Ivy+ Admissions Coaching for Canadian Students
Stanford · MIT · Duke · UChicago · Johns Hopkins + more
There are several elite American universities outside of the Ivy League, and most require comprehensive, school-specific applications different from Canadian universities.
What are the “Ivy+” universities?
Ivy+ schools are a loosely defined tier of elite US universities seen as on par with Ivy League universities. Ivy+ schools are recognized in America as being world-renowned comprehensive research universities (like Stanford), leading one or more specialized fields (like Caltech), or in some cases, both (like UChicago). Unlike the Ivy League universities, these schools are found across the United States and come in many shapes and sizes. The term “Ivy+” is an informal shorthand and there is no official designation tying these universities together.
Outside of the US, Ivy+ universities’ reputations vary, although those in academia and in many workplace industries are very aware of their status and educational quality. In our experience, Canadian employers widely recognize Ivy+ universities as elite institutions.
Schools typically included in the Ivy+
There is no “official” list of Ivy+ universities; in our experience, the following schools are mentioned as being peers of Ivy League universities:
Almost always included in Ivy+ groupings:
- University of Chicago (UChicago)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Stanford University
- Duke University
- Johns Hopkins University
Sometimes mentioned as Ivy+:
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Northwestern University
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University in St. Louis
How can Canadians apply to Ivy+ universities?
Canadian students typically must submit a Common App as well as one to five (or more) supplemental essays or short answers to each Ivy+ university. Some programs require specialized applications, including those for engineering and arts focuses, and MIT uses its own application entirely, bypassing the Common App. Alumni interviews are common and standardized tests like the SAT or ACT are often required or recommended.
Most Ivy+ applications require students to communicate academic direction, personal context, extracurricular depth, recommendations, writing ability, and campus fit all at once. A strong Canadian applicant creates a coherent application that translates their achievements into a U.S. holistic admissions context.
Simply put: marks are not enough for the Ivy+ programs, especially as a Canadian.
What Ivy+ universities look for from Canadian students
Given that Ivy+ is an informal term/grouping, there is no official guidance that can apply universally across all of their admissions departments.
However, in general, Ivy+ universities look for students who demonstrate:
- Strong academic performance based on a rigorous course load
- Intellectual curiosity and vitality
- Resilience and ability to overcome adversity
- Excellence in one or more domains: academic, athletic, business, leadership, or similar
Financial aid and standardized testing
With the exception of MIT, the Ivy+ universities are need-aware for Canadian students, meaning those who are applying for financial aid face additional barriers to admission (unless they qualify as a domestic applicant via US citizenship or permanent residency).
SAT and ACT scores for students admitted to elite institutions are typically very high. For example, MIT reported 1520–1570 SAT and 34–36 ACT interquartile range for 2024–2025, and there is no evidence to indicate Canadians’ scores were outside of this range.
Why study at an Ivy+ school when there are good Canadian university options?
Many Canadian families have different reasons for considering US schools. Some have familial ties to America, whereas others see greater economic potential. Ivy+ universities offer exceptional academic rigour in an American higher education environment — in some cases, there are more specialized or recognized programs than here in Canada.
Compared to elite Canadian universities, the Ivy+ schools have more selective first-year entrance policies, as reflected in their admissions rates. Their holistic application process also selects for different attributes, reflecting the influence of the liberal arts approach many of the Ivy+ universities take. For some students, having a higher concentration of academically elite classmates is appealing, and for others, the school culture or program fit may align better than anything in Canada. Class sizes are often smaller than Canadian universities: at Ivy+ universities, it is rare to have a class with over a few hundred students, whereas it may be the norm at schools like the University of Toronto.
Student-athletes may also find a good fit at Ivy+, and in many cases, this can be a better academic-athletic fit than the Ivy League or Canadian schools. Stanford, for example, can award full athletic NCAA Division 1 scholarships to an elite sports and academic institution, whereas schools like MIT provide solid academic rigour in a competitive yet more accessible D3 sporting environment.
