Is this paragraph grammatical?

Looks good to me. What doubt(s) do you have about it?

A college applicant doesn't choose one based only upon academic reputation and excellence, financial considerations perhaps the biggest factor--of course to avoid serious lifetime debt. Sometimes leaving no choice but a lower-tier or non-ranking school, this shouldn't discourage him from pursuing graduate studies, even when statistics show most prestigious universities preferring the applicant from Ivy League

Aja, sincerely hoping it helps; if not for upcoming beckoning yard work I'd certainly have done better than at the present instance but, on the other hand, you might have more luck attracting help by those better at this than I, supposing that you're imposing upon the afformentioend to do your homework, if you were to break it up into separate postings...

Forgive, aja. As far as grammar alone, I'd've writ "...an Ivy-League school..." tho readily concede--thinking it over--some disagreement might be encountered hereabout (that is within a2k) in this assertion, especially involving punctuation; more subject, as I am sure you will agree; to the vagaries of contempt, I'm hesitant, however, to remark, in this day and age of instant communication by digital means...


Again Aja forgive. But best of luck, and it's been fun

As a non native speaker of English I clearly understood what you wrote and wanted to say.
I am sorry , - to say even thou dalehileman´s paragraph might be better - I do not know - I had to read it three times to really catch what he wanted to say.
Whatever you need it for - use your version.

Yea Saab, I do get that reaction

However there are I think 3 paragraphs so which one

The grammar looks fine for American English, and probably the other English-speaking countries also. Style and meaning are harder issues in learning a second language. Your style is clear and I can understand what you intended to say. Some phrases you used probably wouldn't appear in a magazine article about college applicants: "Financial consideration" means money or benefits promised in a contract, while "financial considerations" (with the plural -s), "thoughts about money," is what you meant. "Lower-tier and non-ranking" is usually written as "lower tier or unranked." But I can see your English skills are quite advanced.