A Senior Year Timeline for College Applications

Summer before senior year

Use June through August to build your college list and start writing. Sort schools into reach, target, and safety categories based on published admit rates and your grades and test scores. The College Board BigFuture site has profiles for most US colleges with GPA and test score data.

The Common App opens August 1 and carries over each year, so you create an account and start your profile before senior year begins. Draft your personal statement over the summer while you have fewer competing deadlines. Ask two teachers who know your work well if they will write recommendation letters, and give them at least a month of lead time.

Put together a short resume or activities list for the teachers and counselor writing your recommendations. A one page summary of your extracurriculars, jobs, and academic highlights helps them write a specific letter instead of a generic one. Visit a few campuses over the summer if travel allows, since seeing a school in person often clarifies your reach, target, and safety choices better than a website tour does.

September and October

Register for any fall SAT or ACT test dates you still need. Request that your school counselor start sending transcripts through your school's electronic transcript service. Finalize supplemental essays for any college with a November deadline, and set up an FSA ID at studentaid.gov so you're ready to file the FAFSA once it opens.

Standardized testing timeline

Register for any remaining SAT or ACT dates through the fall, since some colleges accept a November test score for Early Decision or Early Action review. Send official score reports directly from the College Board or ACT to each college, since colleges generally don't accept scores copied onto an application or transcript. Many colleges superscore, combining your best section scores across multiple test dates, so send every test date on file rather than only your highest total.

Interviews

Some colleges offer optional alumni or admissions interviews between September and December. Sign up as soon as a college opens interview scheduling, since slots in your area fill first come, first served. Treat an optional interview as a chance to ask genuine questions about the school rather than a box to check.

Rolling admission schools

Some public universities use rolling admission, reviewing applications as they arrive instead of on a single deadline. Apply to these as early as your list allows, since seats and scholarship funds shrink as the cycle goes on.

November

Most Early Decision and Early Action deadlines land around November 1, with a second wave around November 15. Submit these applications early in the day rather than at the deadline, since application portals slow down under heavy traffic. Confirm with your counselor that transcripts and school forms went out for each school.

December

Early Decision and Early Action results typically arrive by mid-December. If you're admitted under a binding Early Decision plan, withdraw your other applications and submit your deposit. The FAFSA for the next award year opens in the fall. Check studentaid.gov for the exact date, since the opening date has shifted in recent cycles. File it as soon as it's available, along with the CSS Profile if any of your schools require it.

January

Regular Decision deadlines commonly fall between January 1 and January 15. Ask your counselor to send mid-year grade reports once first-semester grades post. Double check that every application component, including essays, recommendations, and test scores, reached each college.

Outside scholarships

Local and national scholarship deadlines often cluster between January and March, separate from your college applications. Ask your counselor for a list of scholarships tied to your school or community, and check national databases for awards matching your background, intended major, or activities. Track these deadlines alongside your college applications, since scholarship essays and forms take real time too.

February and March

Some colleges request additional materials or interviews during this stretch. Financial aid offices start processing FAFSA and CSS Profile data, so respond quickly to any requests for verification documents.

April

Regular Decision results typically post by April 1. Compare admission offers and financial aid packages side by side. Attend admitted student days, in person or virtual, to help decide between schools.

If you're waitlisted

If a college waitlists you, decide right away whether to stay on the list. Send a short letter of continued interest to the admissions office, and keep a deposit on a school you're already admitted to until you hear a final decision.

May

National College Decision Day falls on May 1 at most schools. Submit your enrollment deposit by the deadline your chosen college sets, and let other schools know you won't be enrolling. Once you commit, ask your high school to send your final transcript showing completed coursework. If you took AP exams, order official score reports sent to your college through your College Board account, since AP credit and placement decisions depend on scores reaching the school directly.