QuestBridge Info and Personal Accounts

Overview

What is QuestBridge?

QuestBridge is a national nonprofit organization based in Palo Alto, California, that connects low-income students with the nation’s leading institutions of higher education.

Who is eligible?

In order to be eligible, the applicant must:

• Graduate during or before senior year, and plan to enroll as a first-year student in college following graduation.

• Attend a U.S. high school (regardless of citizenship), or be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident living abroad.

• Demonstrate financial need. For example, a student comes from a household of four that makes less than $65,000 per year with minimal assets. However, there are no absolute cut-offs.

How to apply for QuestBridge?

Applications open in late summer, and serve as the application for the college partners, but only if the applicant is selected as a finalist. Once an applicant is a finalist, they can opt-in for the college match, or wait for the regular decision. The application consists of seven components:

• Any information on your academics, activities, household, financial, and personal background

• Two essays and short answers

• Two teacher recommendations

• School Report from your current high school counselor

• School Profile (optional, but recommended)

• Current high school transcript and additional transcripts

• Any available standardized test score reports (if taken)

What is the Questbridge National College Match?

QuestBridge’s National College Match is a college scholarship application that grants the recipient early admission with a full four-year scholarship to a college partner.

How does the Match work?

Applicants rank up to 15 colleges in order of preference. The Match Scholarship will go to the highest-ranked school on the applicant’s list. In December, finalists are notified of their match status.

What happens if you don’t match?

Applicants who don’t match are able to complete QuestBridge's Regular Decision or apply to other colleges through a different application process.

What is QuestBridge Regular Decision?

QuestBridge Regular Decision allows finalists to apply to any of the college partners with no application fees.

Match Recipient Experiences

“My QuestBridge experience was different than other people's. They go in wanting to match to various schools, but I wasn’t sure I was going to do QuestBridge till mid-August. I wasn’t sure if I would qualify financially, or if I would be able to manage my time with this included. So I went in with no expectations of matching. When I became a finalist, I thought this was really good for me but still told people that I wasn’t going to match. When December came, I opened my decision by myself, expecting not to match. However, I ended up matching my number one school, UChicago. It’s such an unreal feeling. I got into my dream school, and I’m going for free. This is something that will have a lasting impact on my life. I won’t have to pay for undergraduate debt, my kids are going to be legacies at UChicago. This is a generational lasting effect.

I am so grateful for QuestBridge. Money was my biggest concern for college. I always knew I wanted to leave Indiana, but I never knew how I was going to pay for it, so QuestBridge made that an option for me.

All-in-all, I love that I did QuestBridge. I almost didn’t do it, and I am so glad I did. I would recommend that anyone, even if you may not think you qualify financially, should just do it. It’s such a unique opportunity. I never thought I would be getting a full ride to my dream school. When you hear about full rides, you hear, ‘people barely get those,’ but three people at our school got it, which is insane. I think anyone that can try, should apply and start very early.” - Karisten Poole

"Honestly, regardless of the outcome, I was just excited that I was able to have top schools like the Ivys in consideration through QuestBridge. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have even applied to those schools (all 15 of them), or the school I matched with. It made my story feel unique and appreciated as well as supported as there were many other students out there like me, and administrations seeking marginalized students who were willing to learn. Because of all of the above, I enjoyed the whole process.” - Jaehun Kim

"I was shocked to find out I matched. I remembered telling the people in my life that I had no chance of matching, after facing a rejection a little while ago from a different organization. I was so worried that I wasn’t good enough, and I almost didn’t apply because of that doubt. However, I am so thankful that I had an opportunity like this. Money was among my top concerns for college, and now I don’t have to worry too much about racking up debt.” - Tim Hill