College Planning

Explore Colleges Online

• Iowa Public Universities (Regent Universities)

• Iowa Private Colleges/Universities

• Iowa Community Colleges

• Iowa Technical Colleges

• University of South Dakota

• South Dakota State University

• Minnesota State University - Mankato

• Big Future College Search

Playing Sports in College

• If you plan to play sports in college and you are considering or being recruited by Division I, II, or NAIA schools, you need to create an account with the respective clearinghouse; you can do this during your junior or senior year (if you wait until your senior year, do it right at the beginning). This will include contact and academic information. It may cost a fee; however, you can use a waiver if you qualify for free or reduced lunch. 

  • You need to make sure you send your official ACT scores to the respective clearinghouse. This means the scores are sent directly from ACT; you will need to list the clearinghouses as "colleges" where you want scores sent (use 9999 for NCAA and 9876 for NAIA).

  • Miss Harle will also need to upload official transcripts. Please let her know that you are registering.

  • NCAA - Division I or II (Division III does not require any clearance)

  • NAIA

Attend a College Fair

• The Golden Circle College Fair

  • Over 100 colleges, 16 career cluster booths, breakout sessions for ACT and financial planning, etc.

• Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville - March 6, 2024

• Algona High School - March 6, 2024

• ICAN list of college fairs in Iowa

Schedule a Campus Visit

• Find college visit days and contact information to set up a private tour under Admissions or Future Students tabs on college websites.

• Questions to ask during a college visit

Apply

• Most college applications are online under the Admissions or Future Students tabs.

• There may be a fee to apply to some colleges.

• Apply to multiple Regent Universities in Iowa with one application (still have to pay application fees for each university) with the Iowa Public University Portal.

  • Regents Admissions Index (RAI) - this is a score that combines GPA, class rank, ACT score, and core classes taken to determine admission to Iowa, Iowa State, and UNI. To automatically qualify for admission to one of the regent universities, a student needs to earn a 245 RAI. Students who score lower than a 245 may still be admitted on a case-by-case basis.

• Apply to multiple South Dakota regent universities (Dakota State, SDSU, USD, School of Mines and Technology, etc.) with one application (still have to pay application fees for each university) with the South Dakota Regent Application.

• Apply to multiple colleges/universities across the country with one application by using the Common Application (there are several private Iowa schools on this).

Paying for College

• Different types of funding

  • Scholarships and grants (free money)

  • Work-study (work and pay as you go)

  • Student loans

    • Federal, private, subsidized, unsubsidized, parent, etc.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• • FSA ID (create an electronic signature for FAFSA and federal loans)

  • FAFSA opens October 1

  • List of materials needed to complete the FAFSA

  • FAFSA help

    • North Union High School - October 24 and 25, during conferences

    • By appointment at ICAN, (877) 272-4692, or by appointment with Miss Harle at school, 712-868-3542

  • Be aware of priority financial aid deadlines at each college!

    • Iowa Colleges/Universities Financial Aid Deadlines

Iowa Financial Aid

• Iowa Financial Aid Application - For some scholarships and grants at Iowa schools, this is the only additional application needed (along with the FAFSA).

  • Although it can be filled out at any time, the priority deadline is March 1 for most state funded scholarships.

• Iowa Student Loan

  • Smart Borrowing Resources

Resources for College Planning

• ICAN Succeed

  • So much good information to consider from career exploration to paying for college! Lots of good worksheets to help you stay organized and make decisions!