPEDS enrollment statistics, self-reported student surveys, or algorithmic estimates. MyAdmitFit only shows schools where the institution itself has told you, in writing, what it values. That’s a fundamentally different product — and a more honest one.
If a school you’re interested in isn’t in our database, it almost certainly doesn’t publish CDS data. We’d rather tell you that directly than substitute a competitor’s estimate for the school’s own disclosure.
Answer 10 questions and get your personalized college list with FitScore analysis powered by the AFI methodology.
Build My College List — $39FitScore Premium available as a $19 add-on after purchase