What is Early Decision 2 (ED2)? 

Early Decision 2 application deadlines are usually January 1st or January 15th. You make the same promise to attend this university as you did in the ED1 round if you are accepted. When you apply ED2, you will receive a response from the college around mid-February. And if you are accepted in ED2, you must withdraw all other applications to other schools. Many selective colleges have adopted the ED2 round because it helps them manage enrollment better by increasing their yield rate.  

The yield rate is the percentage of students who receive an offer of admission who actually enroll in that college. Colleges want high yield rates. The elite universities generally yield above 50% of accepted students, with Harvard, MIT, Princeton and Yale’s yield rate typically above 70%. However, selective liberal arts colleges may have yield rates only in the 20-25% range. By accepting more students in the early decision rounds, a college’s yield rate will increase as the promise students make under binding ED programs means that the yield rate is 100% for these ED1 and ED2 students. 

Should I apply Early Decision 2? 

If you have a clear second choice school that you are genuinely excited about attending then definitely apply ED2 to this college. In general, ED2 gives you a statistically better shot at admission than if you go into the regular decision (RD) pool. Although colleges disclose overall ED acceptance rates, almost all do not break out the specific ED1 and ED 2 acceptance rates. However, ED2 acceptance rates will be lower vs. ED1 for various reasons, including ED1 athletic recruiting applications. But, ED2 acceptance rates are typically higher than RD acceptance rates.

Also, if you have applied Early Action (EA) to your clear second favorite choice and they happen to also offer the ED2 round, reach out to the admissions office and request that your application be moved into the ED2 pile. 

Mistakes to avoid in the Early Decision 2 round: 

• Did you overshoot in ED1 by applying to your dream college even though your grades, course rigor, etc. were well below that school’s typical accepted student profile? Don’t make this same mistake in ED2 as you are unlikely to be accepted. 

• Are you not excited about your ED2 choice but have been told that you need to apply ED2 anyway because it increases your admissions odds? Don’t do this. You need to be excited about this college as this is a binding commitment. If there is no clear #2 choice, then continue with your EA and RD application gameplan.

ED2 and Financial Aid 

Just as in the ED1 round, if you apply ED2 and need merit-based aid, it is possible that the financial offer will be lower than you had anticipated. Colleges swear that the offer just as much merit aid in the early rounds as they do in the regular rounds. But this is hard to prove one way or another. Colleges just aren’t that transparent about how they award financial aid. Learn more about applying for financial aid in this blog post.

However, if a financial aid award just isn’t enough (and assuming you did the research in advance using Net Price Calculators and the various federal and institutional financial aid calculators), tell the financial aid office of your Early Decision 2 college that you either need more money or you will have to be released from your binding agreement. Take the time to identify colleges in the RD round that are likely to offer financial aid packages that will come in at or under budget.   

Read more about calculating the real cost of college in our blog post.

Do you need help with the college admissions process?   

Just beginning the college admissions process but don’t know where to start? Please reach out to us for a complimentary consultation and learn how Great College Advice can make the process more successful and less stressful. We look forward to getting acquainted. 

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With over 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

The post Should I Apply ED2?  first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Why you should apply for financial aid no matter your family’s situation:

• Obviously, if you qualify for aid, apply.   
• If you’re unsure whether you qualify, apply for financial aid anyway.    
• And if you’re a high-income family, apply as well. You might make yourself eligible for merit-based scholarships.   

But if you want to get into the nitty gritty to understand more about risks and rewards of applying to college and asking for financial aid, read on! 

Does applying for financial aid hurt my admissions chances? 

This is a bit of a complicated question. The actual act of applying for financial aid should have absolutely no bearing on whether a student gains admission to just about any college. Admissions officers don’t simply look at the fact that you are applying for financial aid, assume that you will need lots of it, and then deny you admission.  

Rather admissions officers review your application based on your merits. If you’re a good candidate, they put you in the “accept” pile. So, you should feel free to check that box and send in your forms! Just applying for aid will not hurt you. If the college professes to be “need blind,” then you’re likely to sail through the rest of the process at this point and be awarded the financial aid you deserve.   

The situation is slightly different if you are applying to colleges that are not “need blind” (i.e. schools that consider your ability to pay in the admissions decision). At these “need aware” schools, your financial need could impact your ability to gain admission, especially if your grades and other credentials do not stand out. Think about it: if a school has only so much aid to hand out, to whom would they be most likely to give it?  Students with the best grades, test scores, and extracurricular achievements are likely to get the most money.   

Still, the prospect of not getting into a school should not stop you from applying for financial aid. If a certain college is not going to accept you because you need financial assistance, then you don’t want to attend that college anyway. You want to go to a school that you can get in and that your family can afford. 

Run a Net Price Calculator for Every College

Colleges are required to make online Net Price Calculators (NPC) available to the public. NPCs allow prospective students to input some basic financial information about themselves and then the NPC calculates approximately how much financial aid they are eligible for and how much it will consequently cost them to attend that school – the “net price”. Net Price Calculators can be found at a college’s website, and The College Board also provides an NPC for the hundreds of colleges that utilize its NPC tool. 

Beware that the NPCs provide only an estimate of your likely cost, and sometimes a very loose one at that. The information captured isn’t as thorough as on an actual financial aid application, and the NPCs don’t take into account either special circumstances or your potential eligibility for merit aid (which is based on student performance rather than financial strength). So, the output of the NPC is likely not what you expect to receive. 

Still, by going through the Net Price Calculator process for each school on your list, you’ll get a directional sense of what the school will cost you. The bottom line is that if finances are an issue when you are first considering where to apply consider your budget, school COA, and financial aid in the calculation. By doing so, you just may save yourself a little heartache and a whole lot of money. 

Read more about calculating the real cost of college in our blog post.

If my family makes too much money, will applying for financial aid hurt my college admissions chances? 

What if your family makes a high level of income and therefore is unlikely to qualify for financial aid? Would your admission odds decline by applying for financial aid? 

No. If the student is a compelling candidate, it is actually more likely that he or she will be accepted. The evidence provided in the financial aid forms will demonstrate your ability to pay. A well-qualified applicant who can pay full price is a highly desirable one for most colleges.   

There are two more reasons why a high net worth family might complete the financial aid forms: 

• First, completing the financial aid forms could be a requirement for a student to receive merit-based scholarships. Without the forms, you might leave money on the table and not receive a scholarship that you might otherwise deserve.   

• Second, completing the financial aid forms might make your family eligible for the Federal student loan program, thereby enabling you to borrow some money (albeit a relatively small amount). Some families like their kids to take out such loans as a way to ensure that the student has “skin in the game” and appreciates the value of a college education.   

The bottom line: colleges are expensive to run, and they need students who can pay full price. If you can show that you are able to fund your education, this could tip the admissions scales in your favor. If you are in this favorable position, it won’t matter whether you fill out the financial aid forms. 

Be aware of any potential funding gap 

One of the most misunderstood aspects of financial aid is that just because you qualify for need-based financial aid doesn’t mean you will receive everything you deserve from the colleges. Without getting into the details of where financial aid comes from, just remember that colleges’ financial aid budgets are not infinite. As businesses, they must protect the bottom line. They cannot give away more aid than what is available. 

