From identifying potential schools to paying your first college bill, planning for college requires you to be motivated, organized, and thorough. Follow our checklist for college admissions and financial aid to stay on track.

Spring of Junior Year

Learn the basics of Applying to College and begin thinking about college costs.

1. Watch our College Admissions webinar.
2. Create your list of potential colleges. Use our College Application Manager.
3. Take the college entrance exams: SAT^® and/or ACT.
4. If possible, visit colleges during spring vacation.
5. Ask teachers for letters of recommendation before you leave for summer.
6. Use the Net Price Calculator on different college websites to get a financial aid estimate for each one.
7. Search for private scholarships.

Summer After Junior Year

While it’s tempting to take a break from all school-related activities during the summer, it’s important to keep moving forward in the college application process.

1. Begin to work on your college essays.
2. Continue to visit as many of the colleges on your list as possible.
3. Update your resume to include relevant summer activities.
4. Adjust your college list as your interest in specific schools changes.

Fall of Senior Year

When your senior year begins, it’s time to shift the application process into high gear.

Start College Applications

1. Make a list of all the colleges to which you want to apply and, if possible, visit any you haven’t seen yet.
2. Set up an account in MEFA Pathway to keep track of college applications and, if needed, create a Common App account at CommonApp.org.
3. Register for a fall SAT^® and/or ACT test date. When you take these standardized tests, have your test scores sent to the colleges to which you are applying.
4. If you haven’t yet, request recommendation letters from teachers. Provide your recommenders with enough time (at least 6-8 weeks) to write your recommendation.
5. Finish your college essays.

Start the Financial Aid Process

6. Set up FSA IDs for the student and one parent at least a few days before filing the FAFSA.
7. Submit the FAFSA as soon as you can after it becomes available at studentaid.gov. Though the FAFSA is typically available on October 1st of each year, it will not be available until approximately December 1, 2024 for families completing the 2025-26 application. **Also move this to the October-December section of the blog post from the September-October section
8. Submit the CSS Profile^® if any of your colleges require it.
9. Search and apply for private scholarships. Check with your school counselor on local scholarship opportunities.

Stay On Top of Deadlines

10. Consider whether applying through Early Action or Early Decision makes sense, and submit those applications before their early deadlines.
11. Complete and submit your college applications before Thanksgiving for schools with a December or later deadline.

Winter of Senior Year

Once your college applications are submitted, make sure to finish your financial aid requirements and stay on track academically.

1. Finish any remaining financial aid applications and submit any requested documentation to each college’s financial aid office.
2. Keep doing your best in your classes! Grades will continue to count throughout senior year.
3. Have your mid-year grades sent to the colleges that have requested them.
4. Continue to search within free, online scholarship databases, including MEFA Pathway.

Spring of Senior Year

As you begin to receive acceptance letters and ultimately choose among the colleges where you have been accepted, think about how you will pay the bill.

1. Once you start hearing from colleges, inform your school counselor of your acceptances and scholarships.
2. Do not take Rolling Admissions for granted. Colleges with no application deadline may reach their maximum class size quickly. Apply as early as possible.
3. Attend Open House programs at accepted schools to take a last look at each campus
4. Enter the amounts from your financial aid offers into our College Cost Calculator to estimate your out-of-pocket costs.
5. Tune in to a Financial Aid Offers & the College Bill webinar to learn more about financial aid offers, strategies to pay the bill, and how to minimize loan debt.
6. Send your enrollment deposit to your school of choice, and notify your school counselor of your decision.
7. Take AP^® tests and arrange for your scores to be sent to the college you will attend.
8. Request from your school’s main office that your final transcript be sent to the college you will attend.

Summer After Senior Year

After you graduate from high school, it’s time to prepare for college and make a final plan for paying the balance on your college bill.

1. Look for information from the college about housing, roommate(s), Orientation, course selection, health records, and placement tests.
2. Review our article, How to Pay for Costs on the College Bill, which covers college billing in more detail.
3. Contact your savings account manager to find out how you can use your savings to pay for college.
4. Learn about fixed-rate MEFA Loans and find the right payment option with our Student Loan Payment Calculator.
5. Finalize any college paperwork requirements, begin packing, and get ready for your college adventure!