University Admissions

University Acceptance and Academic Strength

The IB Diploma Programme is rigorous. Students completing the Diploma Programme are highly prepared for post-secondary work in universities throughout the world.

IB students are accepted to universities at higher than average rates. A 2003 survey of graduating IB students in the United States found that IB students were accepted more often by post-secondary institutions than the general admission pool of applicants.

In many universities, as part of their admissions policy, IB Diploma students begin with credits towards their first year of study. For example, the recent passage of Senate Bill 111 makes it mandatory for all Texas colleges and universities to grant a minimum of 24 credit hours for all IB Diploma holders who have scored at least a 4 for each of their subjects.

Clifford Adelman’s 1999 study “Answers in the Toolbox”, has quickly become one of the most quoted and respected studies about students’ participation in advanced programmes serving as a predictor of future academic success. In his study, he found that advanced coursework in high school correlated more strongly with degree completion than other variables such as student GPA, parents’ education, test scores or class rank. The study also found that the correlation was evident regardless of the socioeconomic status or ethnic background of the student. (From IBO publication: “Overview of International Baccalaureate in the United States”)

The following comments are from a selection of educators in the United States and the United Kingdom: