Does your school have a “school profile” to submit to colleges on behalf of students during the college admission process? Research shows detailed information in a profile can help admission officers more fairly evaluate students’ accomplishments, thus promoting more equitable admission outcomes.
Despite the importance of a school profile, fewer than half of public high schools submit one to colleges. ISBE recognizes this disparity in profile submission and so, in partnership with the Governor’s Office, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Illinois Community College Board, and Illinois Board of Higher Education, is launching a
School Profile Initiative to help Illinois schools develop high-quality profiles that best advocate for their students.
Find below a comprehensive toolkit to support counselors and administrators in creating their School Profiles. Have questions? Email Lenore Smith with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission at
Lenore.Smith@illinois.gov.
What is a school profile?
A profile highlights for admission officers important data about a school, such as its grading system, curriculum, postsecondary outcomes, and school community. Typically, profile development is led by school counselors with support from school and district administrators.
Why do colleges need a school profile?
Many colleges and universities use detailed school profiles to more fairly and effectively evaluate students' high school accomplishments within the context of the opportunities their schools and communities offer.
Students apply to colleges from high schools with varied resources, course offerings, and grading systems. The school profile tells admission officers much of what they need to know about your high school — all in one place.
What information should be in a profile?
New research that has identified 14 profile elements important to colleges in their decision-making. View the exemplars, sample profiles, school profile template, FAQs, and other resources in the School Profile Toolkit below for specific guidance in building your School Profile.
How much time does it take to build a profile?
The most time-intensive phase of profile development is gathering all the necessary data elements. Once all relevant information is collected, it will likely take several hours to create and format a high-quality profile. Also note that the school profile will need to be updated annually because information changes from time to time.
How can my school submit a profile to colleges?
School profiles can be submitted to colleges and universities directly through the ISAC Transcript Exchange, powered by Parchment – a
free service available to all Illinois school districts and high schools for sharing transcripts and other documents like profiles with colleges and universities across the globe.
School profiles can also be uploaded directly to the Common App or to colleges’ admission portals.
My school is interested in creating a profile. How can we get started?
- Identify educator(s) who will support the profile’s initial development and oversee its annual update.
- Collect necessary data. Some data can be found on the
Illinois Report Card, but school or district administrators may need to supply other information.
- Review the ISBE School Profile Toolkit, using the School Profile template to get started.
- Create a profile and upload it to your school website. Consider obtaining feedback on the profile from local college admission offices.
- Submit the school profile to colleges to which students are applying for admission!
Examples
Templates and Guidance
