Reach, target, and safety are useful planning categories, but they are not permanent labels attached to a college.
A reach is a school where admission is uncertain because of selectivity, the student’s profile, the intended program, or a combination of factors. A target is a school where the student appears reasonably competitive, while a safety should offer a strong likelihood of admission and be financially and personally workable.
The same college can fall into different categories for different students. Major, residency, course rigor, testing, institutional priorities, and applicant-pool changes all matter.
Use the categories to create options, not predictions. No classification guarantees admission, and every safety school should still be a place the student would be willing and able to attend.