While some schools have enough money to meet the full financial need of all accepted students, other schools do not have this luxury. These colleges try to stretch their budgets by spreading the aid around more thinly. The trouble with this is that the college’s budget limitations can have a very negative impact on your own family budget. What does this mean? 

A funding gap illustration

An example can clarify:

Let’s say that according to the FAFSA, you have a Student Aid Index (SAI) of $20,000–meaning that your family should pay no more than $20,000 for college. Let’s also say that the cost of attendance is $60,000, including tuition, fees, room, board, insurance, travel, books, and a bit of spending money. 

So you would expect, since you have demonstrated financial need, that you would be given enough financial aid from a college to reduce your bill to no more than $20,000. This is the expectation. But the college is not obligated to meet that SAI. The college can give you a different offer. For example, it might say, “you’re accepted, but you will need to pay $40,000 to attend.” They are giving you $20,000 dollars in aid, and you should be able to pay (according to the FAFSA formula) $20,000. But the total cost, remember, is $60,000. 

This leaves you with a “gap” of $20,000.  How will you fill this gap? Most likely it will come from taking out loans. But loans are just your money, with the difference being that you will pay it back at a later date (and more of it, with the interest payments).  

But be careful! Too many loans can be a bad thing. Owing a ton of money upon college graduation can actually reduce or restrict your future opportunities. Paying off those loans must come before you do anything else, such as rent an apartment, buy a car, or take your significant other out for a nice dinner for your anniversary.  

So, really, will filling out the FAFSA hurt my college admissions chances? 

Our answer: if you qualify for aid, apply.  You need money to pay for college, so apply. If you are denied admission, then that means they didn’t find you a strong enough candidate for that school. But if you are accepted and are offered an aid package with a significant “gap” that will need to be filled through loans, turn your attention to more generous offers from other colleges. 

And if you’re not sure whether you qualify, apply anyway.  At the very least, you’ll make yourself eligible for federal student loans, which (in small amounts) could help ease the financial burden.  

And if you’re a high-income family, apply anyway. You might make yourself eligible for merit-based scholarships. You may also get access to those federal loans should you want to avail yourself of those.  

The bottom line is that no matter who you are, there are compelling reasons to check “YES” for financial aid and apply. Colleges won’t hold the fact that you applied for aid against you in the admissions process. 

And in the long run, the outcome of this process–when based on an honest assessment of your ability to pay for college–could help you much more than it could harm you. 

Need Help with the College Admissions Process?   

If you’re ready to start the college admissions journey, please contact us for a complimentary consultation. At Great College Advice, we provide personalized college consulting focused on helping make the process of preparing, selecting, and applying to college more successful, less stressful, and more fun.    

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With over 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

The post Does Applying for Financial Aid Lower Your College Acceptance Odds? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

A college education will probably be the first or second most expensive purchase that an individual will ever make over the course of his or her entire lifetime. Yet, most people will select an institution and either completely ignore the cost or not be aware of what the true cost of that school will be. Then, once they get accepted and have their heart set on one school or another, they find that the cost of education is far more than they expected. 

While it is true that a college education has gotten incredibly expensive for almost anyone, a huge contributing factor to skyrocketing student debt is that students are choosing to attend schools that they simply cannot afford. Students and families are compelled to take on significant loans to pay for these high-cost educational choices. And then find themselves in very challenging financial situations upon graduation. 

Instead of taking the “fire, ready, aim” approach to choosing a college, families should be much more measured with their tactics if they want to avoid being overwhelmed by college costs. 

How do I calculate the cost of college?

• Know your budget;
• Explore a lot of different colleges;
• Calculate the all-in cost of each school;
• Research the financial aid generosity of each college;
• Determine the likely financial aid package you’ll receive based on your income and assets.

How do I calculate the cost of college as an admissions factor?

Step 1: Know your budget 

Before you even consider applying to college, take stock of your family’s financial situation. Ask yourself, how much do I have available to spend for a college education, and how much am I willing to spend and sacrifice? Consider the future. What if something happens and you have a lot less money coming in once the student has started college (e.g., you lose your job, an expensive health issue crops up, etc.)? Will you still be able to fund college? Are there other family members who will also need to tap into the family’s finances in the future? 

Step 2: To assess the cost of college: Cast a broad net, initially 

Identify a number of schools that fit the student’s interests and academics. Don’t just choose one or two; find several. Even if the student thinks he or she knows the exact college where he or she wants to go, expand the search. First, there’s no guarantee that the student will get admitted to that school. Second, there’s no guarantee that the school will fit your budget. By finding many schools that could be a good match for the student, you will increase your chances of putting together a list of schools that you can afford. 

Step 3: Explore the fully loaded cost of college 

You cannot assume that the price of college will be “about the same” irrespective of where you attend. From one college to the next costs will vary tremendously. Where do you find information on school costs? What is meant by “fully loaded” costs? Schools will generally provide tuition information on their websites. Many schools will include what is called an estimated Cost Of Attendance (COA), too. 

The COA represents an approximation of your fully loaded cost, and will usually include: 

• Tuition 

• Room and Board 

• School Fees 

• Books and School Supplies 

• Travel 

• Personal Expenses 

Visit each school’s website that your child is interested in, and if the school provides an estimated COA use it as a starting point to calculate your costs. You need to figure out what your actual outlay is likely to be based on your own individual circumstances. Schools use an average number to figure costs like travel and personal expenses, but you should try to be more exact.  

For example, if the student will be bringing a car to campus, the school will not add car-related expenses into their COA calculation. But you should put it into yours. In short, project how the student will be living while attending college and tally up all the costs associated with that lifestyle. 

Step 4: Investigate the financial aid generosity of each school 

Not all schools are created equal when it comes to their financial aid generosity. Some will meet full financial needs while others won’t. Some schools will be very generous with merit aid for those who don’t meet the criteria for need-based aid. And others will only provide merit aid to a select few. 

To figure out just how generous a school is with their aid, a good source is College Data. Click on the College Search tab where you can search by a specific school name which then presents a Facts & Information page for that school. Click on the Financials tab of this section which reveals what percentage of financial need was met at that college, how much it provided in need-based and merit aid, and how many students were awarded aid for the most recent year available. 

By looking at this information for each of the schools of interest, you can get a good sense of how generous a school is and whether you might have a shot at getting some aid. 

Step 5: Assess your likelihood of receiving financial aid to reduce the cost of college 

You know your budget. Also, you know what your finances look like. You know what the cost of college is. You know the typical aid packages offered by the schools on your list. But, you still don’t know what each college on your list is actually going to cost you.  Will you qualify for financial aid and bring down the COA? While you can’t get a definitive answer about your costs before you apply and actually get admitted to a school, you can get a reasonable approximation of how much a college education will cost you at a given school. 

Colleges are required to make online Net Price Calculators (NPC) available to the public. NPCs allow prospective students to input some basic financial information about themselves and then the NPC calculates approximately how much financial aid they are eligible for and how much it will consequently cost them to attend that school – the “net price”. Net Price Calculators can be found at a college’s website, and The College Board also provides an NPC for the hundreds of colleges that utilize its NPC tool. 

