What do colleges say?

Harvard University

“The IB is well known to us for excellent preparations. Success in an IB program correlates well with success at Harvard. We are always pleased to see the credentials of the IB Diploma Program in the transcript.”

Marilyn McGrath Lewis, Director of Undergraduate Admission


Duke University

“One of the advantages of an IB curriculum is its structure and quality. It is a coordinated program, well established, well known and well respected. We know the quality of IB courses, and we think IB curriculum is terrific.”

Christoph Guttentag, Director of Undergraduate Admission


Vanderbilt University

“I have always been a supporter of the International Baccalaureate. It is a thoughtful and genuinely intellectual curriculum with an unusually high degree of integrity and connectedness. There is no other curriculum anywhere that does a superior job of both educating students and inspiring a true and broad-based love of learning.”

William Shain, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions


College of William and Mary

“The rigor of the IB Diploma requirement meets our recommendation for the strongest high school preparation possible…In sum, the IB diploma candidate who has met the challenge successfully receives strong consideration from the William and Mary admission committee.”

Allison Jesse, Former Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission


Connecticut College

“Connecticut College highly values the IB program as it prepares students for the liberal arts in ways that few secondary school curriculums can. The TOK class’s interdisciplinary approach is a prime example of the kind of work students will be expected to do on most college campuses today. In addition, colleges and American universities highly value community service, another important component of the IB curriculum. Students who have graduated from schools with the IB curriculum are extremely well prepared when they arrive on our campus.”

Martha Merrill, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid


Macalester College

“We respect the IB program for its academic rigor and the dedication it requires of students to earn the diploma. Over the years, we have found IB students to be exceptionally well-prepared for a challenging college experience.”

Lorne Robinson, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid


Sarah Lawrence College

“In our minds, there is no more challenging curriculum than the IB curriculum. Not only does it prepare students for a demanding college program, but the IB curriculum also instills in students a love of learning and an understanding of the truly interdisciplinary nature of education. Instead of working on each subject in a vacuum, IB students are shown how each of their classes connects both with the other classes and with the world around them. At Sarah Lawrence College, we are very cautious about granting advanced standing credit for any course work that is done before a student enters college. In the case of students who are completing the full IB diploma, however, we are willing to grant students an entire year’s worth of credit due to the intensely rigorous nature of the program. Unlike the AP curriculum, which is often done piecemeal, students enrolling in the full IB diploma are receiving a comprehensive and challenging education, which is unlike any other. I only wish that my stepson had the opportunity to be part of this curriculum.”

Thyra L. Briggs, Dean of Enrollment


Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"It is the 'best' high school prep curriculum an American school can offer.”

Marilee Jones, director of undergraduate admission