There’s no denying how busy your child’s junior and senior years can get. In addition to being two of their toughest academic years, your child will be tasked with maximizing their standardized test scores, continuing to pursue high-impact extracurricular activities, securing recommendation letters, and working on their college applications by writing essay upon essay.
12th Grade College Application Timeline
Want to know if you’re on track for the senior year timeline for the college application process? This college application timeline for seniors shows you what you should be doing, and when.
Fall
- Narrow your list of colleges to between 5 and 10. Meet with a counselor about your college choices and, if you haven’t done so yet, download college applications and financial aid forms. Plan to visit as many of these colleges as possible.
- Create a college application process timeline or calendar that includes:
- Tests you’ll take and their fees, dates, and registration deadlines.
- College application timeline and due dates.
- Required financial aid application forms and their deadlines (aid applications may be due before college applications).
- Other materials you’ll need (e.g., recommendations, transcripts)
- Your school district’s high school timeline for college application processing.
Winter
- Save copies as you finish and send your applications and essays.
- Request your high school send an official transcript: It may be sent by U.S. mail or email. You may want a copy for yourself, though this copy wouldn’t be considered official.
- Work with your counselor on mid-year updates if the college wants to see second-semester grades.
Spring
- Keep active in school. Whether you are waitlisted or already accepted, the college will want to know what you’ve accomplished between the time you applied and the time you learned of its decision.
- Visit your final college before accepting. The college timeline for high school students shows that you should receive acceptance letters and financial aid offers by mid-April. Notify your counselor of your choice. If you have questions about housing offers, talk to your counselor. Or call the college.r of your choice. If you have questions about housing offers, talk to your counselor or call the college.
- Inform every college of your acceptance or rejection of the offer of admission and/or financial aid by May 1. Colleges can’t require your deposit or your commitment to attend before May 1. Talk to your counselor or adviser if you have questions.
- Send your enrollment deposit after you receive the admission letter. The deposit goes toward your first year’s tuition. Some colleges may consider these deposits nonrefundable and may ask for additional funds related to fees like room and board.
- Take any AP Exams. Show what you’ve learned in your AP classes. A successful score could even earn you credit, advanced placement, or both in college.
- Waitlisted by a college? If you intend to enroll if you are accepted, tell the admission director your intent and ask how to strengthen your application. Need financial aid? Ask whether funds will be available if you’re accepted.
- Work with a counselor to resolve any admissions or financial aid problems.
- Ask your high school to send a final transcript to your college either electronically or through the U.S. mail.
- Review your financial aid awards: Not all financial aid awards are the same, so it’s important to choose the aid package that’s best for you and your family. Be sure to note what you have to do to continue receiving financial aid from year to year, and how your aid might change in future years.
When do college applications open for the next year’s class?
Most college applications open August 1 each year for students who plan to begin college classes for the following year’s fall semester.
The Ideal College Application Timeline (2023–2024)
What to focus on each month of your application year to produce high-quality materials ahead of time and boost your odds of getting into your dream schools
Introduction to the college application timeline
College application timeline (2023–2024)
College application deadlines (2023–2024)
Introduction to the college application timeline
There’s no denying how busy your child’s junior and senior years can get. In addition to being two of their toughest academic years, your child will be tasked with maximizing their standardized test scores, continuing to pursue high-impact extracurricular activities, securing recommendation letters, and working on their college applications by writing essay upon essay.
Given their various responsibilities, your child should follow a timeline for what to complete and when. Otherwise, they may have to play catch-up at a later time, which can lead not only to unnecessary stress, but also weaker applications. With all the hard work they’ve put into setting themselves up for successful college admissions, it’s important that your child not fall behind during this critical period.
We developed a recommended college application timeline to help ensure that your child completes all their junior- and senior-year to-dos ahead of time and with little anxiety. Rather than include general advice (e.g., “Put aside time for your applications”) or things they have to do as part of their schooling (e.g., “Take your final exams”), our timeline exclusively focuses on when your child should complete various tasks associated with their applications.
Our timeline can be applied flexibly to accommodate your child if they decide to take their standardized tests or begin working on their applications sooner or later than we recommend. If your child is an early bird, they can spread out their work further. On the other hand, if your child is running a bit behind, they’ll have to speed up their work. At the end of the day, whether your child begins working on their applications early or late, the key is to always prioritize application quality over speed.
In addition, some of the timeline’s bullets may not apply to your child. For instance, if they’re not looking to apply to any University of California (UC) schools, feel free to disregard those bullets.
Regardless of the dates we’ve listed below, we recommend you visit each test company (i.e., ACT or the College Board for the SATs) and university website for up-to-date offerings and application deadlines.