Beware that the NPCs provide only an estimate of your likely cost, and sometimes a very loose one at that. The information captured isn’t as thorough as on an actual financial aid application, and the NPCs don’t take into account either special circumstances or your potential eligibility for merit aid (which is based on student performance rather than financial strength). So, the output of the NPC is likely not what you expect to receive. 

Still, by going through the Net Price Calculator process for each school on your list, you’ll get a directional sense of what the school will cost you.
The bottom line is that if finances are an issue when you are first considering where to apply consider your budget, school COA, and financial aid in the calculation. By doing so, you just may save yourself a little heartache and a whole lot of money. 

Need Help with the College Admissions Process?  

Figuring out the likely all-in cost of college at specific universities can be very complex. As part of our comprehensive packages, we help families assemble a well thought out college list that takes into account any financial aid considerations. So, please contact us for a complimentary consultation. At Great College Advice, we provide personalized college consulting focused on helping make the process of preparing, selecting, and applying to college more successful, less stressful, and more fun.   

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With over 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other.

The post How to Calculate the Cost of College first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Students will be sending in their Early Decision (ED) applications to meet the November 1 deadline with most colleges emailing their Early Decision notifications in mid-December. It’s one of the times of the year when the team at Great College Advice have our fingers and toes crossed very hard for our students who have applied ED. It seems like a strange time to be asking, “is early decision binding or not?”

The question has received a lot more attention recently following a New York Times article (paywall) discussing how Tulane punished a Colorado private high school after a student backed out of their ED agreement with Tulane. As we don’t have all the details of this particular situation, we will refrain from giving our opinion. But it’s important for families to understand how these ED agreements work.

Applying early decision (ED) is not a good idea for every college applicant. For some, sending out a single application could be financially foolish because it carries a binding agreement to attend that school no matter what. For others, if you’re applying ED to a college you’re not excited about just because you’ve been told that it improves your admission odds then that is not a good decision either.

But, we also sympathize with families. The college process can be unfair. Universities like Tulane take roughly 2/3 of its class in its Early Decision rounds. It’s virtually impossible to be accepted in Tulane’s regular decision round. And, yes, for many selective universities the acceptance rate is higher in ED. If you truly have a dream school and financial aid is not an issue, then ED makes sense. If not, then think carefully about whether early decision is right for you.

So Is Early Decision Binding or Not?

But let us clarify our position: we don’t advocate that students and their families renege on the binding ED agreement. The only justifiable grounds for getting out of this agreement is insufficient financial aid. If financial situations are such that parents simply cannot (or will not) be able to pay for college, the family (along with the student’s high school counselor) should communicate with the financial aid office and ask to be released from the agreement.

But it’s MUCH better to never get yourself into this sort of predicament in the first place. Again, if you go back and read our article explaining how ED works, you’ll understand that colleges have less incentive to offer the best financial aid packages to early applicants. Of course, colleges will say that they offer equivalent packages to ED and regular applicants. But, there is no way of proving or disproving their claim. Colleges do not divulge all their records and offers publicly. The logic of the situation (plus long talks with admissions officers off the record over beers) indicates that this is how colleges do business.

Therefore, if ever a family comes to us with any indication that financial aid awards will be central to the decision about where their kid goes to college we de-emphasize ED. This allows families to do some comparison shopping later in the spring. (It’s okay to apply Early Action, however, as these admissions programs carry no binding agreement).

When selecting a college, cost needs to be one of the most important factors for most families. But there are other considerations involved too. And it’s hard to make a general rule when each family’s financial circumstances are different.

Our point is that no student should ever renege on their ED agreement if they have done their homework. They will never get in a situation in which backing out of an ED agreement is necessary to maintain a family’s financial health.

What if I need to talk to someone to ask whether early decision is binding or not?

If you need professional guidance to explore your own circumstances and to discuss the binding nature of your early decision agreement, please reach out to Great College Advice. Every year we help families understand the nuances of the college admissions process so that they can maximize their priorities in the college decision. Please contact us here.

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With nearly 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

The post Is Early Decision Binding or Not? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

It’s important to note that the dates in this timeline are general; the actual deadlines will vary depending on the school and the application round you’re applying in. Make sure you double-check on the specific college website to make sure you get everything in on time. Also, don’t forget that submitting earlier means you have the greatest chance of getting the aid you need.  

Fall of Senior Year 

Get Organized

Start a physical folder of all the documents you’ll need to file for financial aid including Social Security numbers, prior year tax returns, bank and brokerage account balances, and pay stubs. You’ll also want to file your financial aid letter and FAFSA/CSS reports in here when you get those. Keep this folder somewhere safe; you’ll need to refer to it throughout your college career when it comes time to refile. 

Obtain Your Unique FSA ID 

Anyone who is required to provide information on the FAFSA form needs a FSA ID which will be provided to you by filling out the required information on StudentAid.gov. Enter your name and Social Security number exactly as they appear on your Social Security card. Your FSA ID is your identification for the entire filing process so make sure you store it in a safe place. 

Fill out the FAFSA when the portal opens 

To get a jump on the process, start filling out your FAFSA when it begins accepting applications which is October 1, 2025. The sooner you complete it, the more likely you are to get the aid you need.  

Do You Need to File the CSS Profile?

Verify whether any of the schools to which you are applying requires the completion of the CSS Profile. This is a second financial aid form that is administered by the College Board. Generally, this form is more invasive in documenting your family’s financial resources to pay for college. The CSS is also more time-consuming than the FAFSA, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time to complete it before the deadlines for submission. 

Verify Deadlines

Check your deadlines. If you’re applying for early action or early decision, check with those schools to see when they require you to submit the FAFSA or CSS Profile. Make sure you comply with their deadlines and know that each school has a slightly different financial aid timeline. 

Search for Third Party Scholarships

You can also begin to apply for third party scholarships by exploring websites that aggregate this information. Keep in mind, however, that these third-party scholarship applications take time to identify, and then time to complete. Exploring third-party scholarships as a method of reducing your college costs can be very time-consuming, and generally, the payoff is much smaller than most families expect. Your best approach is to inquire about local scholarship opportunities where the applicant pool is less crowded. 

Keep Your Counselor in the Loop

Talk to your high school guidance counselor about financial aid. Your counselor is a resource that you can consult for all kinds of things, and they may know of scholarships that you can apply for that haven’t crossed your radar. 

Winter of Senior Year 

Communicate with Colleges 

If you have experienced unusual circumstances recently that affect your ability to pay for college that aren’t reflected on your submitted FAFSA  (unemployment, medical expenses, a death in the family, etc.), inform the financial aid office about them. Be prepared to write a letter and provide documentary proof of these changes. Colleges can and will take these into consideration when preparing your financial aid package, and the earlier you provide this relevant information, the better the financial aid package will reflect your needs. 

Recheck Those Deadlines 

If you’re applying for regular decision or rolling admission, make sure you submit your FAFSA and CSS Profile according to your schools’ deadlines. While it would be nice if there were a single financial aid timeline for all colleges and universities in the US, the fact is that each campus has its own internal deadlines. You need to make sure to stay on top of these. 

Check Your FAFSA Submission Summary

For the 2025-2026 college admissions cycle, what was known as the Student Aid Report is now called the FAFSA Submission Summary. When you receive this summary after filling out the FAFSA, read through it carefully to make sure there aren’t any mistakes. If you need to make a correction, do so as quickly as possible. 

