Blog
Is Automatic Admission Good Enough? A Closer Look at UT Austin and Texas A&M
Applications for Fall 2027 entry open August 1, and UT Austin's auto-admit cutoff for this cycle is top 5%. If you're the parent of a rising senior in Houston, the phrase "automatic admission" is probably doing a lot of comforting [...]
Our Latest News, Research, and Analysis
State of Test-Optional College Admissions in Texas for 2026-2027
For Fall 2027, Rice University is test-optional, but recommends sending test scores. In 2020, the majority of US higher education institutions adopted a test-optional policy for their admission process - [...]
What is Texas Free College Application Week and Why Does It Matter?
The second ever Texas Free College Application Week is October 12-18, 2026. During this week all Texas public colleges, including the University of Texas at Austin and A&M College Station, [...]
Automatic Admission at Texas Colleges for 2026-2027
Every Texas public college, more than 30 in total, grants automatic admission to resident, high-school seniors who meet certain class rank and/or standardized test requirements. In fact, automatic admission [...]
ISEE Test Dates in Houston for 2026-2027
The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is the most popular standardized test required for admission to most Houston-area private schools. This page details test dates and locations for the [...]
Academics and Elementary Learning
What is Executive Function and How Students Can Improve It
Executive functions are the suite of cognitive abilities that allows [...]
Analysis of General Academic’s Data Driven Approach to Tutor Quality
General Academic has completed an unprecedented AI-driven audit of its [...]
Why Take AP or IB Courses? Houston AP & IB Programs and 2026 Test Dates
High school students interested in learning college-level material, boosting [...]
Executive Function Self-Assessment for Students
Many parents find themselves in a familiar situation: they have [...]
What Makes A Good Tutor? Meet our AI Tutor Buddy.
Despite industry's best efforts, AI cannot replace human interaction. [...]
Test Prep
When Should Houston Students Start Preparing for the ISEE Test
Houston families are starting ISEE prep earlier than ever. For [...]
Conquering Test Anxiety: A Research-Backed Guide for Parents and Students
For more than 23 years, General Academic has guided tens [...]
ISEE Test Score Improvement, What to Expect
During the 2025-2026 fall testing cycle, around 400 Houston-area students [...]
Houston Schools
Texas School Vouchers (TEFA): What Houston Families Need to Know
The Texas School Voucher Program, "Education Freedom Account (TEFA)" program [...]
Top Houston ISD (HISD) Magnet Schools of 2025
Analysis of Houston School Choice Lottery for 2025-2026 The most [...]
Houston’s Richest Public Schools, Best Home Values, and Most Gentrified Neighborhoods
The best Houston public schools are often in the [...]
College Counseling
Automatic Admission at Texas Colleges for 2026-2027
Every Texas public college, more than 30 in total, [...]
College Application Timeline for Texas Students
Our updated college applications timeline for the 2026–2027 cycle [...]
Inside the General Academic College Admissions Tracker
Announcing General Academic's custom-built college admissions tracking app: what it [...]