Niche - College profiles & reviews

The Niche app offers detailed profiles of every college across America, allowing you to explore both familiar institutions and those you have yet to learn about. Through Niche, you can access student and alumni feedback, receive tailored college suggestions, pursue scholarship opportunities, and much more.

FEATURES

• Comprehensive college profiles: Discover nearly 7,000 college profiles that provide information on tuition, financial aid options, admissions criteria, campus life, and additional aspects. You can also read evaluations from current students and alumni.

• Tailored recommendations: As you begin using the app, we will generate customized lists of colleges that align with your preferences and interests.

• My List: While you're reviewing your choices, you can bookmark your favorite colleges. The more schools you select, the better our recommendations will be for you.

• Scholarship search: Search and apply for college scholarships based on categories or get directly matched with scholarships suited to your qualifications.

• College rankings: Investigate rankings of colleges by state, major, student experience, and beyond. Whether you seek a liberal arts institution, public university, or top nursing school, Niche rankings provide a valuable starting point in your search for the ideal college.

• Expert tips and advice: Check out the Niche Blog for articles covering various topics, such as college admissions, navigating college life, and what to expect after graduation.

WHAT SETS NICHE APART?

Quality data

• Niche compiles the most extensive data sets on U.S. colleges into a single source. We continuously refresh and connect millions of data points to offer new rankings and insights.

Honest reviews

• From its inception, Niche has been dedicated to providing users with authentic representations of life at colleges and schools. You can read genuine accounts of personal experiences to gain an understanding of what attending a specific college might entail.

What Colleges Look for (That’s Not Just GPA)

Many students believe GPA is the deciding factor in college admissions — but the truth is, colleges look for much more. Yes, GPA matters, but admissions officers also want to understand you as a person. They’re looking for your passions, character, leadership, community involvement, and how well-rounded you are. Ultimately, colleges want to see if you’ll be a good fit for their campus.

Beyond GPA: What Colleges Really Consider

Standardized Test Scores (When Required)

Some colleges still use SAT/ACT scores to gauge academic readiness. The average ACT score is 19.5, and the average SAT score is around 1050.

But here’s the key: test scores are just one piece of the puzzle. Admissions officers know standardized tests don’t show creativity, perseverance, or leadership. Instead, they use scores alongside your experiences and character to get a fuller picture of your potential.

Source: ACT Average Scores 

Source: SAT Average Scores

Course Rigor

Colleges aren’t just looking at your grades—they care deeply about the rigor and type of classes you choose to take. Opting for advanced placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or honors courses signals to admissions committees that you are not afraid of a challenge and are willing to push yourself academically.

So choose wisely!

This choice goes beyond just a higher GPA; it highlights crucial qualities like your discipline to handle more demanding material, your time management skills in balancing a heavier workload, and your resilience in navigating complex subjects. These are all key attributes that predict success in the demanding environment of college-level academics, demonstrating your readiness for the intellectual rigor ahead.

Extracurricular Activities

What you do outside the classroom matters just as much as what you do inside it. Colleges want to see your impact, passions, and how you contribute to your community.

This includes:

Joining clubs and organizations

Taking on leadership roles

Volunteering or service work (tutoring, food banks, charity events, clean-ups, etc.)

Extracurriculars are more than just line items on your application; they vividly demonstrate key qualities like initiative, teamwork, empathy, and effective time management.

They offer a window into your character, showing admissions officers precisely how you’ll actively engage with their campus community and make a meaningful impact that extends far beyond your academic performance. These activities signal your potential to enrich university life, showcasing your passion, leadership capabilities, and commitment to collective success.

Admission Essays

Your essay is your chance to tell your story. While it may sound easy, writing about yourself can actually be one of the hardest parts of the application.

The key is authenticity. Share challenges and how you overcame them — whether personal struggles, loss, or financial hardship. These stories highlight resilience and determination, qualities that colleges deeply value.

Source: Psychology Today on why writing about yourself is hard

Letters of Recommendation

Strong recommendation letters provide context that grades can’t. They show admissions officers your character, curiosity, and how you interact with others.

Choose recommenders (teachers, mentors, supervisors) who know you well and can give specific examples of your strengths. A thoughtful letter reinforces your application and helps colleges see why you’d be a valuable addition to their community.

Demonstrated Interest

Colleges really want to see that you’re genuinely interested in attending their institution—it’s something I wish someone had told me sooner. What I learned later is that they meticulously track what they call “demonstrated interest.” This includes a surprising array of activities, from how many virtual information sessions or campus tours you attend to the frequency and thoughtfulness of your emails to admissions counselors.

Even a brief, memorable conversation at a college fair can be logged as a point of engagement. They use these touchpoints to gauge how serious you are about their school, which can ultimately play a role in admissions decisions.

