*Patrick Pruitt closed out his senior year with 264 college acceptance letters and scholarship offers topping $17 million. The Woodland High School student from McDonough, Georgia, may now hold a new national record, The Independent reports.
Pruitt initially applied to 50 schools. After acceptances and scholarship offers started rolling in, he raised his target to 100. He pushed even further after learning about 2024 graduate Madison Crowell. She held the previous record, a tally of 231 acceptances worth roughly $15 million in aid.
Pruitt submitted 270 applications and received six rejections, including one from Dartmouth College, the only Ivy League school on his list and his top choice. He considered offers from Binghamton University, Berry College, the University of Alabama, and the University of Pittsburgh before choosing Knox College, a small liberal arts school in Illinois. The financial aid package is worth $260,000 over four years.
“You want to open yourself up to as many opportunities as possible,” Pruitt said in a release from the school. “I just used what strengths I had to offer.”
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Pruitt graduated with a 3.8 unweighted GPA and scored 1200 on the SAT, marks that qualified him for tuition coverage at Georgia’s public universities. He also ran varsity cross-country and track, placing in the top tenth of his graduating class.
“Patrick reminds us that with dedication, focus, and an adventurous spirit, there are no boundaries to what you can accomplish,” Henry County Schools Superintendent Dr. John Pace III said, PEOPLE reports. “Our entire district is incredibly proud of him, and we are excited to see him continue building his bright future at Knox College.”
He called Pruitt’s achievement “a powerful testament to his exceptional work ethic, ingenuity, and resilience.”
School guidance counselor DeAnna Miller-Wooden added, “Patrick Pruitt is proof of what can be achieved if you dig deep and seek opportunities.”
Pruitt offered this advice to fellow applicants: “Don’t try to sugarcoat anything. Don’t try to over-impress, because if you do that, there’s no way it’s going to sound like you.”
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