Do all colleges require interviews for admissions?

I'm starting my college application process, and I'm wondering if every college requires interviews. Are there specific types of schools that place more emphasis on interviews, or is it just optional for most places?

The vast majority of colleges do not require interviews as part of the application process. While some colleges offer optional interviews, very few actually mandate them. The schools that typically offer or require them are often private, smaller liberal arts colleges or highly selective schools. For instance, several Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Princeton encourage, but do not require interviews.

In most cases, interviews are a way for college admissions officers or alumni to get to know you better as an individual, beyond your application. It's an opportunity for the institution to assess personal characteristics that might not come across in your application, like your interpersonal and communication skills, your passion for your areas of interest, and other aspects of your personality.

However, whether you are offered an interview can depend on multiple factors, including the availability of alumni interviewers in your area. For example, applicants in smaller cities might not be offered an interview simply because there isn't an alumni interviewer nearby. Conversely, in larger metropolitan areas, there may be too many applicants for the available alumni interviewers.

Bear in mind that if you're offered an optional interview, it's generally a good idea to take it. Even though it's not a major factor in most admissions decisions, it shows your interest in the college, and gives the admissions committee a fuller picture of your personal qualities. If you're not offered an interview, don't worry — many students are admitted every year without ever going through an interview.

Also noteworthy is the fact that some universities, for example, Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins, don't offer interviews at all. Therefore, it's always a good idea to check the admissions criteria of each university you are interested in, it will often tell you if they offer interviews and if so, whether they are optional or compulsory.