We encourage students considering US universities to explore the “Ivy+” universities and their programs, as they are each quite distinct and offer something different. This should be done in conjunction with reviewing Canadian and other US options, as most Ivy+ universities have single-digit overall admit rates and admission can be even more constrained for Canadian applicants. Beyond this, a single year of costs may exceed the entire budget for undergraduate studies in Canada.
Application components
Each school has their own application requirements, but typically applications include the following:
Common App essay (excl. MIT)
School-specific supplements (often 3–5 essays)
Extracurricular and awards list
SAT or ACT scores and transcripts
Two teacher recommendations and one guidance counselor recommendation
School reports (submitted by your guidance counselor)
How we coach for it
Ivy+ university applications are comprehensive and typically require a multi-year time investment from Canadian students to build their profile and hone their storytelling skills. An effective application strategy is also school-specific: what works for Stanford may not work for UChicago, and MIT uses a different application structure entirely. We coach students to develop critical thinking skills, have authentic experiences, and ultimately tell their unique story in a memorable way.
Academic and extracurricular planning
We help students find activities they are passionate about, developing experiences which allow them to demonstrate their curiosity, leadership, and intellect.
School list strategy
We help students build a balanced list across Ivy League, Ivy+, liberal arts, and Canadian options rather than chasing prestige alone.
Common App and supplemental essays
We coach students through reflection, outlining, drafting, and revision while keeping the writing fully student-owned.
Activity and awards strategy
We help students present depth, initiative, and impact within the limited space of the activities list.
Recommendations and school context
We help students understand how counsellor and teacher recommendations fit into the application and how to communicate context appropriately.
Interview and scholarship preparation
Where relevant, we prepare students to discuss their interests, experiences, and fit with clarity and maturity.
Frequently asked
The Ivy League is an official athletic conference made up of eight universities: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania. “Ivy+” or “Ivy Plus” is an informal term used for other highly selective US universities commonly considered academic peers of the Ivy League, including schools such as Stanford, MIT, Duke, UChicago, Johns Hopkins, and Caltech. There is no universally accepted list of Ivy+ universities.
It can be, depending on the university and the student's circumstances. Canadian students are competitive applicants at Ivy+ universities, but they enter an extremely selective US admissions process in which strong marks alone are rarely enough. Admissions officers consider a student's academic rigour, intellectual interests, extracurricular involvement, personal qualities, recommendations, writing, and the opportunities available at their high school. Canadian applicants therefore need to translate achievements that may be impressive in a Canadian context into an application that makes sense to an American admissions reader.
Ivy+ universities are familiar with Canadian curricula and evaluate students in the context of their own high school rather than mechanically converting every Canadian percentage into a US GPA. Course selection and academic rigour matter alongside marks, and students are generally expected to take advantage of the most challenging courses reasonably available to them.
It depends on the university and admissions cycle. Some Ivy+ universities require standardized testing, while others remain test-optional or use different policies. Canadian applicants should check each school's current requirements rather than assume that one testing policy applies across the Ivy+ group. Even where scores are considered, there is no single SAT or ACT score that guarantees admission.
Yes, but financial-aid policies differ substantially by university. Canadian citizens are generally treated as international applicants unless they also hold a qualifying US status. Some universities consider an international applicant's financial need when making the admission decision, while a smaller number are need-blind for international applicants. Families considering financial aid should therefore review each university's policy while building their school list rather than waiting until applications are submitted.
Ideally, preparation starts before Grade 12. Grades 9 and 10 are useful for exploring academic interests and developing meaningful extracurricular involvement; Grade 11 is an important year for academic performance, testing, school research, and deeper involvement in a student's strongest activities. Grade 12 then becomes primarily about school selection, application strategy, essays, recommendations, and execution. Starting earlier should create more room for genuine exploration—not four years of activities engineered solely for university applications.
Your program lead
Connor Bitter
Lead Coach | Founder · BA, Harvard College · MSc, University of Zurich & ETH Zurich
US admissions read a Canadian profile differently. For Ivy+ Admissions, we frame your story so an American reader immediately understands what makes you stand out.Read Connor's biography
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