How to compare program cutoffs
Deciding where to apply usually means collecting a threshold for each program and then working out, in your head, how far your own number sits from each one. Enter your index score once, list each program with its cutoff on its own line, and this tool sorts them by cushion and lays them out in a table. Program names appear exactly as you typed them, so you can keep your list in preference order and change the score to see what moves.
The rule is explicit: a score at or above the cutoff counts as meeting it, so an exact tie is not marked as short. Differences are shown with a sign, so it is obvious how many points are missing. Add the maximum index score and you also get your score as a share of that maximum, and leaving the maximum blank simply hides that line.
No cutoffs are built in. Weights and index formulas differ between schools, states and scholarship programs, and thresholds move from year to year with the applicant pool. If you entered last year's numbers, read the result as a last-year benchmark.
The cushion column is planning information, not a verdict. Most US admissions offices read files holistically and publish middle-50% score ranges instead of fixed lines, and none of that enters this calculation, so check each program's own requirements before you finalize a list.
Frequently asked questions
You enter them yourself, from a program admissions page, a state university index table, or an honors or scholarship threshold. Formulas and weights differ by school, so nothing is built in.
A score at or above the cutoff counts as meeting it, so the row reads at or above cutoff. Tie-breaking rules vary by school, so it is not a guarantee of admission.
No. Most US colleges review applications holistically and publish middle-50% ranges rather than hard cutoffs, so treat the cushion as one data point among essays, rigor and recommendations.