Top Tips and Resources – with links to much more
Costs and finances
- Talk to your family early about finances: Can or will they help with college expenses? How much?
- Learn about your options: Financial Aid 101 presentation (English) (Spanish) overview of the financial aid application process. See also: Five Financial Aid Myths infographic (Spanish: Mitos Sobre Ayuda Financiera).
- Fill out the FAFSA or WASFA at your earliest opportunity annually- aid money does run out! (and each year requires a new application, which may yield different results)
- Learn more about costs and ways to economize or lower costs in this video: Understanding College Costs. Not all strategies are right for everyone, but it helps to know your options.
- More tools for comparing and understanding costs: College Affordability and Transparency Center
- Begin searching for and applying for scholarships early (September of senior year or even before), and continue to do so after you start college – many scholarships are available to continuing students, not just freshmen.
- More College Cost Resources
Campus Visits
- Campus visits can:
- Help you get a better understanding of what college is like, what services and amenities you can expect, and what you want to look for.
- Help you decide which colleges to apply to.
- Influence your final selection of where to attend.
- Visit multiple campuses – you will learn as much from the ones you reject as the ones you like. Comparisons are helpful.
- Start visiting campuses before senior year if possible. Take advantage of family trips near campuses to stop by, or take some day trips to campuses in NW WA. Ideally, take a tour or talk to a student (perhaps you know a student?) or professor while you are there.
- Do some homework before your visit: learn about the college from their website, compare them to others on College Navigator or other sites, take a virtual tour, and prepare your personal list of questions.
- Get ideas for questions and activities here: Campus Tours
Choices: Where to apply? How to get help?
- Search for schools with specific attributes – College Navigator
- Look for schools in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): 600+ colleges and universities in 15 states participate in this interstate tuition savings program. Some states have lower college costs than WA, and you may find one or more that is right for you. You still need to apply to that school for the WUE discount, and requirements vary.
- Free online college advising – https://www.collegepoint.info/ Requirements: 3.5 GPA and $80,000 or less total family income; but the application is simple and does not require income verification.
- Don’t be afraid to apply to private schools because of the sticker price: some private schools have better scholarship and/or financial aid programs than public universities. You won’t know until you apply and get financial aid offers! Many universities have net price calculators (search on this term) on their website to estimate what your cost will be.
- More College Planning and Support Resources, including resources specific to immigrant and undocumented students, lgbtq students, students with disabilities, experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth.
Choosing a College Worksheet for students – questions and checklists to help identify your preferences
Library books on college admissions – annotated list