4-Year colleges
Get Ready for College
1. Complete College Entrance Requirements
Students who would like to attend a public 4-year college must meet certain minimum standards. Verify requirements for public and private universities and programs with your desired college. The following are required to apply online for admission at four-year public colleges:
College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs), which include specific courses students must take during high school (see below).
2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) during high school, out of a 4.0 scale.
2. Take the ACT or SAT - Optional in Washington State
CHECK INDIVIDUAL COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS, MOST COLLEGES NO LONGER REQUIRE SAT OR ACT TEST SCORES.
Students may need to register online to take one of these exams in the spring of their junior year or the fall of their senior year. When registering you will need to indicate which 4 to 6 schools you want to receive your test scores.
FHS school code is 481375.
3. Apply to colleges and universities
Applications are available online through the college website. Many applications have November-January application deadlines so students should be completing their applications starting August 1 of their senior year.
All Washington State colleges and universities are part of the Common App platform. Apply at commonapp.org.
4. Apply for Financial Aid - OCTOBER 1
Students will need to complete a FAFSA form on or after October 1 of their senior year in order to qualify for any financial aid. FAFSA can be completed at studentaid.gov. To get started, go to studentaid.gov and click Create Account. Financial Aid is awarded on a first come, first serve basis so don't delay applying!
5. Investigate and Apply for Scholarships
This is an ongoing process throughout your junior and senior years. Best places to look include the scholarship office of the school (2 year or 4 year) that you want to attend, thewashboard.org, the FHS College and Career website scholarship listings, goingmerry.com, fastweb.com and finaid.org.
6. Check your Emails & School Portals
As you start your college and scholarship applications those organizations are going to contact you by either your email or the portal they have given you an account for. Please check your email so you stay on top of deadlines. Don't let an opportunity get away!