Supply Additional Information If Necessary

Check with your financial aid office to see if you need to submit any further documentation or forms. In some cases, for example, the college may want a copy of the most recent tax return for both the student and parent.  

Spring of Senior Year

Review Aid Offers Carefully

Once you start getting financial aid letters from the schools you’ve applied to, read them carefully. Consider your options for each school, and if you have questions or concerns about any parts of a letter, contact that college’s financial aid office to discuss it. 

Notify Schools of Your Decision

Once you decided about which school you’re going to attend, notify the other schools on your list. This lets those schools redistribute the aid they had allocated to you to other students who may need it. Completing this part of your financial aid timeline could help other students get more money at their preferred schools. 

Accept Only the Aid You Really Need

Remember that you are not obligated to take all of the financial aid that’s offered to you in your aid letter. Notify the school about whether you’re choosing to accept, reduce, or decline the aid they’re offering to you. 

Summer Between High School and College

Do Your Loan Paperwork

Complete the paperwork for your student loans, including the Master Promissory Note. This acts as a contract between you and your loan company, in which they agree to lend you the money and you agree to pay it back. 

Consider a Summer Job

A financial aid timeline should include a schedule for your own sweat equity! The more money you are able to make during the summer, the less you may have to work during the school year. Get a jump on things! Start looking for that summer job early enough that you can find one that pays you well. 

Research Campus Work Options

If you need to work while on campus, don’t wait until the first week of school to begin researching your options. The campus employment or career services office will list job openings, and there is no reason you cannot apply before you arrive on campus. If you’re thinking about working off campus, you can scan job ads online, too. The first few days and weeks of school will be a whirlwind, so the more you can do in advance to secure your financial situation, the better. 

Financial Aid Timeline for Seniors: A Summary 

The financial aid timeline for seniors is all about being organized and following both instructions and deadlines. Therefore, it’s best if you can start that process earlier rather than later. Get your documents organized, obtain your FSA ID, and then start filling out the FAFSA. 

At Great College Advice, we can help families identify schools that will likely meet your budget and be a great fit for your student. Reach out today to learn more by scheduling a complimentary consultation. 

The post Financial Aid Timeline for High School Seniors first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The timeline is presented by season. One of the misconceptions of the college planning process is that everything happens according to a pre-ordained, consistent timeline. While there are aspects to the process that are tied to specific dates, the fact is that no two students undertake and complete the process in exactly the same way.

Thus the Great College Advice timeline is organized in a way to help you stay on track without creating a feeling that you are somehow always late with every aspect of the process. Our role in this process is to empower you to manage the process in the way that is best for you. Everything you’ll find on this list is something you should consider to be part of the process. But frankly, with very few exceptions, you’ll also find that the items can be done in an order that suits you best.

So have confidence! Take control of the process! Use this document as a way to ensure that you get it all done–with time to spare. But don’t be tied to this timeline. Adapt it to suit the individual that you are.

College Timeline for Juniors in the Fall and Winter

Make sure you’re in the right classes

11th grade is your last real chance to impress with the classes you’re taking, so make it count! Work with your counselor to make sure you’re not taking on too much, but that you’re also challenging yourself. If you’re unsure whether to take a tough course because you’re worried about your GPA, have a look at our post here.  Keep studying to make sure your grades stay up!

Continue your extracurricular interests

Colleges want students who are engaged and active. They want students who will animate their campuses and make them interesting places to work and play. Consider stepping into a leadership role.  Find ways to expand and deepen your commitments to the areas in which you already excel. The more achievements you can rack up in the next year, the better. And remember, the quality of your commitments is much more important than the quantity. Colleges will be looking for your achievements first. Being a participant is great, but learning to lead and excel is better.

Make a standardized testing plan

If you haven’t already, fall is the time to map our your testing plan. Take full-scale diagnostics on both the SAT and the ACT to understand which test suits you best. Many test prep companies, such as ArborBridge, will offer a free diagnostic and recommendation as to which test would be better for you. Armed with this evidence, you can plan how to prepare and choose dates that work best for you.

We strongly recommend that you schedule at least one “real” test in your junior year, and have another date as a “back up plan.” We generally recommend that you try to take your first test in the fall or winter of junior year, with spring as a fall back option if you need to retake. Senior year is going to be super busy, so don’t leave the testing until the last minute. Plan!

Take the PSAT in October

Even if you took it last year, this is the one that counts! The PSAT is used to qualify people for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Even if you don’t think you’ll score high enough to qualify for the scholarship, the PSAT is a great way to acclimate yourself to the fun of taking standardized college entrance exams (just kidding!). You will sign up for the PSAT at your school, so look for announcements from your guidance office.

Prepare for the ACT and/or SAT

We generally recommend one-on-one tutoring for our students. While the per-hour cost is more, a really good tutor can help you raise your score, which not only increases your chances for admission but can really boost your chances of a merit scholarship. If private tutoring is impossible, try to attend an ACT/SAT class or workshop. Some high schools will even offer these workshops for free, so look for announcements from your guidance office. If you can’t, there are books and websites you can use. Strongly consider signing up for the ACT/SAT during the spring semester at the very latest.  Follow these links to sign up for the SAT and the ACT. 

Research possible college majors

Now is the time to really focus in on what you want your major to be. Identify your interests and look up online what careers and majors are associated with them. Some websites offer free tests that assess things you like and dislike and offer possible major choices, which could help you if you’re not sure where to start. Check out MyMajors.com as an example. You can also talk to your counselor about choices and to see if they offer a career test as well.

Make a college list

It’s time to start making a list of schools you want to apply to. Keep in mind that you should have safety, target, and reach schools on your list—don’t just apply to one Ivy League! Gather information on admission criteria and deadlines. Make sure the schools you’re interested in have the major you want to study. Consider things like size and location as well as academics. Will you be happy at a rural school, or do you want to be in the city? Do large lectures seem like the way to go, or would you rather have a school with small classes?

Attend more college fairs

Now that you have a list of schools you’re interested in, visit their booths at a college fair near you. Introduce yourself, talk to the admissions representative, and ask questions. Sign up for their email list. Your high school guidance office will likely be sending out information about these fairs. The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has numerous college fairs scheduled across the country beginning in September. 

Talk to your family

Let your family know which colleges interest you. Listen to their questions and concerns; they might be things that didn’t occur to you, or they might ask you questions things you can already answer. Now that will impress them that you’ve got this process under control! If, however, you’re feeling hounded by your parents about the college process, suggest to them that you make a set time every week to discuss college stuff. This way you keep the family discussion going, but you can avoid the constant nagging: “Hey, Mom, thanks for reminding me about this college stuff; let’s talk on Wednesday after dinner at our appointed time.” Sometimes creating boundaries are as important as creating a college admissions timeline.

College Timeline for Juniors in the Spring

Schedule college visits

Try to do as many visits as you can while the campus is holding classes. Spring break could be an ideal time for these visits. You’ll get a much better idea of what it’s really like there during classes than you will while the school is on break. Take a campus tour, go to an information session, and see if you can meet with an admissions officer or a faculty member in your intended major. Make sure you go prepared with questions to ask! Keep in mind that some schools offer admissions fee waivers when you visit, so it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Download this comprehensive e-book to learn how to get the most from your campus visits.

