Prep Schedule

Preparing for college is easier when you spread the work across all four years of high school. Use this schedule as a general guide for academics, college research, testing, financial aid, applications, and choosing a school.

College requirements and deadlines vary. Use this timeline for planning, then check each college’s current admissions and financial-aid requirements.

9th Grade: Build a Strong Foundation

Freshman year is primarily about establishing good academic habits and beginning to explore your interests. You do not need a final college list yet.

Freshman-Year Priorities

Take courses that keep you on track for graduation and college admission.
Develop reliable study and time-management habits.
Meet with your school counselor and discuss your academic goals.
Explore clubs, sports, volunteering, work, or other activities that genuinely interest you.
Begin learning about careers and college majors.
Learn the basic differences among community colleges, public universities, private colleges, and other postsecondary options.
Keep a simple record of activities, awards, volunteer work, and accomplishments.
Visit a nearby college or take a virtual campus tour if you want an early look at college life.

Do not join activities simply to make a long college application list. Sustained involvement in activities you actually care about is generally more useful than trying to participate in everything.

10th Grade: Explore Your Options

Sophomore year is a good time to turn broad interests into more specific academic, career, and college ideas.

Sophomore-Year Priorities

Continue taking appropriately challenging courses.
Review your grades and address weak academic areas early.
Explore possible majors and careers in more detail.
Begin a broad list of colleges that interest you.
Compare factors such as majors, location, size, cost, and campus environment.
Take the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or another college-readiness assessment if offered and appropriate.
Visit a few colleges if practical.
Start learning how grants, scholarships, work-study, and student loans work.

11th Grade: Get Serious About Your College List

Junior year is when college planning usually becomes much more specific. By the end of the year, you should have a clearer idea of where you may want to apply and what each college requires.

Junior-Year Priorities

Meet with your counselor to review graduation and college-admission requirements.
Take the PSAT/NMSQT if appropriate and offered by your school.
Research colleges in greater detail.
Compare programs, costs, admission requirements, and student outcomes.
Use each college’s net price calculator to estimate possible costs.
Visit colleges or complete virtual visits.
Determine whether the colleges on your list require, recommend, or consider SAT or ACT scores.
Take the SAT or ACT if it makes sense for the colleges and scholarships you are considering.
Start researching scholarships.
Continue building meaningful extracurricular, work, leadership, or service experience.
Identify teachers, counselors, or others who may be appropriate recommendation writers.

By the End of Junior Year

Try to have a working college list and know the major requirements for each school. Your list can still change, but you should understand which applications, essays, recommendations, transcripts, test scores, and other materials may be required.

Summer Before Senior Year: Get Organized

The summer before senior year can remove a great deal of pressure from the fall application season.

Finalize Your List

Narrow your choices to a manageable group of colleges that are academically appropriate and financially realistic.

Build a Deadline Calendar

Record application, scholarship, financial-aid, testing, recommendation, and transcript deadlines.

Start Applications

Gather activity information, honors, employment history, family information, and other details applications may request.

Work on Essays

Begin drafting your main application essay and identify colleges with additional writing requirements.

12th Grade: Apply and Make Your Decision

Senior year brings together the work from the previous three years. Staying organized is especially important because admissions, scholarship, and financial-aid deadlines may all be different.

Fall

Confirm your final college list with your counselor.
Create accounts for the application systems your colleges use.
Ask for recommendation letters well before they are due.
Request transcripts according to your school’s process.
Complete application essays and supplemental questions.
Retake the SAT or ACT if appropriate for your application strategy.
Submit early action, early decision, or priority applications when applicable.
Create the StudentAid.gov accounts needed for your FAFSA.
Complete the FAFSA as early as practical after the form becomes available.
Continue applying for scholarships.

Winter

Submit remaining regular-decision applications before their individual deadlines.
Confirm that colleges received required application materials.
Monitor your application portals and email.
Complete any additional financial-aid forms required by your colleges.
Review your FAFSA Submission Summary and correct problems if necessary.
Send midyear grades when required.
Keep your grades up after applications have been submitted.