How does the college shortlist quiz work?

Answer 10 questions about cost ceiling, state, school type (university or community college), public/private, intended major, campus size, setting, and Common App acceptance. Each answer maps to a CampusPin search filter. After the last question, the quiz redirects you to /results with all filters pre-applied — you see the real list of U.S. colleges that match.

Do I need an account?

No. The quiz runs in your browser and the resulting filtered search is public. A free account becomes useful only when you want to pin schools so the shortlist persists across devices.

Is the quiz a recommendation or a filter?

A filter. CampusPin does not recommend specific schools algorithmically — your answers narrow the universe of 3,800+ U.S. colleges to the ones that match your stated constraints. You choose from the filtered list.

Can I change my answers later?

Yes. The filters are visible in the URL on /results, so you can adjust any of them directly from the filter panel without re-running the quiz. You can also re-run the quiz any time.

Tool

College Shortlist Quiz

Ten quick questions. Your answers pre-fill CampusPin search filters, and you land on the real list of U.S. colleges that match — not a black-box recommendation, just a focused narrowing of 3,800+ schools to the ones that fit your stated constraints.

Question 1 of 10

Who is searching?

How the quiz works

Each answer maps to a CampusPin search filter — cost ceiling, state, school type, public/private, program, size, setting, format, Common App.
The quiz does NOT recommend specific schools algorithmically. It narrows the universe so you can choose.
Skipping optional questions leaves the corresponding filter unset — broader results, your call.
Filters stay in the URL on /results so you can tweak any of them without re-running the quiz.
Nothing is saved or transmitted. The quiz runs in your browser.

Where to go next

Admission tier estimator

Likely / Match / Reach / Beyond Reach from your SAT/ACT.

Aid letter analyzer

Standardize up to 4 aid offers side by side.

Net price estimator

Estimate year-one cost before you have a real offer.

College search checklist

12-step actionable workflow for a full search.

How to build a balanced list

Mix reach, match & safety across selectivity and cost.

Reach, match & safety, explained

The vocabulary behind a balanced college list.