Demonstrate interest

Colleges want to know that you are interested in them. College visits are one sure-fire way to demonstrate that interest. However, if you’re unable to visit for any reason, you should still let the admissions office know that you are seriously considering their college. Fill out the form on their admissions website to request more information. Write a short note to an admissions officer asking for specific information about a program or major that interests you.

Follow the school’s account on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media (believe me…this sounds crazy, but it helps). Think of each of these contacts as a “brownie point” in the admissions process. And who doesn’t need more brownie points?

Take the ACT and/or the SAT

Even if you plan to take these tests during your senior year, it can be helpful to take them now, too. Make sure you sign up by the deadline and arrive with all required materials and nothing else.

Ask for letters of recommendation

Many schools will require you to have letters of recommendation from teachers or guidance counselors. Ask those individuals towards the end of your junior year, when they’ve just had you in class or in the office. This way, they’ll remember you better, and will be able to write a compelling letter telling everyone how wonderful you are. If you wait, you might get a more generic letter, which won’t help as much in the admissions process. To learn how you can get great letters of recommendation, check out this article. Recommendations are an important aspect of your college admissions timeline.

College Timeline For Juniors in the Summer

Strategize your application strategy

Early action? Early decision? Regular decision? Figure out which admission programs you’re going to apply under for each school. We generally recommend that you apply early to as many schools as possible. Make sure to check and see if there are any special early deadlines for scholarships or for certain programs. Mark the dates on your calendar, and make sure to give yourself enough time to complete all of your applications.

Work on application essays

Many colleges release their essay prompts well in advance of when the Common App actually opens in August. Starting your essays well before they’re due gives you the chance to put a lot of thought into them, which will help your essay stand out more.

The hardest part of the entire essay process is landing on a topic that will make you shine. It also gives you plenty of time to edit so your essay is perfect. Also note that many colleges require additional, or supplemental, essays as part of their applications. You will need to look these up and create a document that contains all the prompts you will have to address on your various applications.

College Admissions Timeline for Junior Parents

Visit nearby schools

Arrange a day trip to a few nearby colleges. They don’t have to be ones that your student is interested in; check out a big school vs. a small school or a public university vs. a liberal arts college. Visit places with differences so you can start a conversation about what your student is really looking for in a school.

Help your student narrow down the college list

Ask your student to explain why each school is on their list. Help them think of pros and cons for each school so they can really narrow it down. (This will help later, too, when they have to write a supplemental essay on the topic, “Why do you want to go to this school?”). Attend college fairs with your student, if possible, and help arrange college visits for you and your student.

Ask about scholarships

Make sure your student is looking into potential scholarship opportunities. Ask at work if they have a scholarship program for employees’ children. Find out about local scholarships for which your student can apply.

The college planning timeline summary

So there you have it–a college planning timeline for juniors. This to-do list contains the things you need to stay on track and take control of the college planning process. However, if you feel as though you need some personal guidance in through this process so that you can blaze your trail toward college success, give us a call (after all, it’s much more than a college admissions timeline). The team at Great College Advice is here to help you stay on track entering your junior year. Sign up for a free consultation to find out whether our college counseling services can help you make the process of preparing, selecting, and applying to college more successful, less stressful, and more fun.

As you review this college admissions timeline, remember that college planning rarely evolves according to a strict timeline. Keeping up your grades is not exactly something you can schedule: it’s something you have to work on every day. Similarly, your record of extracurricular achievement depends on a lot of factors that are hard to slot into particular days of the week or months of the year. Even developing a test prep calendar can be difficult, and plans can change depending on how hard you prepare and the score you get on your first attempt. 

Great College Advice

The post College Timeline for Juniors first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

How do you get accepted to your #1 college choice AND be awarded financial aid? By understanding how different types of colleges award both need-based and merit-based aid, you can put together a college application list that increases both your chances of being accepted and receiving a generous aid package. Here’s how to get college scholarships:

Step 1: Get Accepted to College

The first order of business is to get accepted to a number of colleges. The potential issue is that the criteria for admissions is very different at different universities. The question of how you get accepted to the Ivy League is not the same as the question of how to get into the University of Wisconsin, which is still different from being accepted to your regional four-year college or a less selective liberal arts college. You first need to understand the admissions requirements for the schools you are targeting and follow these requirements very carefully.  

Bear in mind, however, that at the top-tier universities, there are unstated, subjective factors in the admissions process that are not easy to discern. For example, to get accepted to Harvard or any of the other Ivy League schools, you not only need outstanding grades, test scores, and teacher recommendations: you also need to demonstrate things like motivation, energy, curiosity, leadership ability, and special talents. 

Therefore, as you prepare for college during high school, you need to concentrate on your academic performance. No matter where you want to go to college, you must do well academically. But the more ambitious you are, and the more you want to get accepted to the Ivy League or other top-tier universities, you must also cultivate these subjective characteristics. 

Step 2: Earn or Receive College Financial Aid 

It is more difficult to be admitted while also being awarded a merit aid scholarship. Most universities will reserve their scare scholarship dollars for its top performing students and applicants, focusing first on need-based aid and then non-need-based merit aid. You don’t automatically earn consideration for a college scholarship just for applying.  

The better your high school performance, the higher the odds you’ll win a scholarship. For example, the very selective liberal arts college Washington and Lee will award non-need merit-based scholarships to only a very small percentage of its incoming class (see detail below). It reserves most of its financial aid budget for students with high financial need. So, it you want to be awarded The Johnson Scholarship at Washington and Lee (W&L), you need to be among the cream of the crop within its applicant pool.  

Examples of How Financial Aid is Disbursed 

University of Puget Sound – Less Selective Liberal Arts College (LAC) 

At some less-selective private colleges with a high cost of attendance but lower yields, many of its students receive some type of aid, whether it be need-based or merit-based aid. For example, at the University of Puget Sound, 100% of the 430 students in the Class of 2028 received some form of financial aid. 64% (277/430) received need-based financial aid and the remaining 36% (153/430) received merit aid. Puget Sound’s tuition is $65,000 for the 2025-2026 academic year with the total cost of attendance (COA) approaching $88,000. The average aid package for students demonstrating need is just over $59,000. The non-need-based award package for those 153 students was $30,400. 

Bucknell University – More Selective LAC 

But, at the more selective Bucknell University, only 50% (493/991) of the Class of 2028 students are getting any sort of financial aid from the institution, while the other 50% of Bucknell students will pay the full price of admission. 41% (407/991) received need-based financial aid and 9% (86/991) received merit aid (excluding 79 athletes). Bucknell’s tuition is $70,000 for the 2025-2026 academic year with the total cost of attendance (COA) just over $88,000. The average aid package for students demonstrating need is just over $52,000. The non-need-based award package for those 86 students was $19,000. 

Washington and Lee – Even More Selective LAC 

At W&L, which has an impressive endowment for a school its size, 61% (287/472) of the Class of 2028 students are receiving financial aid. 57% (269/472) received need-based financial aid and 4% (18/472) received merit aid. W&L’s tuition is $66,800 for the 2025-2026 academic year with the total cost of attendance (COA) just over $86,500. The average aid package for students demonstrating need is just over $68,500. The non-need-based award package is an impressive $60,000, likely due to many of the incoming 18 students being awarded The Johnson Scholarship. 

