How Strong Is Your University Application?
Score your academic CV against any program — PhD, Master's, or undergrad. AI grades your research, publications, and fit in 20 seconds.
1. Your Path
We tailor scoring to what admissions actually weights at this level.
2. Target Program
The specific program you're applying to. Naming professors and research areas boosts the precision of the fit score.
3. Your Academic CV
Upload your CV (PDF/DOCX) to score instantly, or paste the text below.
Takes ~20 seconds · No card · No signup
Reviewing your CV like an admissions committee…
Scoring research depth, publication strength, education fit, and skills alignment.
✨ Top Strengths
⚠️ Top Gaps
Why "am I competitive?" is the wrong first question
Most applicants ask whether their profile is "good enough" in the abstract. Admissions committees don't grade in the abstract — they grade fit against one specific program. A 3.9 GPA with no relevant research is a weak PhD applicant at a research-heavy lab and a strong candidate for a coursework-based Master's. The right question is always: how does my profile fit this exact program, this exact degree level, in this exact field?
That's what this checker measures. It doesn't return a generic "employability" or "strength" number — it scores your academic CV against the specific program you name, the way an admissions committee actually reads applications.
How this free university fit checker works
Enter your degree level, field, and target program — naming a specific professor or research area sharpens the result — then paste or upload your academic CV. The tool returns:
- A university fit score out of 100 — how competitive your profile is for this exact program.
- Four subscores — research, publications, education, and skills — so you can see exactly where you're strong and where you're not.
- Top strengths and top gaps — specific, actionable, not generic advice.
It's free, takes about 20 seconds, accepts PDF/DOCX upload or pasted text, and needs no signup.
What the four subscores mean
- Research — depth and relevance of any research experience, projects, or thesis work relative to the program's focus.
- Publications — weight given to papers, preprints, posters, or conference presentations, scaled to what's realistic at your degree level.
- Education — how your academic background, coursework, and GPA align with the program's typical admit profile.
- Skills — technical or domain skills that match what the program or lab actually needs.
Different degree levels weight these differently — a PhD application leans heavily on research and publications, while a Master's application leans more on education and skills. The checker adjusts scoring based on the degree level you select.
How to use your fit score
- Score against 2–3 programs, not just your top choice, to see how your profile shifts across reach, target, and safe schools.
- Name a specific professor or lab in the program field — it sharpens the fit score and mirrors what you should be doing in your actual SOP.
- Treat "gaps" as a priority list, not a verdict. A gap in publications for a Master's application matters far less than the same gap for a PhD.
- Re-run it after adding detail. Many applicants underreport real experience — adding a forgotten project or skill often moves the score meaningfully.
Once you know where you stand, build a realistic reach/target/safe list with the University List Builder, or turn this same CV into an admissions-ready document with the Academic CV Builder. For the essay side, the free SOP Scorer checks your Statement of Purpose against this same program.
Related reading: We analyzed 138,929 grad admissions results — see what GPA, GRE, and experience actually predicted.
Frequently asked questions
Is this university fit checker really free?
Yes. Scoring is free and needs no signup or card. There's an hourly limit to prevent abuse; a free account removes it.
What's a good fit score?
75 or above is a competitive applicant for that specific program. Between 50 and 74, you're promising but should sharpen the gaps listed. Below 50 usually means real gaps to close, or the program may be more of a reach than a target.
Does the score change based on degree level?
Yes. PhD scoring weights research and publications heavily; Master's and undergraduate scoring weight education and skills more, since fewer applicants at those levels have publication records.
Should I check my fit for more than one university?
Yes. Running the same CV against a few different programs is the fastest way to see which are realistic reaches, solid targets, and safe options for your actual profile.
Can I upload a PDF or Word CV?
Yes. The checker accepts PDF and DOCX uploads up to 5 MB, or you can paste your CV as plain text.
Does this tool store my CV?
No. Your CV and program details are analysed to produce your score and are not stored on our servers.
