Frequently Asked Questions

Prospect uses a logistic regression model with 22 factors including GPA, test scores, course rigor, extracurricular strength, AP mastery, geographic diversity, program selectivity, demonstrated interest, and institutional data from the Common Data Set. Your probability is calculated deterministically based on your profile and each school's historical admissions data — including program-specific acceptance rates where available. No AI is involved in the chancing calculation itself. Visit our methodology page at /methodology for a detailed breakdown.

These tiers reflect how competitive each school is relative to your profile. Dream schools have very low admission probabilities for your profile (typically under 15%). Reach schools are competitive but possible (roughly 15-35%). Match schools align well with your academic profile (roughly 35-65%). Likely schools are those where your profile exceeds their typical admitted student (above 65%). The exact thresholds adjust based on your overall competitiveness.

Prospect is built on a strict principle: AI coaching, not AI writing. Our brainstorm tool asks you questions to surface your stories and ideas. Essay feedback scores your drafts on specificity and authenticity and suggests areas to improve. The coaching chat helps you think through revisions. But you write every word. This approach is designed to comply with the Common App fraud policy, Caltech's AI ethics guidelines, and every school's standards.

Prospect offers a free Explorer tier that includes school matching, the essay editor, timeline tracking, chancing estimates, and limited AI coaching. The Pro plan unlocks unlimited AI feedback, coaching, mock interviews, narrative strategy, application review, unlimited schools, and Google Drive sync. Pro is billed monthly and you can cancel anytime from your account settings. There are no long-term contracts.

Your profile data, essays, and school list are stored securely in your account. Essay text is sent to AI models only when you explicitly request feedback or coaching, and is not used to train AI models. We do not share your personal information with colleges, admissions consultants, or third parties. You can delete your account and all associated data at any time.

Prospect analyzes whether submitting your test scores helps or hurts your chances at each school. If your SAT or ACT scores are above a school's median, submitting typically strengthens your application. If they're below, going test-optional may be the better strategy. The recommendation is personalized per school based on your scores relative to that school's admitted student profile. Some schools (like UC and CSU campuses) are test-blind, meaning scores are not considered at all.

Essay feedback is powered by Claude, a leading AI model, with custom prompts designed by admissions experts. Feedback focuses on specificity (are you showing, not telling?), authenticity (does this sound like you?), and structural strength. It identifies what's working and where to improve with specific, actionable suggestions. For best results, use the coaching chat to discuss feedback and iterate on your drafts. Remember that AI feedback is one tool -- your own voice and judgment always come first.

School recommendations combine your chancing data, academic profile, intended major, geographic preferences, campus culture preferences, and financial considerations. The system matches you across 1,400+ colleges and suggests a balanced list with schools in each tier (Dream, Reach, Match, Likely). You can also explore all schools and filter by location, size, acceptance rate, major availability, and more.

The Explorer (free) tier includes up to 10 schools, basic chancing, the essay editor, timeline tracking, and limited AI sessions. Pro starts at $29/month and includes unlimited schools, unlimited AI essay feedback and coaching, unlimited mock interviews with school-specific prep, full narrative strategy, application review, financial aid comparison, demonstrated interest tracking, and Google Drive sync.

If you have questions, run into issues, or want to share feedback, you can reach us at support@getprospect.app. We typically respond within 24 hours. For feature requests and bug reports, email is the fastest path.

Prospect draws from three primary data sources: the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education) for acceptance rates, enrollment, costs, and outcomes; the Common Data Set (CDS) published by individual colleges for detailed admission factors, application round rates, and GPA distributions; and a curated static dataset with supplement essay prompts, campus culture tags, and program strength data. Data is refreshed regularly to reflect the latest available information.

Yes. Prospect includes dedicated UC application tools including a UC Activities section (formatted for the 20-activity UC app), a Personal Insight Questions (PIQ) editor, and an A-G course requirement tracker. All UC and CSU campuses are test-blind, and Prospect automatically accounts for this in chancing calculations by excluding SAT/ACT scores from the analysis for these schools.