From award-winning higher education journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Selingo comes a revealing look from inside the admissions office -- one that identifies surprising strategies that will aid in the college search.

Getting into a top-ranked college has never seemed more impossible, with acceptance rates at some elite universities dipping into the single digits. In Who Gets In and Why, journalist and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo dispels entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game, and reveals that teenagers and parents have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a "good college." Hint: it's not all about the sticker on the car window.

Selingo, who was embedded in three different admissions offices -- a selective private university, a leading liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus -- closely observed gatekeepers as they made their often agonizing and sometimes life-changing decisions. He also followed select students and their parents, and he traveled around the country meeting with high school counselors, marketers, behind-the-scenes consultants, and college rankers.

While many have long believed that admissions is merit-based, rewarding the best students, Who Gets In and Why presents a more complicated truth, showing that "who gets in" is frequently more about the college's agenda than the applicant. In a world where thousands of equally qualified students vie for a fixed number of spots at elite institutions, admissions officers often make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors -- like diversity, money, and, ultimately, whether a student will enroll if accepted.

One of the most insightful books ever about "getting in" and what higher education has become, Who Gets In and Why not only provides an unusually intimate look at how admissions decisions get made, but guides prospective students on how to honestly assess their strengths and match with the schools that will best serve their interests.

• We started tracking this book on November 22, 2019.
• This book was $14.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 7 times in the past 2,225 days.
• The current price of this book is $9.99 last checked 4 hours ago.
• This book is at its lowest price in the past 90 days.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $1.99.
• The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on June 30, 2025.
• This book has been $1.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $14.99 last reached on August 20, 2025.
• This book has been $14.99 4 times since we started tracking it.

• Education & TeachingTeacher ResourcesEducation TheoryAdministration

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 317 Pages
• File Size: 30 KB