College Application Timeline
Plan with purpose using our suggested timelines for your junior and senior years.
Junior Year
Fall
- Encourage your student to take AP courses.
Winter
- Discuss career and major options with your student.
- If your student is unsure of what to study, encourage them to take a personality or career assessment.
Spring
- Plan your finances now, together.
- Investigate financial aid options, loans, grants and scholarships.
- Attend college fairs.
Summer
- Start exploring ways to connect with colleges.
- Encourage your student to find a job, internship and explore extracurricular experiences in the real world.
Senior Year
Fall
- Finish identifying schools of interest.
- Begin applying to colleges. UB’s application opens in August.
- Make sure your student submits all application components by the stated deadlines. Tip: Create an email address just for the college admissions process. This will keep everything organized and in one account that you and your student can share.
- Remind your student to give recommendation letter writers ample notice.
Winter
- Help your student stay organized by keeping copies of everything.
- Apply for as many scholarships as possible.
- Remind your student to keep their grades up.
- File the FAFSA.
Spring
- Check your email and the mailbox for college decision letters, which can begin arriving mid-winter.
- Review all financial aid award letters. Call financial aid offices if you have questions.
- Send your student's enrollment/tuition and/or housing deposits by the deadline of May 1.
- Celebrate!
Summer
- Be sure your student has submitted a final high school transcript.
- Prepare for orientation.
- Get ready to send your student on the next step of their journey!