This is a month-by-month breakdown of the college application process, including helpful links and further information to help you complete each month's tasks. This information covers the process during the first semester of senior year of high school.
Make a copy of the College Application Tracker to support you as you apply and plan!
Use this tracker to log which colleges you apply, login info, and where you are in the process.
Research the types of colleges and degrees (2-year & 4-year; Associates, Bachelors, Masters)
Make a list of colleges you will apply to (5-10)
Research GPA requirements and acceptance rates
Identify your safety, target, and reach schools
Identify application deadlines for each school
Identify how the schools would like you to apply (Common app, UW-System application, Common Black College app, or other application systems).
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): set up your FSA ID for you and your contributors (parents/guardians).
College/University: Any institution of higher education that awards a degree or credential post-high school graduation. This includes, but is not limited to, universities, community colleges, trade schools, and more.
Some colleges, like Madison College, only offer two-year degrees (associates degrees). Others, like UW Systems offer two and four-year (bachelor's) degrees.
Technical degrees are specialized and focused on a particular skill or trade. These are usually completed more quickly than other degree types and involve on-the-job training and hands-on learning.
Associate degrees are undergraduate degrees, typically completed in 2-3 years, that are a level above high school diplomas or GEDs and a level below bachelor’s degrees.
Bachelor’s degrees are undergraduate degrees, typically completed in 4-6 years, that are a level above associate degrees.
Master's degrees are graduate/postgraduate degrees that typically require an additional 2 years of education. These must be applied for after you receive a bachelor's degrees.
PhD (doctorate) degrees are advanced degrees that require an additional 4-6 years. These are not medical degrees.
All students and contributors need their own email address. Contributors with Social Security Numbers must include them; contributors without SSNs can still create an FSA ID.
Access the FAFSA through the studentaid.gov website: StudentAid.gov (FAFSA Application Portal)
AXS Companion to Common App Chatbot: If you are looking for support In completing the Common App, please use this chatbot!
For more information about Direct Admit, including the Wisconsin Guarantee, see Direct Admit Wisconsin.
Identify application deadlines for each school and create a "plan of attack"
Put together all the materials for the earliest application deadline first
Create your college accounts for each school
Make sure you have access to the application/school portal
Make sure you have access to your college school email
Begin writing your personal statements or college essays
Identify the number of letters of recommendations you need for each application (~1-3)
Reach out to trusted teachers, staff, or counselors who might write your recommendation
Begin researching and applying for scholarships
All students and contributors need their own email address. Contributors with Social Security Numbers must include them; contributors without SSNs can still create an FSA ID.
Access the FAFSA through the studentaid.gov website: StudentAid.gov (FAFSA Application Portal)
Colleges and universities often have specific prompts they would like you to write about as part of your application.
No matter the prompt, your essay reveals something important about you that your grades and test scores can't – your personality! It can give admissions officers a sense of who you are and showcase your writing ability.
Personal statements should show why you want to attend the school and how you are a good fit. You should have concrete answers to these questions: what caught your attention about the school (professors? Major?). Why are you a good fit? What can you add to the university?
Here are some qualities that admissions officers look for in a personal essay. Read more from College Board here.
Additional resources:
Letters of recommendation are written by staff or teachers and submitted directly to the colleges or universities you're applying to.
Recommendations need to be submitted to each college or university separately by your recommender, not you.
Identify 2-3 teachers, coaches, or staff members (not family members) who are willing to write your letters. Provide these adults with your resume and information about the school and program you're applying to.
Provide these adults with information on how to submit the letter to your application (usually a link for them to upload).
Different colleges and universities have different application deadlines, so it helps to create a calendar to keep track of which ones close first. There are many different kinds of application deadlines, so it's important to research the schools you're interested in.
Rolling Admission is a process where colleges review applications as they come in, giving students a wider time frame to submit their applications. Many schools with this lack of "deadline" are often open admissions or open enrollment schools (meaning they admit 100% of students who apply).
Early Decision is more than just a day you need to have your application submitted; this is a binding agreement with the school. This means that if you are admitted, you'll accept your enrollment and withdraw applications from other colleges and universities. This should be your first-choice school. Most of these applications are due around November, and students are accepted in December or January.
Early Action is similar to Early Decision in that you hear back early, but you don't have to commit to this school if you're admitted. These applications are due around November, and students usually hear back by mid-December. But a decision doesn't have to be made until May.
Regular Decision is the most common type of deadline. This gives you the most time during your senior year to boost your grades, retake the ACT/SAT if necessary, and complete your applications. Regular decision deadlines usually are in January -- but it differs for each school.
Sometimes colleges and universities reward students with scholarships. These are separate from the money you'll receive from FAFSA. Some school scholarships have to be applied for, others don't.
