The Admission Timeline
Standardized tests
You can take standardized tests multiple times, in order to realize the highest score possible. You may want to take the test early, in order to relieve any test-taking stress and anxiety, and improve your score in a second or third attempt. The ACT test is offered six times a year, September through June, and you can take this test as early as the sixth or seventh grade.
You can take the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the SAT, multiple times as well. Your reported score will show your most recent score, as well as show up to six of your previous scores. The SAT is also offered multiple times per year, October through June.
Most students will take standardized college entrance tests in the spring of their junior year in high school, and possibly again, in the fall of their senior year.
Colleges: Looking at the big picture
This timeframe, of 2+years prior to high-school graduation, is also the time you should begin looking into prospective colleges. So, collect introductory packets from the colleges that interest you, and start to research colleges in terms of what you might want to study for your future plans.
Select the colleges to which you want to apply
By the fall of your junior year in high school, you should be narrowing down the list of colleges where you want to apply. By the spring of your junior year, you should have a filing system set up for the application process. You should request application packets and review and highlight the deadline dates for submission of your applications.
Talk with your high school counselor
Confirm that you are on target for graduation and consider taking any classes that might improve your chances for admission into your chosen colleges. Take a close look at your extracurricular activities, and maintain a focus and participation level that will best represent your interests.
Application deadlines
You will begin to see the first round of application deadlines as early as November and December of your senior year in high school. Early January deadlines are common. Highly selective colleges may require multiple essays and/or letters of reference, so do not let these deadlines come as a surprise to you. In order to maximize your financial aid options at each college, be sure to make meeting this first deadline a priority. Funds may not be available for later applications, regardless of need.
Scholarship applications
This is also the time you should be looking into college scholarship grant opportunities. Deadlines for students entering college as freshmen in the fall will start as early as January. So, taking the time to apply for as many scholarships as possible will increase your chances of making it through college debt-free.
You should absolutely take (or make sure that you retake) the SAT or ACT by the fall of your senior year in high school, and have these scores sent to the colleges to which you will be applying.
College application list determined
By January of the year you plan to enter college as a freshman, you should definitely have determined to which colleges you will apply, and have those applications in progress, if not completed.
Complete the FAFSA
By February of the year you plan to enter college, you should turn in the FAFSA, to determine your eligibility for financial aid. This is a key piece of the admissions process, regardless of the school you plan to attend.
Plan campus visits
You should start hearing from the schools to which you have applied in the early spring. So, plan campus visits in March and early April. In addition, start examining the schools you have been accepted to in terms of financial aid offered, as well as how the school fits your future plans.
Enrollment for college
By May, you should have enough information in hand to make a commitment to your chosen college. Enrollment deadlines usually begin around early May for those who are entering the college as freshmen in the fall. So, make certain you have these dates on your calendar ahead of time, so that you don’t lose your spot.