Ways to show interest include:

Attending campus tours and information sessions

Engaging with the school on social media

Talking with current students, faculty, or staff

Asking thoughtful questions during events

Demonstrated interest tells colleges that you’re invested, proactive, and already imagining yourself on campus.

Conclusion

Your GPA is important, but it’s just one piece of the admissions puzzle. Colleges want to see the person behind the numbers — your story, passions, and the impact you’ve made.

Build a balanced application: strong academics, meaningful extracurriculars, leadership, and authentic experiences that reflect who you are. Don’t pad your resume with things you don’t care about — focus on what excites you.

Every challenge you’ve faced, every leadership role, and every way you’ve contributed to your community helps colleges see your unique potential.

Remember: Colleges don’t just want your grades. They want you.

Surprising Facts About the Ten Best Cities to Live in for 2026

Not only do we name the ten best cities to live in for 2026, but we also provide interesting cultural and historical facts for each place!

What are the best cities to live in? This is a difficult question to answer because each person has different expectations for the place they want to call home. Some people prefer big cities while others prefer the feeling of a small and tight-knit community. In reality, there has never been an answer to this question… until now.

Niche has spent the last year analyzing home-buying trends, employment opportunities, cost of living data, diversity, health, and so many other factors. With this information, we have created a comprehensive list of the ten best U.S. cities to live in for 2026. On top of that, we have come up with one interesting factoid for each place on our list to help make that city more memorable!

10. Overland Park, Kansas

This is the second most populous city in Kansas, with 202,893 residents, behind only Wichita. It’s the biggest suburb of Kansas City, located just 20 minutes south of KC. The city is also lucky enough to have the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, which is one of the most popular arboreta in the U.S. Plus, Overland Park has seen its fair share of celebrities, including actors Rob Riggle, Jason Sudeikis, and Paul Rudd. 

Key Stats

The per capita income, which is used to evaluate the economic output of a population, in 2024 was $60,602, roughly 35.6% higher than the national average ($44,673).

The median gross rent – which measures gross rent prices, including the cost of utilities – for Overland Park was $1,515, 7.2% higher than the national average recorded in 2024.

Employment in Overland Park grew by 1.48% from 2023 to 2024, with the city topping out at about 111,000 employees.

Popular Amenities or Lifestyle Features

The Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is listed as the city’s top attraction on TripAdvisor.

The Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead is a 12-acre educational farming environment that teaches people about animals and the traditions of Kansas.

On Saturdays and Wednesdays, vendors sell their products at the Downtown Overland Park Farmers Market, which is one of the biggest attractions in the city.

Did You Know?

Overland Park’s Farmers’ Market was named the best in the country a few years ago.

In 2022, the Overland Park Farmers Market won first prize in the 14th Annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration. The market beat out over 2,000 other farmers’ markets for this recognition and was awarded a prize of $5,000. Even on TripAdvisor, it is still ranked as the third-best thing to do when visiting Overland Park.

9. Berkeley, California

Off the San Francisco Bay is Berkeley, California, which comes in ninth place on our list of places to live in 2026. This city is most famous for the University of California, Berkeley campus, which was founded in 1868, making it the oldest college campus in the University of California system. Berkeley has an excellent location, just a 15-minute drive from Oakland and 25 minutes from San Francisco.

Key Stats

Of the 121,749 people living in the city, 37.7% (45,882 people) are enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley.

Over a fifth of those employed in the city (~21.4%) work in the educational services sector (12,964).

The median household income in Berkeley in 2024 was $108,092, which is about 29.1% higher than the national average that year ($83,730).

Popular Amenities or Lifestyle Features

Obviously, the UC Berkeley campus is the biggest attraction in the city, but one place to visit at the school is the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley.

As the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, interested individuals can visit the Free Speech Movement Cafe and view historical documents that inspired the movement in 1964.

If you want something else to do not located on the school’s campus, you can visit the Berkeley Marina for food, walking, water sports, fishing, and hiking.

You can also take advantage of the city’s public transportation system, which has the 11th-best score on AllTransit amongst U.S. municipalities with a population of at least 100,000 people (8.6).

Did You Know?

Berkeley played an important part in a major Disney movie!

The team at Pixar paid a visit to the University of California-Berkeley and used the campus as the inspiration for the campus attended by Mike Wazowski and Sully in the hit film Monsters University. Berkeley’s Sather Bell Tower inspired the clock tower on the Monster University campus. Also, the amphitheater at Monsters University was based on UC Berkley’s Greek Theatre.

8. Sunnyvale, California

As the self-proclaimed “heart of Silicon Valley,” Sunnyvale is a bustling hub of innovation and technology that is home to several Fortune 500 companies, including Google, Yahoo!, and LinkedIn. If you like nice weather, then Sunnyvale is the place for you. The average temperature for the coldest month of the year in Sunnyvale is only 49.9 degrees Fahrenheit!