Separate from school scholarships and FAFSA, outside organizations provide scholarship opportunities.
These scholarships are either merit-based (based on grades) or need-based (based on financial need).
They usually consist of a single essay question: They often ask you to reflect on your identity or an experience related to the prompt.
Hot tip: You can often reuse essays and statements you wrote for your college application.
ScholarshipOwl is a great way to find available scholarships
Make sure official copies of your high school transcripts are submitted to the colleges and universities
These are often sent directly from your high school counselor to the schools
Submit your college applications
Many colleges require application fees, but there are fee waivers available for some students. If you can't find information online about waivers, call the Admissions Office for the college or university.
Provide your recommenders the necessary information to submit their letters of recommendation
Letters are submitted directly to the application, not given to students
Letters are sometimes submitted before or after the student submits their application, but this differs from school to school.
Identify any potential financial gap or out of pocket costs for each school
Unofficial Transcripts are records of grades that have been seen or held by students. Many colleges require you submit unofficial school transcripts with your application. These will usually show grades from freshman through junior year, sometimes first semester of senior year.
Official Transcripts are sealed records that are sent directly from the high school to the colleges and universities. These have a seal or signature denoting that they are official. These will usually include all grades through first semester of senior year. Many high schools and colleges use the Parchment website and process.
Parchment is a secure online service that sends your official transcripts from your high school to your chosen universities. You input what high school you go to and where to send your transcripts, then Parchment reaches out to the high school on your behalf.
Keep a record of all your student accounts, emails, and passwords
Keep a list of tasks for each college application
The college student portals often have tasks and to dos. Check regularly!
Keep a record of what applications you submitted, the dates you submitted
Use the College Application Tracker
Create a calendar or timeline with all deadlines and dates for each school
Create a college application-specific email (You will not have access to your high school email once you graduate - you don't want to miss any important emails from colleges!)
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application opens on December 1st.
Depending on college and university deadlines, you might be finishing up some of the November tasks in December. That's okay! As long as you know your deadlines and finish all the pieces of your application on time, you're all set.
Once your applications are submitted, the waiting period begins! College decisions arrive depending on what type of application you submitted (example: Early Decision). Some students might hear back as early as mid-November or December.
There are ways to get ahead while you're waiting. Read up on the following terms and processes:
On top of college decisions, students are also waiting to hear back about financial aid and FAFSA. The FAFSA application you submitted is used to calculate your estimated financial need. All the information you and your contributors provide on the FAFSA are used to see where you fall on the Student Aid Index.
The SAI is calculated as a number on a spectrum -- wherever you fall along that range is an estimate of the financial aid you might need. Your SAI is not:
a dollar amount you'll receive
what your family is expected to provide
your actual financial aid offer
During the FAFSA application, you will see an estimated SAI. After your FAFSA is processed, you will receive an official SAI within your FAFSA Submission Summary.
That information is provided directly to the schools you listed on your FAFSA application. The colleges and universities use that information to provide your Financial Aid Award Letter.
Your Financial Aid Award Letter or Package is usually a breakdown of the cost of tuition, housing, and other expenses and a breakdown of the financial aid you'll receive, including scholarships and grants from the university, federal aid such as grants, and options to take out federal loans. When we say "federal," we mean the federal government! That's the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) award.
Financial Aid Packages come directly from the schools you applied to! They often appear in your student accounts, so keep an eye on those emails and portals!
Cost of Attendance is the amount of money it costs to attend the schools you applied to. This often includes tuition and housing, separate from books and other fees.
Gift Aid is free money provided by the school or federal government (FAFSA). This is money that does not need to be paid back, like grants and scholarships. Gift aid includes scholarships from outside sources.
"Gap" is a term used to identify the gap between the gift aid you receive and the cost of attendance. Ideally, you want the money from gift aid to be the same amount as your cost of attendance. However, when the cost of attendance is higher than the gift aid amount, that's your "gap." (Cost of attendance - gift aid = gap).
Students fill that gap in many ways: outside scholarships (not from the university or college), family contributions, personal savings, or loans.
Loans are money that must be paid back. There are two kinds of federal loans (from the government). All loans must be paid back, but you don't have to start paying until six months after you graduate or unenroll. However, loans "act" differently while you are in school. Some build interest while others don't.
Interest is like a fee you pay to take out loans. It gets added onto your loan amount over time.
Subsidized loans don't build interest while you are enrolled. That means that the loans don't get bigger while you're in school. If you're taking loans, accept these loans first. "Subscribe to subsidized!"
Unsubsidized loans do build interest while you are enrolled. That means that these loans get bigger while you're in school.