Source: College Common Data Set reports. 

Get Accepted to the Ivy League With Financial Aid 

How do you get accepted to the Ivy League with a scholarship? Can you get accepted to Harvard with a merit-based scholarship? The answer is: ‘not likely’. The first issue is that unlike W&L, Bucknell or the University of Puget Sound, Harvard and the rest of the Ivy League do not offer merit-based scholarships. Their financial aid budgets are reserved for students who exhibit financial need. 

For Harvard’s Class of 2028, roughly 54,000 high schoolers applied of which only 1,970 students were admitted, an acceptance rate of below 4%. But, Harvard is very generous to the high-need students it accepts. For the Class of 2028, 920 of the 1630 (57%) enrolled students qualified for need-based aid with the average package totaling $74,000. Only 3 students received non-need merit aid of which the average award was only $6,000.  

What’s the conclusion? While Harvard is very generous to students who qualify for need-based aid, only the most exceptional high-need students in the world will be admitted to Harvard.  

What Are the Odds You Will Receive Financial Aid? 

So, what are your odds of getting accepted with a merit scholarship to an Ivy League university?  

Very small. 

But what are your odds of getting accepted to another college with a scholarship? They could be pretty good, if you are strategic about where you send your applications. 

What Should You Do? 

Understand the financial aid process at different schools 

If you want to get accepted to university with a scholarship, you first need to understand how different schools allocate their scholarship dollars. Use the examples above as reference points while your building your college list. 

What college scholarships do you want? 

Second, you need to make sure what sort of scholarship you are aiming for? Will you be eligible for a need-based aid? If not, you need to hunt for schools that offer merit-based scholarships. 

Where will you most likely get college financial aid? 

Third, you need to look at which schools are more likely to offer YOU a scholarship. You need to carefully assess where you fit in the application pool. If you are going get accepted to university with a scholarship, you need to be realistic about which schools are going to shower you with money. As we have seen, the University of Puget Sound is mostly likely – of the colleges we examined above – to give you a merit-based scholarship. 

Need help with the college admissions process?  

College education is an investment, and college admission to selective schools is very competitive, especially Ivy League and the ever-expanding list of Little Ivies and Public Ivies. So how can you invest your college budget wisely? How can you get accepted to college with scholarships? 

These are questions that the team at Great College Advice can answer. We can help you identify those colleges where you will likely be accepted AND receive a generous aid package. Just contact us on this form and we’ll set up a no-cost, no-obligation meeting so we can learn more about you and discuss how we can help make the college admissions process more successful and less stressful.  

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With over 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other.

The post How to Receive Financial Aid first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Clients ask the team at Great College Advice repeatedly to explain the relationship between the financial aid and admissions offices to help them understand how financial need is factored into admissions decisions. Usually, these questions revolve around whether a college is “need-blind” or “need-aware.” So in this post, we’ll try to shed some light on how the admissions and financial aid offices work together. More importantly, we’ll provide some insight on the difference between a need-blind and need-aware college and how a college’s financial aid policy may impact whether you ultimately decide to apply there based on affordability.

Need-Blind Admission Policies and Enrollment  Management

Generally, the Admissions and Financial Aid offices are operated separately. But usually, the two are overseen by a Dean or Vice-President of Enrollment Management, or some such title. This should give you a clue that the two offices, while administratively independent, are two sides of the same coin.

Both are tasked with recruiting and then retaining students, providing just enough resources to keep the income flowing into the university. Tuition dollars, after all, are the lifeblood of any institution of higher education. Both offices have the responsibility to keep the dollars flowing in.

As prospective students apply to the university, they send their applications to the office of admissions, naturally. They apply for financial aid around the same time. Their applications for aid are processed by the Office of Financial Aid. So, it seems, in some ways that the two are separate, and most colleges like to help create the image that admissions decisions are completely separate from financial aid decisions.

Believe me, they are not.

Colleges That Offer Need-Blind vs Need-Aware Admission

Only one group of colleges can make any claim that the two decisions are separate: those practicing “need-blind” admissions. These colleges are generally very wealthy with large endowments, and their number is quite small. I’ll come back to this exception in a moment. But suffice it to say that the financial aid and admissions offices must work together if they are to ensure the continuity and adequacy of the institution’s income stream.

Both the admissions and financial aid offices start the process with an annual budget–an amount of money that can be used for financial aid.

Some of this budget is “hard” money (interest income from endowed scholarships). But the overwhelming majority of financial aid is given in the form of discounts on the price of tuition. Colleges may call these “grants” or “scholarships,” but internally colleges discuss their “discount rate”: the average discount off the tuition sticker price they will offer in a given year.

A large percentage of the financial aid budget goes to fund currently enrolled students. Most (but not all) colleges distribute their aid budgets to ensure that current students can continue their progress toward their degrees. Keep in mind that any individual’s financial need can change from year to year, or even from semester to semester. In order to retain students, perhaps 75% or more of the total financial aid budget goes to continuing students.

Does Need-Blind Admission Really Exist?

Admissions officers try to read your application without prejudice. But admissions officers have clues regarding a family’s ability to pay.  Most applications ask whether you plan to apply for financial aid. If you check “no,” then you are considered a full-pay student. In addition, colleges review family background. If the father is a surgeon and the mother an attorney (or a plumber and a waitress, respectively) admissions officers make some plausible assumptions about the ability to pay. All colleges subscribe to demographic analytic software packages which provide detailed income information on zip codes and even neighborhoods!

Once the admissions office has made a decision on which students to admit, the director will submit the entire list to the financial aid office for review. The financial aid office compares the aggregate financial need of the entire class with the amount of aid available for incoming freshmen. If the need far exceeds the dollars available, financial aid will kick the list back to admissions with the comment, “if we admit this class, we’ll go broke–go back to the drawing board.”

If this occurs, then the admissions office begins another review of applications, focusing on those kids who are “on the bubble,” or who are borderline admissions cases. Needy students on the borderline will be rejected, and replaced with students who didn’t quite make the cut–but who can pay full price. This process will continue until the admissions office can resubmit the list, and the financial aid office is satisfied that the institution will not over-commit itself.

Now let’s look at the small number of colleges who claim that their admissions process is “need-blind.” These colleges are wealthy. They not only have a high discount rate, but they also have endowment funds to draw upon if, for some reason, the admissions office ends up admitting way too many students with financial need. But “need-blind” does not mean “need-ignorant.”

Experienced admissions staffers know that they cannot admit a freshman class comprised solely of students who need a full tuition scholarship. They have to balance the full-pay students against the full-pay students. Even wealthy colleges have budgets that are not infinitely expandable. Admissions staff at “need-blind” colleges simply have a bit more wiggle room.

As I have said, admissions officers do have clues about a student’s ability to pay right on the application. In this sense, all college admissions processes are “need-aware.”

More evidence that need-blind admission is a myth

There is one other piece of evidence that helps us to understand that need-blind admission doesn’t really exist in ideal form. Colleges publish statistics about how many of their students receive different types of aid. We can track, for example, the percentage of the entering freshman class received need-based at Brown.

