College application timeline: senior year, month by month
Last updated October 2026 · By The Scholarly team
Senior year runs on three overlapping clocks. College applications: early decision and early action deadlines are typically November 1 or November 15, and regular decision deadlines typically fall between January 1 and January 15. Financial aid: the FAFSA and CSS Profile open around October 1, and college priority dates follow soon after. Scholarships: the biggest national awards close between September and February. Decisions arrive by spring, and most colleges give you until May 1 to commit. Every school sets its own dates, so confirm each one.
These are typical dates, not universal ones. Your colleges may use different deadlines, and some admit on a rolling basis. Check each school's admissions and financial aid pages and write the dates down.
Junior year: set yourself up
- Fall: take the PSAT/NMSQT if your school offers it. It's the qualifying test for National Merit, which some colleges reward with merit scholarships.
- Winter: start a college list built on fit and cost, not just name. Run each school's net price calculator with a parent. Plan your SAT or ACT dates if your schools want scores.
- Spring: ask two teachers from junior-year academic classes for recommendations before school lets out. Teachers who get asked in May write better letters than teachers who get asked in October. Choose senior courses that keep your schedule strong.
- Summer: draft your personal statement. Visit campuses if you can. Make a spreadsheet with every school's deadlines and requirements. Look at scholarships for high school seniors, because some of the largest close in September.
Senior year, month by month
| Month | Applications | Money |
|---|---|---|
| August | Common App opens for the new cycle. Finish your personal statement and lock your college list. Decide whether any school is worth an early decision commitment. | Create StudentAid.gov accounts for you and a parent. Start national scholarship applications with fall deadlines. |
| September | Write supplemental essays for early schools. Confirm teacher recommendations and send your counselor any forms they need. Request test scores if required. | Big national awards with September deadlines. Gather your parents' 2025 tax return for the 2027–28 aid forms. |
| October | Submit early applications. Aim to be done a week before the deadline; portals slow down at the end. | File the FAFSA and, if any school requires it, the CSS Profile. Early applicants often face a November aid deadline. |
| November | Nov. 1 and Nov. 15 early deadlines. Keep writing regular decision essays. | Confirm each college received your FAFSA and Profile. Apply to scholarships with fall deadlines. |
| December | Early decisions arrive. If admitted ED with enough aid, withdraw your other applications. If deferred, send a short update letter. | Compare any early aid offers. Keep applying to scholarships over break. |
| January | Regular decision and ED II deadlines, often Jan. 1 to 15. Send midyear reports through your counselor. | College financial aid priority dates often fall January to March. Check your state's FAFSA deadline. |
| February | Check every applicant portal for missing items. | Respond to verification or document requests quickly. Apply to scholarships closing in February. |
| March | Regular decisions start arriving and continue into early April. | Financial aid offers arrive with or after admission. Start a side-by-side comparison of net cost. |
| April | Admitted student visits. Decide whether to stay on any waitlists. | Appeal aid offers that don't work, with a competing offer or new information. Report outside scholarships. |
| May | May 1: accept one offer and pay one deposit. Decline the others so waitlisted students can move up. | Local scholarships from your high school and community foundation often close now. Keep applying through the summer. |
Where scholarships fit
Students tend to treat scholarships as something to do after college applications are in. That costs money. Several of the largest national scholarships close in September, before most early deadlines, and the essays overlap heavily with what you're already writing. Your personal statement can usually be adapted for a scholarship prompt in 20 minutes.
A schedule that works: national scholarships in August and September, college applications in October and November, a second round of scholarships in December and January, and local awards in March through May. Our guide to writing a scholarship essay shows how to reuse one statement across many prompts.
Early decision, early action, or regular?
Early decision is binding if you're admitted and the aid is enough to attend. Early action is not binding. Some schools offer restrictive or single-choice early action, which limits where else you can apply early. If you need to compare aid offers, ED is the riskiest choice. See early decision vs. early action for the details.
Three mistakes that cost seniors the most
- Missing the aid deadline while hitting the admission deadline. They are often different dates. An on-time application with a late FAFSA can mean a smaller grant.
- Asking for recommendations in October. Teachers write dozens. Ask in spring of junior year or the first week of senior year.
- Choosing on sticker price. Compare net price, what you'd pay after grants and scholarships. A private college with a big grant can cost less than a public one.
Common questions
When are early decision deadlines?
Typically November 1 or November 15 of senior year, with decisions often arriving in mid-December. Early Decision II deadlines are typically in January. Each college sets its own dates.
When are regular decision deadlines?
Most fall between January 1 and January 15, though some colleges use February or later dates and some admit on a rolling basis. Check each school.
When should I file the FAFSA in senior year?
In October, or as soon after it opens as you can. The FAFSA must be available by October 1; the 2027–28 form opened September 23, 2026. State and college aid deadlines can be early.
What is May 1 in college admissions?
May 1 is the date most colleges give regular decision and early action admits to accept an offer and pay a deposit. Early decision admits commit earlier.
When should I ask teachers for recommendation letters?
Spring of junior year is ideal, and no later than the first weeks of senior year. Give teachers at least a month before your first deadline.
Sources
- Facts About Applying Early Decision or Early Action, BigFuture (College Board)
- What is the last day to accept college offers? BigFuture (College Board) May 1 for most regular decision and early action admits.
- 2027–28 FAFSA Form (PDF), Federal Student Aid
- (APP-26-10) 2027–28 FAFSA Beta Testing Plan, updated Sept. 23, 2026, FSA Partner Connect
- About CSS Profile, College Board Opens October 1.