A good list of universities is balanced. It includes places that would be a stretch, places where you are a realistic candidate, and places where you can be confident. The three words used for these are reach, match and safety.
What the three words mean
- Reach: your record is below what the course usually admits, or the course is so selective that nobody can count on it.
- Match: your record is in line with the students the course usually admits.
- Safety: your record is clearly above the usual level, and you meet every formal requirement.
These are estimates, not promises. They describe likelihood, and they apply to you and one course at a time. The same university can be a match for one subject and a reach for another.
How to tell which is which
- Compare your grades with the entry requirements and with the results of students the course has admitted, where the university publishes them.
- Look at how selective the course is. When there are many more applicants than places, treat it as a reach whatever your grades.
- Check what is required beyond grades: tests, a portfolio, an interview, particular subjects.
- Be honest about predicted grades. Plan around the results you are likely to get.
How to balance a list
There is no fixed formula. A shape that works for most students is a small number of reach options, a larger number of matches, and at least one or two safeties. Where a system limits your choices, as UCAS does, balance matters even more, because each choice has to earn its place.
A safety is only useful if you would be content to go there and can afford it. Choose it with the same care as the others.
Outside the United States
The idea comes from American admissions, where selection is competitive almost everywhere. Many European systems work differently. If a programme has no limit on places, meeting the stated requirement is enough to be admitted. If places are limited, applicants are ranked or selected, and the same thinking about reach and match applies. Our country guides explain which is which.
Common mistakes
- A list made only of famous names.
- Calling a university a safety because it is less well known, without checking the course’s requirements.
- Choosing a safety you would not actually attend.
- Leaving cost out of the picture until the offers arrive.
Where Corinia fits
Corinia compares your record with more than 400 universities and labels each suggestion reach, match or safe, with the reason for the label and what could stand in your way. The labels are estimates; the decision always belongs to the university.