If Brown were truly and completely “need-blind” and not “need-aware,” we would expect that from year to year, there would be relatively big fluctuations in the amount of aid awarded. Some years, the class might be comprised of lots of kids who had high financial need but were otherwise remarkable applicants. In other years, maybe fewer remarkable, poor kids apply.

What the statistics tell us, however, is that Brown’s financial aid budget is fairly steady from year to year (discounting inflation). And–more important–the percentage of entering students receiving need-based financial aid is also fairly steady in the mid-40% range (for the Class of 2028 cohort 829 of 1719 enrolled students received need-based aid with the average award package totaling almost $69,000).

We do not see those expected fluctuations from year to year based on the quality of the applicants. Strangely, no matter who applies, the percentage of aid recipients stays roughly the same from year to year and even decade to decade.

Need-Blind vs Need-Aware in Admission–A Summary

So what conclusions can we draw from this relationship between admissions and financial aid?

• First, full-pay students have an admissions advantage over scholarship students at most universities. This fact is not one that we like to admit, but reality bites, sometimes.
• Second, students who need aid to afford college should consider applying to schools where they are at the top of the selectivity curve. You do not want to be “on the bubble,” because you either are less likely to be admitted or your aid package is likely to be less generous than at a college where you are one of the top recruits.

To be even more specific, if the middle 50% (25th – 75th percentile) score on the SAT for Lafayette College is between 1390 and 1490, the high-need student with a 1390 will be less desirable than the high-need student with a 1490. If you have a 1390 and need a generous aid package, look for colleges that have a middle 50% SAT range of 1250-1350, and your chances go up for both admission and financial aid.

Need help with the college admissions process? 

The team at Great College Advice has years of experience working with thousands of students as they navigate the college admissions process.  We can help you prepare, select, and apply to colleges to give you the best chance of being accepted to your top choices.  Not only can we help identify the right fit schools that also fit your college budget, but we will also help you with every other aspect of this process. Want to learn more?  Just contact us on this form and we’ll set up a no-cost, no-obligation meeting so we can learn more about you and discuss how we can help make the college admissions process more successful and less stressful. 

The post Financial Aid, Admissions, and “Need-Blind” Policies first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

• Create your college list;
• Visit some colleges;
• Begin or continue to show demonstrated interest;
• Plan your college application strategy;
• Get started on your college applications.

Create Your College List 

Your first task in your summer application checklist is to complete your college list. While you may still be do some college visits in the fall, you should exit the summer with a solid grasp of the schools where you will likely apply. Grab your Fiske Guide to Colleges and re-read the write-ups on the schools that interest you. Visit the individual college websites and do a deep dive on all aspects of a school including academics, housing, activities, and the surrounding area. While on the site, take a virtual tour of the campus. Look for any virtual admissions programs offered this summer and sign up to learn more. Take notes along the way and make a list of questions that you may still have. Once you have exhausted your research capabilities, feel free to reach out to your admissions rep to introduce yourself and include a question or two of significance.  

Remember that your list should be well-balanced in terms of ‘reach’, ‘match’, and ‘likely’ schools. As part of the list-building process, have a family conversation about the cost of college. Use the Net Price Calculator at each school to explore whether you may qualify for need-based aid and also research merit aid policies. 

Visit some colleges as part of your summer application checklist

Hopefully you were able to visit a few colleges during your junior year to get a sense of the kind of environment you could see yourself spending the next four years of your life (big/small, urban/rural, etc.) Although there won’t be many students on campus during the summer, a college visit can still be worthwhile as you’re likely to be able to explore the campus in a more relaxed manner and possibly spend more quality time with the admissions department.  

If you’d rather wait until students are back on campus, start planning your fall trips to the colleges on your list. If you want to learn more about maximizing your time on campus, read our article on planning your college visit. 

Your Application Checklist Should Include Showing Demonstrated Interest 

Visiting a college remains the best form of showing demonstrated interest in that school. Sign up for a formal tour through the admissions office so they have a record of your time on campus. However, if you’re unable visit, don’t worry. You can demonstrate your interest by signing up to receive information directly on the admissions website. You will then begin getting numerous emails focusing on different aspects of that college. Click on those emails and spend time visiting different areas of their website.

Also, begin following the school on Instagram and other social media platforms. In the age of analytics and data science, many colleges track a student’s activity across their Internet content where they then use that information to place a probability on (a) whether a student is likely to apply and (b) how likely that student would accept an offer. So, show your colleges some love and, in turn, they may return the favor come application season! 

Plan Your College Application Strategy 

Is there one school that stands out from the others on your list after all your college research? Is this the place where, if accepted, you would happily say ‘yes’ without a second thought? In this case, applying Early Decision (if offered) may be the right strategy for you. However, not every student has that one dream school or they may have a handful of schools at the top of their list. In this case, applying Early Decision may not be the application strategy for you. In addition, many universities, especially flagship public universities, don’t offer Early Decision but rather Early Action.  

Each student will have a different application strategy based on their college list. As you begin ranking these schools, visit their admissions sites to find their application deadline calendars as well as what is required beyond the formal college application. These other documents may include your high school transcript, standardized test scores (if required or you choose to submit), optional essays, your mid-year report, and other items.  

If you anticipate applying for financial aid, take note of the specific school deadlines. Mark your calendar for the October 1 opening of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) portal which is the first step in the financial aid application process. (See this blog post for more information about the financial aid process.) 

Once you have determined the application requirements for each school, create a calendar or timeline of when you plan on submitting each requirement. Be sure to share this information with someone who may help keep you on top of your deadlines! 

Keep in mind that some colleges have not updated their websites with their official deadlines for next year. Most should be updated by August 1st. 

Get Started on Parts of Your Application 

Although the Common App doesn’t officially open until August 1, you can create an account ahead of time. You will be asked basic information about yourself (name, address, phone number, date of birth) and once you are registered you can begin familiarizing yourself with the platform. Feel free to begin adding the schools on your college list to your Common App account as well.  

Even though you have a few months until the Common App is open, you can still get a head start on your applications over the summer.  

Brainstorm College Essay Topics 

Although there are a few minor changes to the Common App coming this year, the Common App essay prompts will remain the same. So, feel free to begin brainstorming your personal essay. For tips on the personal statement, please read this post or this one. Most students underestimate the difficulty of writing a solid essay. Start on a draft or two now and show them to people who know you well. Gather their ideas, revise, and tighten. Those who leave their essays for the last minute come to regret their procrastination. 

Also, for those colleges on your list that will also require supplemental essays, review last year’s supplemental questions to get a sense of what to expect. Also, as you research these schools, take notes on what attracts you to them as it is likely you’ll have to write at least a few ‘Why College X?’ supplemental essays as part of the admissions process. 

Organize Your Common App Activities List 

One often overlooked area of the Common App is organizing your list of extracurriculars in a manner that reflects your passions, level of commitment, and achievement. Spend some time over the summer putting together a master list of your activities throughout your high school career. Make note of your role(s) and accomplishments in these activities so you can bring them to life as you describe them in the Common App activities section. 

Put Together a Resume as Part of Your Application Checklist

Most schools do not want you to submit a formal resume because they can see your extracurriculars and achievements in your Common App. However, it is still a good idea to have an up-to-date resume. You may need one for scholarship applications, and you can provide it to the people writing your letters of recommendation. 

