NACAC—COLLEGE ADMISSION STATUS UPDATE

As a service to students and families, NACAC is providing an online tool as a central resource for information about changes in college admission events, deposit dates, and more.

The link below includes updates from colleges and universities worldwide. This tool will update in real-time as NACAC receives input from postsecondary institutions. Please also double check college websites.

NACAC hopes this resource will make it easier for students and others to navigate the college admission process during this unprecedented time.

NACAC College Openings Update page

TEST-OPTIONAL SCHOOLS

Due to COVID, many schools made the decision to go "test-optional" as part of their application processes. As you are doing research about colleges and applications, make sure you stay up to date with the school's latest requirements. You may want to check each school's website or reach out to an admissions representative for the latest information.

Regarding test-optional, here are a few lists for you to refer to:

• • National list of test-optional schools

  • List of local schools compiled by MCPS CCICs

VIRTUAL TOURS AND PRESENTATIONS

During COVID, many campuses began doing virtual campus visits and/or tours. Although most schools have reopened for in-person tours and events, some do still offer virtual tours. Contact individual schools or explore their websites to find out what their options are to showcase their campuses and programs.

THE COMMON APPLICATION

Explore nearly 900 colleges and universities using CommonApp.

THE COMMON BLACK APPLICATION

Apply to HBCUs for one fee with the Common Black App.

COALITION FOR ACCESS, AFFORDABILITY, AND SUCCESS

The Coalition has developed a free platform of online tools to streamline the experience of applying to college. The initial iteration of the platform—including applications for admission to Coalition schools—is now available for students in high school. The Coalition also offers a fee waiver to low-income students.

Early Decision

This is the the program offered by many colleges whereby students must commit in advance to attend a certain college if they are admitted under this program. Students should know for certain that this is the one school they want to attend and feel that they meet the stringent requirements for application. It is a binding commitment.

Early Action

This is another early admission program offered by colleges in which students must meet the same early application deadlines. However, upon notification of acceptance, students can wait until they have heard from other schools about acceptance and financial aid before making a commitment.

Regular Admission

This requires students to apply by a set deadline which varies by college.

Rolling Admissions

This means there is no set deadline, but the earlier you apply, the better your chances of getting accepted, especially if your qualifications are borderline. Additionally, the earlier you apply, the better your chances are for receiving a meaningful financial aid package should you qualify for one.

Priority Deadline

This is a set deadline for applications whereby students who are accepted are given PRIORITY consideration for admission, housing, scholarships, and other aid.

Common Application

This allows students to fill out one standard application and submit it to many schools. It is available online.

Academic Common Market

This program is intended to allow degree-seeking MARYLAND residents to enroll at certain out-of-state institutions in undergraduate programs of study not offered at a Maryland public college/university and pay in-state tuition. This is a cooperative tuition-reduction agreement among Southern Regional Education Board states, of which Maryland is one. If PUBLIC institutions in your home state do not offer degree programs in your field of study, it may be possible to arrange a waiver of out-of-state tuition to attend a cooperating PUBLIC institution in another participating state. These programs may change yearly. For more Information, CLICK HERE.

The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers.

CLICK HERE FOR A WEBINAR ABOUT HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF AND BEST USE THE CDS

The CDS is a set of standards and definitions of data items rather than a survey instrument or set of data represented in a database. Each of the higher education surveys conducted by the participating publishers incorporates items from the CDS as well as unique items proprietary to each publisher. Consequently, the publishers’ surveys differ in that they utilize varying numbers of items from the CDS.

The easiest way to access this data is to search online using the phrase "common data set [name of college]". For instance, if you want to see the CDS report for Georgetown University, search "common data set Georgetown University".

CLICK HERE FOR A SPREADSHEET TEMPLATE you can use to compare CDS data from different colleges. Please note that it DOES NOT include all the information available for any particular school, but you can add or ignore tabs to meet your own needs as you research this information.

Did you know that 66% of undergraduate students in the U.S. have been, or are currently enrolled, in a community college? Junior colleges are affordable, accessible, and most allow you to transfer your credits to four-year universities. So, how do you help a student decide which type of college is best for them? 

Here are some key stats that may help you make a choice: 

It’s 169% more expensive to go to college today than it was in 1980, but community college is almost one-third of the price of a traditional four-year school (average cost of $1,865/semester vs. $4,839/semester).

Contrary to popular belief, community colleges do offer financial aid! In fact, 33% of federal Pell Grants and 12% of subsidized federal loans are awarded to community college students each year. A handful of U.S. states even offer tuition-free programs for their community colleges. 

Campus life differs between four-year universities and community colleges. Many community colleges don’t offer student housing or school-sponsored athletic programs (Montgomery College does have athletic programs), and their student body skews older. Many community college students commute to school, work part- or full-time, or take care of children. Definitely an important consideration if you’re looking for vibrant campus life! 

Adults with a Bachelor’s degree can expect to earn an average of $70,000 per year, or $2.8 million in their lifetime. Comparatively, adults with an Associate’s degree have an average lifetime earning potential of $2 million (or $50,000 per year). While the earning potential of those with an Associate’s degree is substantial, there’s a clear economic advantage—in both the short and long term—to holding a Bachelor’s degree.

• ScholarMatcher™ is a free college search tool designed to assist prospective college students from households earning less than $50,000 per year with their college search.

• The Hundred-Seven is the first and only searchable database of all academic programs offered by HBCUs.

• College Equity First was established to enhance the conversation and transparency about campus climate and culture for Black learners attending colleges and universities in the United States.

• College Advising Guide for Undocumented Students

• BOOK: 2023 I'm First! Guide to College is a unique college guidebook designed to help first-generation college students make their college dreams a reality. The 2023 edition features updated college planning articles and activities, step-by-step checklists, detailed profiles of 152 colleges and universities committed to first-gen students, and a fully bilingual English-Spanish section for parents and mentors.

• 5 Essential Tips for LGBTQ+ Students Applying to College

• Campus Pride created a list in 2020 of the "BEST OF THE BEST LGBTQ+-friendly colleges and universities

• Seven Reasons Why You Should Apply to a Women's College

• Essential Tips for Applying to HBCUs and TCUs

• Tribal Colleges and Universities

• Colleges That Offer Tuition Waivers and Scholarships for Native American Students

• American Indian College Fund Student Resources Provides many forms of direct student support to scholars and college-going Native students. Find out more about scholarships, student resources, colleges and programs, and career resources.

• The Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design list of leading art and design schools

The ASVAB is administered FREE to interested tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students and is an excellent career exploration tool. It can help identify the student's interests and aptitude in verbal, math, science and technical skills. When a student's score is interpreted, they will lean how their interests and skills relate to the demands of more than 400 occupations, helping students to identify suitable career options. ASVAB results are released only to the student an not to the armed services. Should students wish to use their results as part of an enlistment conversation with military recruiters, they can provide their scores to the recruiter. Taking the ASVAB in no way involved a commitment to the military. 

CLICK HERE for current testing information for the ASVAB at Magruder High School. Parental consent will be required for a student to test at Magruder High School and to have a student's ASVAB scores released to military recruiters. The ASVAB will be offered once during the school year. Testing and score interpretations will be during the school day. The ASVAB permission form will post on this web page. This form will be required to participate in ASVAB testing. Visit the official ASVAB Career Exploration Program website and enter as an applicant for more information on testing and resources.