Apply to Colleges
About this Step
Once you have a strong college list with a mix of schools, it’s time to apply.
Seniors who apply to two or more colleges will earn entries in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000 scholarships.
How to Qualify
- Login to your College Board account.
- Go to your college list on BigFuture.
- Make sure the colleges you applied to are there.
- Add any missing colleges where you also applied.
- After applying, change the status of colleges on your list to Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted or Denied.
Dates and Deadlines
Scholarships for $500 and $40,000 are awarded monthly until February of your senior year. Completing any step enters you in the drawings on the first day of every month. Drawings occur on the first day of every month.
Class of 2025 Deadline to Complete this Step: Friday, February 28, 2025
Class of 2026 Deadline to Complete this Step: Saturday, February 28, 2026
Class of 2027 Deadline to Complete this Step: Monday, November 30, 2026
Increase Your Chances
Whenever students whose families earn less than $60,000 a year apply to colleges, they’ll earn an extra entry in monthly drawings and have double the chances at a scholarship. Half of all awards are reserved for students who meet the income criteria.
Tips for Applying to Colleges
How should I decide where to apply to college?
Once you've made a list of colleges you're interested in, the next step is to narrow down the list to colleges you'll apply to. If you're at this point in the process, you've probably already looked into things like location, size, and majors. If you haven't already, research things like financial aid packages, variety of academic programs, special programs like study abroad, clubs and activities on campus, and housing options.
How many colleges should I apply to?
Most counselors recommend that students apply to five to eight colleges they’d be happy to attend. It's good to apply to some colleges that are a bit of a stretch for you and some you feel will likely admit you.
What are the Coalition and Common Applications?
They’re standardized applications you use to apply to multiple schools. Instead of filling out six different applications, you simply fill out one and submit it to each college.
- The Coalition Application is accepted by more than 150 institutions. The platform includes The Locker, a private space for you to collect and organize materials throughout high school you might want to share with colleges and universities.
- The Common Application is a standardized application used by nearly 900 colleges. Each year, nearly a million students use the Common Application to submit over 4 million applications.
Should I apply early?
It depends. If you’re sure about which college you want to attend, early decision or early action might be the best choice for you. If you're not sure, keep in mind that early decision application plans require you to commit early. You may want to keep your options open.