In addition, if you are applying to a specialized art or music program, you may be required to submit additional materials that will showcase your talents. So, putting together video or audio recordings of your performances or a portfolio of sample drawings is a great way to start getting your additional art materials organized. 

Does your rising senior need help getting started on the college application process?  

This rising senior summer checklist contains recommendations to stay on track and take control of the college planning process. However, if you feel as though your student needs help finalizing their college list or brainstorming college essay topics, please contact us for a complimentary initial consultation. The team at Great College Advice has deep experience in guiding students along the road from high school to college. We provide personalized college consulting focused on helping make the process of preparing, selecting, and applying to college more successful, less stressful, and more fun. Have a fantastic summer! 

Follow the Great College Advice Guide to College Admissions:

• Guide Through Every Year of High School
• 9th Grade: Build the Foundation by getting good grades in the most rigorous courses for you; 9th Grade College Admissions Guide
• 10th Grade: Gain Momentum by continuing to receive good grades in difficult courses while also starting to narrow down your activities to those you find most interesting; 10th Grade College Admissions Guide
• 11th Grade: Stay Focused as your junior year is the most critical in terms of grades while juggling leadership roles and college prep; 11th Grade College Admissions Guide and 11th Grade College Admissions Guide for 2nd Semester

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.  

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With over 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

The post College Application Checklist for Rising Seniors  first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Generally speaking, we tell all our students, regardless of their family financial position, to apply for financial aid. Generally there is very little downside and considerable upside potential.

But if you want to get into the nitty gritty to understand more about risks and rewards of applying to college and asking for financial aid, read on! 

So, does applying for financial aid hurt my admissions chances?

This is a bit of a complicated question. The actual act of applying for financial aid should have absolutely no bearing on whether or not a student gains admission to just about any college. Admissions officers don’t simply look at the fact that you are applying for financial aid, assume that you will need lots of it, and then deny you admission. 

Rather admissions officers review your application based on your merits. If you’re a good candidate, they put you in the “accept” pile. So, you should feel free to check that box and send in your forms! Just applying for aid won’t hurt you.

If the college professes to be “need blind,” then you’re likely to sail through the rest of the process at this point and be awarded the financial aid you deserve.  

Things are slightly different if you are applying to colleges that are not “need blind” (i.e. schools that consider your ability to pay in the admissions decision). At these “need aware” schools, your financial need could impact your ability to gain admission, especially if your grades and other credentials aren’t up to snuff.

Think about it: if a school has only so much aid to hand out, to whom would they be most likely to give it?  Students with the best grades, test scores, and extracurricular achievements are likely to get the most money. (This is just one more reason to do well in high school–high performers can get more financial aid). 

Still, the prospect of not getting in to a school should not stop you from applying for financial aid. Think about it this way: if you need financial aid, you need financial aid! If a certain college is not going to accept you because of it, then you don’t want to attend that college, anyway. You want to go somewhere that you can get in–and that you can afford.

If I’m too wealthy, will applying for financial aid hurt my college admissions chances?

But, what if you are too “wealthy” according to colleges and therefore unlikely to qualify for financial aid? Would this application for aid and your high net worth seem contradictory, thereby tanking chances for admission?

No. If the applicant has the goods, it is actually more likely that he or she will be accepted in this case. The evidence provided in the financial aid forms will demonstrate your ability to pay.  And a well-qualified applicant who can pay full price is a highly desirable one in this process.  

There are two more reasons why a high net-worth family might complete the financial aid forms.

First, completing the financial aid forms could be a requirement for a student to receive merit-based scholarships. Without the forms, you might leave money on the table and not get a scholarship that you might otherwise deserve.  

Second, completing the financial aid forms might make your family eligible for the Federal student loan program, thereby enabling you to borrow some money (albeit a relatively small amount).  Some families like their kids to take out such loans as a way to ensure that the student has “skin in the game” and appreciates the value–and cost–of a college education.  

The bottom line: colleges are expensive to run, and they need students who have the ability to pay in full. If you can fund your education, and you can show this, the ability to pay could tip the admissions scales in your favor. If you are in this position, it won’t matter whether you fill out the financial aid forms. 

Mind the gap:  A potential pitfall in the financial aid process

One of the most misunderstood aspect of financial aid is that just because you qualify for need-based financial aid, doesn’t mean you will receive everything you deserve from the colleges.

Without getting into the details of where financial aid comes from, just remember that colleges’ financial aid budgets are not infinite. As businesses, they have to guard the bottom line. They cannot give away more aid than what is available.

While some schools have enough money to meet the full financial need of all accepted students, other schools are not so wealthy.  So they try to stretch their budgets by spreading the aid around more thinly.  

The trouble with this is that the college’s budget limitations can have a very negative impact on your own family budget. What does this mean?

An example can clarify

Let’s say that according to the FAFSA, you have an expected family contribution, or EFC (soon to be called the SAI, or “student aid index”) of $20,000–meaning that your family should pay no more than $20,000 for college. Let’s also say that the college costs $60,000 to attend–including tuition, fees, room, board, insurance, travel, books, and a bit of spending money. 

So you would expect, since you have demonstrated financial need, that you would be given enough financial aid from a college to reduce your bill to no more than $20,000.  This is the expectation.

But the college is not obligated to meet that EFC (or SAI).  The college can give you a different offer.  For example, they might say, “you’re accepted, but you will need to pay $40,000 to attend.”  They are giving you $20,000 dollars in aid, and you should be able to pay (according to the FAFSA formula) $20,000. But the total cost, remember, is $60,000.

This leaves you with a “gap” of $20,000.  

Where will this come from?  While you could shake down grandma or maybe scheme to rob a bank, the most likely answer is “loans”.  But loans are just your money, only later (and more of it, with the interest payments). 

But be careful!  Too many loans can be a bad thing. Owing a ton of money upon college graduation can actually reduce or restrict your future opportunities, because paying off those loans must come before you do anything else, such as rent an apartment, buy a car, or take your significant other out for a nice dinner for your anniversary (and forget about those destination weddings your friends will be having in Jamaica…). 

So, really, will applying for financial aid hurt my college admissions chances?

Our answer: if you qualify for aid, apply.  You need money to pay for college, so apply.  If you are denied admission, then that means they didn’t find you a strong enough candidate for that school.  (But if you are accepted and are offered an aid package with a significant “gap”, run away from that situation as fast as you can).

And if you’re not sure whether you qualify, apply anyway.  At the very least, you’ll make yourself eligible for federal student loans, which (in small amounts) could help ease the short term cash flow of the family. 

And if you’re wealthy, apply anyway.  You might make yourself eligible for merit-based scholarships, and you might also get access to those federal loans, should you want to avail yourself of those. 

The bottom line is that no matter who you are, there are compelling reasons to check “YES” for financial aid and apply. Colleges won’t hold the fact that you applied for aid against you in the admissions process.

And in the long run, the outcome of this process–when based on an honest assessment of your ability to pay for college–could help you much more than it could harm you. 

Andrea Aronson
College Admissions Consultant
Westfield, NJ 

The post Does Applying for Financial Aid Hurt My College Admissions Chances? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.