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Applying for college can be a lengthy, stressful and complicated process, with lots of moving parts and deadlines. Filling out an undergraduate application typically involves gathering documentation, taking standardized tests, writing essays and asking for letters of recommendation, among other steps. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.
To help you stay organized, we’ve put together this college application checklist. Here, we round up all the materials you need and the dates by which you need them. We even provide a printable version of this checklist to guide you as you work through this process.
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Save This Checklist
Keep track of your most important application tasks and deadlines with the simplified PDF version of this checklist. Save it to your phone or print it out for easy reference. (If you print it, make sure to choose the “fit to paper” scale option!)
Forbes Advisor’s College Application Checklist
Before You Start
You can’t begin the application process until you’ve made a plan. Start by narrowing down your prospective schools. Know where you’re applying, what each application entails and the due dates you need to meet.
Decide About Early Decision
It’s important to determine whether you plan to apply for early decision or early action at any school. As the name implies, early decision often involves an earlier due date for your application.
Early decision comes with perks—admission rates for early-decision applicants tend to be higher, for example, and you learn about your admission decision more quickly—but this method comes with strings attached, too. For example, if you are admitted on early decision, you may have to give your response before learning whether other colleges have also accepted your applications, and you may have to withdraw your applications to other schools.
Get a Jump Start on Standardized Tests
You should prepare for and take the SAT early on since many students take the SAT multiple times. If you plan to take the ACT more than once, consider taking the ACT early on as well. And make sure to sign up for the Common App, which allows you to use a single form to apply to multiple colleges.
Your Checklist
- Know which schools you’re interested in
- Take the SAT
- Know if you plan to apply for early decision
- Mark down all college application due dates
- Sign up for the Common App
Two Months Before College Applications Are Due
A couple of months before your deadlines, things are getting down to the wire. If you’re submitting standardized test scores, it’s time to make sure your results are up to snuff. If you plan to take the ACT, now is the time to do it. And if you weren’t satisfied with your earlier SAT scores, it’s time to retake that test as well.
Your Checklist
- Take the ACT
- Retake the SAT (if applicable)
Four Weeks Before College Applications Are Due
Most undergraduate applications require letters of recommendation, at least one of which must come from an academic source. You could ask a teacher, a school counselor or another faculty member to write your recommendation letter.
Keep in mind that these individuals are busy professionals who may be writing multiple letters of recommendation for other students, so it’s important to give them at least a few weeks to complete this task.
Your Checklist
- Ask for letters of recommendation
Several Weeks Before Applications Are Due
Not all universities ask applicants to submit essays, but this is a common requirement for many. If you’re applying to schools that require college essays, you’ve probably been working on yours for a while—potentially even as assignments in your English class.
In the weeks leading up to your application deadlines, it’s time to polish up those essays and get them ready for submission. Gather feedback from trusted peers, teachers and mentors, and make edits as necessary. Make sure your essays answer the prompts, comply with word count requirements and are free of grammatical errors.
Your Checklist
- Complete college essays
The Week Before Applications Are Due
At this point in the application process, it’s time to gather all the materials required for your college application. These may include the application forms themselves, preliminary transcripts, test scores and essays. Make sure your letter-writers have finished your recommendation letters as well.
Once all your documents are in order, there’s no need to keep waiting—submit those applications.
Your Checklist
- Gather letters of recommendation and required materials
- Submit all applications
Before, During and After Applying to College
Applying for college and applying for financial aid are separate processes. Before, during and after your college application process, you should be researching scholarships and grants to help you pay for your education.
Unlike student loans, scholarships and grants do not require repayment. These forms of aid may be need-based, merit-based or use other identifying characteristics, like ethnicity or religion. If you qualify for a scholarship or grant, make sure to apply—these awards can add up to make a big difference.
Your Checklist
- Apply for scholarships and grants
During October
We recommend submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) regardless of whether you think you will qualify for financial aid. The factors determining aid eligibility are complex, so you may qualify for a federal student loan even if it seems unlikely to you. Many states use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for state-level student aid as well. Some aid is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so submitting the application in a timely manner is wise.
Also by October, you should know whether you will be registering to take any AP exams. The College Board usually requires all AP test-takers to register for their exams by November 15, but your high school may impose an earlier deadline for registration. Make sure you know and are on track to meet those deadlines.
Your Checklist
- Gather materials and submit the FAFSA
- Know when to register for AP exams
By May 1
By May, you should have received responses for all your college applications. Of the schools that granted you admission, you should have narrowed down your options and decided where you’d like to attend. Now, it’s time to make it official.
Note that if you were accepted to a school on early decision, you will have to complete this step of the process much earlier in the year—usually by February.
Your Checklist
- Accept an offer of admission
- Decline offers of admission from schools you will not attend
During June and July
By this point, you’ve accepted admission to a college and you’ve graduated from high school—but we’re still going. Now that you’ve officially wrapped up your high school career, it’s time to tackle these last remaining tasks: submitting AP scores and official transcripts.
Send these materials in June if possible, and check with your prospective college for its specific deadlines—they are usually in early or mid-July.
Your Checklist
- Submit AP scores (if applicable)
- Submit final transcripts
