How are grad.applicants selected after program qualifications are met? On another post of mine, someone said that the idea of a qualified candidate is &quot;elusive&quot; because there are always more qualified applicants than open spots in any program. I thought that was a valid point, and I wanted to ask how most programs select candidates once they've met or exceeded the minimum qualifications. I know research interests/match of faculty is a factor, but there still must be more applicants than any given advisor can take on. So once the &quot;pile&quot; is narrowed down to most &quot;qualified&quot; candidates, how are they chosen?
Mor Harchol-Balter has written a fantastic detailed description of the graduate admissions process in selective computer science PhD programs in the US, based on her experience at Berkeley, MIT, and CMU.  her description is also consistent with my experience at Illinois.
Short version: There are far far too many highly qualified candidates to admit them all.  The graduate admissions committee is looking first and foremost for concrete evidence of research potential.  Grades and GRE scores are used primarily as filters and only if they are low.  You need supportive recommendation letters from reliable sources (preferably expert researchers in your target area, who have a reputation for identifying strong PhD students) that describe your research experience and interests, in technical, personal, and credible detail.  Your statement must describe your own research interests, experience, and goals, in technical, personal, and credible detail, and in the idiomatic language of a researcher rather than a student.  Your research interests must match those of someone on the faculty who has advising capacity, and you must look more attractive to that faculty member than the dozens of other applicants who want to work with them.
And then you must get lucky.