College Bound Checklist

High School Freshman

• Talk with your parents about any college savings programs they may have set up for you, including any prepaid tuition and/or college savings accounts. Make sure your college savings plan is keeping up with the increase in college tuition.
• Meet with your high school counselor to discuss your college curriculum. Make sure you’re taking the right classes to prepare you for college.
• Research the many different ways you can save for college and start saving early.
• Speak with your high school counselor about planning for college.
• Consider getting a summer job or internship to save money for college.

High School Sophomore

• Talk with your parents about any college savings programs they may have set up for you, including any prepaid tuition and/or college savings accounts. Make sure your college savings plan is keeping up with the increase in college tuition.
• Begin researching available grants and scholarships with your high school guidance counselor.
• Develop a high school curriculum plan that includes college prep courses and any potential Advanced Placement-credit opportunities.
• Research different career options. Use IllinoisMentor's Career Center to help narrow your search for a career that meets your interests and skills.
• Take the PSAT as practice for your college testing.
• Consider getting a summer job or internship and save the money earned for college.

High School Junior

• Talk with your parents about your college savings program. Make sure your college savings plan is keeping up with the increase in college tuition.
• Research different career options and determine within which geographic areas you’d like to focus when looking at colleges. Use IllinoisMentor's Career Center to find career information, perform a career self-assessment and choose a career based on your interests and skills.
• Attend college fairs to gather information.
• Begin researching colleges and collecting admission information.
• Take one or more assessment test: Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE), ACT and/or SAT. If you are an Illinois public high school student, you will be required to take the PSAE. One of the components of the PSAE is the ACT exam, so in most cases, taking the PSAE eliminates the need to take a separate ACT.
• Consider getting a summer job or internship and save the money earned for college.

High School Senior

• Talk with your parents and review your college savings program. Make sure you’re keeping up with the increase in college tuition and saving as much as you possibly can.
• Attend a financial aid workshop.
• Tour campuses and investigate admissions and costs.
• Obtain letters of recommendation.
• Research available scholarships, grants,  work-study programs and loans. Obtain information and send in applications.
• After January 1, and when your and your parents’ taxes are prepared, file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Choose three to five potential colleges you’d like to attend and send applications to them.
• Meet with the financial aid office at each college to research financial aid options.
• Review your financial aid options, based on award letters received,  for grants, scholarships, work-study programs and loans. Determine your college budget and decide what financial aid to accept. 
• If applicable, retrieve your college money from  529 college savings programs.
• Develop a long-range budget to pay for college.
• Consider getting a summer job or internship and save the money earned for college.

You also may be interested in viewing ISAC's College Selection/Financial Aid Checklist.

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