Which colleges actually require interviews, and how much do they matter?

Not all college interviews are created equal. At some elite universities the interview is a genuine evaluative component that feeds directly into the admissions committee's decision. At others it is largely ambassadorial. Knowing the difference is essential for building your admissions strategy.

Georgetown is the gold standard for evaluative admissions interviews and the only top-ten university in the country that requires an alumni interview for every first-year applicant. The interview is waived only in rare cases where no alumni interviewer is available in your area. Georgetown's Alumni Admissions Program includes more than 6,400 trained alumni volunteers organized across more than 200 regional committees in all 50 states and numerous countries. Your interviewer will submit a detailed evaluative report with specific ratings that become a formal part of your admissions file. Georgetown's Common Data Set rates the interview as "Important," placing it on the same level as extracurricular activities and other major application components. Both in-person and virtual interviews are now available. Georgetown interviewers are looking for intellectual curiosity, a strong sense of self, and genuine enthusiasm for the school. Come prepared to discuss why Georgetown specifically appeals to you, what you plan to study, and what you have done outside the classroom that reflects your values.

MIT is the only elite STEM institution in the country that rates the admissions interview as "Important" in its Common Data Set. MIT's interview network consists of more than 3,500 Educational Counselors, which is what MIT calls its alumni interviewers. These volunteers conduct interviews around the world and submit detailed written reports that admissions officers read carefully. MIT even grades these reports for quality and gives interviewers feedback on how useful their evaluations were. Nearly all applicants are offered an interview, and you should absolutely accept if one is offered. MIT has publicly shared data suggesting that roughly 10% of interviewed applicants are admitted compared to about 1% of those who decline an offered interview. Some of that gap reflects self-selection, but it also reflects the fact that MIT genuinely uses the interview to learn something about you that does not come through on paper. MIT interviewers are not going to quiz you on technical material. They are looking for intellectual curiosity, collaborative instincts, and whether you seem like someone who would be a good lab partner and hallmate. Prepare to talk about what excites you intellectually.

Yale does not technically require interviews, but if you are offered one you need to treat it as required. Yale's admissions office has stated that interviews have become even more impactful in recent years, and the school appears to deploy them strategically for borderline candidates where one more data point could tip the balance. Yale uses both alumni volunteers and current seniors as interviewers. The Common Data Set rates Yale's interview as "Considered," but the strategic way Yale targets interviews means they may carry more practical weight for certain applicants than that rating suggests. You cannot request an interview at Yale. They are assigned selectively, and the admissions office tells students who are not offered one that they will not be disadvantaged. If one comes your way, prepare to articulate what draws you to Yale's specific academic culture, residential college system, and approach to liberal arts education.

Dartmouth is refreshingly transparent about the evaluative nature of its interviews. The admissions website states outright that alumni interviews are both informative and evaluative. Interviewers rate their overall impression and write detailed prose reports that go into your file. Dartmouth's interviewer guidelines acknowledge that most applicants are among the top 5% of all high school students, which means interviewers are trained to make very fine distinctions between highly qualified candidates. If Dartmouth offers you an interview, accept it immediately and prepare thoroughly.

Harvard runs the largest alumni interview network in higher education with roughly 10,000 volunteers. Interviews are optional but widely offered, and the Common Data Set rates them as "Considered." The key thing to understand is that your interviewer has almost no information about you going in. They receive only your name, high school, and contact details, not your essays, test scores, grades, or activities list. The interview is your chance to present yourself unfiltered by the rest of your application. A notable policy change that took effect in 2025 prohibits interviewers from including any information about race, ethnicity, or national origin in their evaluations, following the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action.

Princeton frames its alumni interviews through the Positively Princeton program, which gives them an ambassadorial flavor, but interviewers do submit evaluative ratings. Princeton attempts to reach nearly 100% of applicants for an interview. You can opt out, but declining without a good reason sends a signal you do not want to send. Come ready to discuss what you have read, what questions keep you up at night, and why Princeton's academic structure appeals to you.

Rice offers optional but recommended interviews conducted by alumni volunteers or current students, and the admissions office treats both types equally. What makes Rice strategically different is that it tracks demonstrated interest. Participating in the interview signals that you are serious about attending, giving it a dual function that makes it more strategically valuable than interviews at peer schools that ignore demonstrated interest. All Rice interviews are currently conducted virtually.
Tufts deserves special attention because it is one of the few schools that explicitly labels its optional interviews as evaluative. Many schools are cagey about whether interview feedback enters the admissions file. Tufts is not. The school is upfront that your interviewer's assessment becomes part of your application. If you are serious about Tufts, treat the interview as expected.

Duke receives more than 50,000 applications per year, and a strong interview gives the committee a human data point that essays and transcripts cannot fully capture. Duke also offers a 60 to 90 second optional video submission as an alternative for students not matched with an alumni interviewer, but if you have the opportunity to do a live interview, take it. A real conversation gives you far more room to make an impression than a short video ever could. Come prepared to discuss what specifically draws you to Duke, whether that is a particular research lab, the Bass Connections program, or the interdisciplinary flexibility between Trinity and Pratt.

The bottom line is that if you are applying to Georgetown or MIT, your interview preparation should be a serious part of your admissions strategy. These are the only two top-20 universities where interviews carry enough weight to meaningfully influence outcomes on their own. At Yale, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Rice, and Tufts, always accept an interview if offered and prepare thoroughly. The weight is more modest, but a strong interview confirms a strong application, and at schools like Yale where interviews may be strategically deployed for borderline candidates, one good conversation could be the difference.