Private Colleges

What are Private Universities?

They are universities that don't receive funding from the government, and instead get it from private donations or funding. Some private universities have smaller campuses with smaller classes, and they can be found all around the country. Some private universities can have religious affiliations, or are all women or men colleges. The most famous private unities are Yale, Cornell, Brown, Harvard, known as the Ivy League and they are located on the East Coast. Private Universities here in California are, Stanford, the Claremont colleges, USC and Azusa University.

What do they Offer?

Private Universities offer a wide variety of majors for undergraduates. Like other school's they offer majors in fields like English, Math, Foreign Languages, Health and Law to name a few. Some schools will also offer specific programs like in the Arts or Medicine. Besides Bachelor's degrees, they also offer Master's and Ph.D. degrees.

Like other universities, the majority of privates offer athletics like football, soccer, basketball, and others. They also have a variety of clubs and other extracurricular programs that you can join based on your interests.

How Can I Pay?

Although private universities are more expensive than CSUs and UCs that doesn't mean you can't reduce the price you will pay. Once again, FAFSA and Dream Act are great ways to obtain financial aid, and for these schools the Cal grant doesn't apply, if they are out-of-state. However, there are many scholarships offered, including scholarships from the own university that will help you with your tuition cost and other fees.

Another way, you can obtain financial aid for privates is by completing the CSS and IDOC applications through your College Board account, and you will have to do this in addition to your FAFSA or Dream Act.

How Do I Pick One?

You should pick a campus(es) based on the location, climate, student life, and majors offered.

Where and When I Apply?

You can apply through Common App , Coalition App, or directly through the universities. Keep in mind that when applying to a private university you only need to apply through ONE of the mentioned applications, NOT all 3.

The due dates for the applications vary but most of them have their due dates for regular decision in January. However, you should always check in the universities'/colleges' website or you can also check on Common App, under "Dashboard", to make sure you are not missing any due dates.

Requirements to Apply:

The requirements for private universities are to have your A-G requirements done, and because some campuses are more rigorous you might need to have a GPA higher than 3.5 to apply. Also for most of campuses will ask you for two or one letter of recommendation. To fill out your application you will need to pay a fee of $70 to $80, depending on the university but you can always obtain a fee waiver.

Application:

The Application through the Common App will ask you the following:

There will be 4 tabs "Dashboard", "My Colleges", "Common App", "College Search" and "Financial Aid". However, you will only need to put information in the "Dashboard" and "Common App", and you will pick your colleges in the "College Search" tab.
For the "Common App" tab their will be 7 parts you'll need to fill out. They are, Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities, Writing, and Course and Grades.
The Profile part will ask you about your information, like name, address, demographics, language, citizenship, and contact info.
The Family part will ask you for your household info, parent(s) information, and sibling information.
The Education part will ask you to add the high school(s) you've attended, colleges you've attended, courses you are taking, future plans, and class ranking.
For the Testing part you will add your SAT/ACT scores if taken, but they are not required. You can also add your passing AP scores, if applicable.
For the Activities part, you will add 10 extracurricular activities. These can include, clubs, athletics, volunteer activities, paid work, family responsibilities and hobbies. You will also need to explain your position, what you did, what you learned, and hours spent per week and year.
In the Writing part you will choose your personal essay question and write it. You will also be asked to share your disciplinary history including probation, and expulsions. Lastly, you will be ask to share additional information.
Lastly, in the Course and Grades part you will include all your high school course, the semester final grades, and the credits you obtained.
Lastly, for the "Dashboard" tab you will have to answer questions for all the universities you are applying to. This question can be about your major, and supplementary writing, explaining why you will like to attend that campus.
In this section you are also going to be aware if you will need letters of recommendations by your teacher and counselors. To ask for letter of recommendations, you will need to do it through Naviance.

Finally revise al parts of both tabs and submit your applications on time.

Differences between early action and early decision:

Early action and early decision allow you to apply earlier than regular decision.
Applicants receive admission decisions sooner, usually starting in mid-December.
You can typically apply to multiple schools under an early action plan.
Early decision, however, is a binding agreement between you and one college. This means you can apply to only one school under this admission plan and you must enroll if accepted. Often the only exception is if the school's financial aid package fails to meet your needs.