College Planning

What to Do After You Get Accepted to College

You’ve received your college acceptance letters—congratulations!

When making your decision, it’s important to remember there isn’t a perfect college. Your college experience is what you make of it.

For many students at this time, trying to make a college decision can seem even more challenging. As you navigate the process of making a decision, be sure to ask for help if you need it. Talk to your parent or guardian, school counselor, and other trusted adults as you think about your next step. 

Before You Make Your College Decision

To help you evaluate your options, get more information on each college by asking questions like:  

  • How many students return after their first year?
  • What’s the graduation rate?
  • Does this college offer a lot of majors I’m interested in?

You can get to know a college online through social media profiles, websites, and student-run news outlets. You can also use tools on BigFuture™ to compare colleges and financial aid awards.

Many colleges have extended their deposit deadline to June 1, 2020 or later, so make sure you’re keeping track of any updated deadlines. Check the websites of colleges that yo're considering for the latest information and updates. 

After You Make Your College Decision

You still have some things to do once you’ve decided on a college. It’s going to be a busy and exciting time, so it’s important to stay organized.

To make sure you’re on track write down all the important deadlines and follow this detailed checklist.

  •  Read and respond promptly to all the information and forms you get from your college to set up orientation, financial aid, housing, meal plans, and more.
  •  Send in your tuition deposit to save your place in your college’s entering first-year class.
  •  Accept your financial aid offer. (Remember: this is separate from your college’s acceptance offer.)
  •  Send your final transcript to your college. You’ll probably just need to confirm your counselor has mailed it to your college’s admissions office.
  •  If you’re planning to live on campus, choose a housing option, select a meal plan, contact your potential roommate, and use this off-to-college checklist for a list of things to buy or pack.

 

Celebrate Your College Decision

Getting accepted to college is a big deal, so we created our #Collegiance contest to celebrate your achievement.  When you're ready to make your decision, we're ready to celebrate with you. 

#Collegiance is an annual social media video contest open to high school seniors making their college decisions. For more information, visit collegiance.org