Presented by the MRHS counseling department College 101 Presented by the MRHS counseling department
What we will cover today… What factors may be considered by universities for admission decisions In and Out-of-State Admission Requirements How to decide which school is right for you Financial Aid
What factors may be considered on a college application? Grades Rigor of Coursework SAT and/or ACT scores Class Rank Leadership Qualities Extra-Curricular Involvement Community Service Personal Qualities and Traits Letters of Recommendation
Grades 16 Core Competency Classes 4 credits of English 4 credits of Math 3 credits of Lab Science 1 credit of American History 1 credit of Social Studies 2 credits of the same Foreign Language 1 credit of Fine Arts or CTE
Grades Help to calculate core GPA GPA Calculator
College Entrance Exams ACT DVUSD provides one free test to all Juniors February 20, 2019 On-line test prep available through ACT website SAT PSAT offered for a fee October of Junior year PSAT is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test On-line test prep available through College Board
Class Rank Weighted grade point average in the following 15 courses: Freshman Sophomore ELA ELA Math Math Science Social Studies Science Junior Senior Math Math Social Studies Social Studies Science Science
Admission Requirements of In-State Universities A minimum of 3.0 GPA in the 16 Core Competency Classes No grade deficiencies (no D’s or F’s) in the 16 Core Competency Classes
Conditional Admissions to In- State Universities If there are deficiencies in GPA, conditional admittance may be granted. See school’s website for specific criteria Usually rely on SAT or ACT scores
Out-of-State University Requirements Must check individual college websites, but generally speaking High GPA (B’s or better) Class Rank ACT or SAT scores Recommendation letters Personal Narrative
Out-of-State Universities: Additional Considerations If you plan to apply to more than one out-of-state college, check to see if they participate in The Common Application This allows you to send one application to multiple schools UofA and ASU now both participate in The Common Application
Out-of-State Universities: Additional Considerations If you plan to attend a college in the western region of the US, check out the Western Undergraduate Exchange If your school of choice participates in WUE, you can receive a reduced tuition rate of 150% of in- state tuition Member states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Narrowing down the choices Research schools to determine whether they’d be a good fit for you Do they have the major you are interested in What is the population of students Is it public or private On-line resources to answer these questions AzCIS College Board COLLEGEdata
Narrowing down the choices Visit with the college reps who come to campus Check out the Counseling Calendar Check out Canvas announcements Listen to daily announcements Tour campuses you are interested in Most schools provide campus tours. Register through their websites You can also tour schools virtually at Campus Tours
Apply Early Begin on-line applications as soon as July after 11th grade Request official transcripts through Parchment In-State application fees are approximately $50 If you qualify for a fee waiver, see your counselor Out-of-State application fees vary Don’t forget to check out The Common Application and the Western Undergraduate Exchange
Student Athletes To play in a Division I or II school, you must register with NCAA To must also register to play for an NAIA school Should be done in the spring semester of Junior year
How do I pay for this??? Financial Aid Scholarships Grants Federal Work Study Loans
University Merit Based Scholarships Must complete on-line application to an AZ public university to be considered Apply early! Funding can run out All schools have a net price calculator on their websites to help determine merit based scholarship eligibility. These tools can also be used to make decisions about the benefits of retaking the ACT or SAT and to understand the impact of grades ASU Scholarship Estimator UofA Net Price Calculator NAU Net Price Calculator
Maricopa Community Colleges President’s Honors Scholarship Covers full time tuition for 2 years Criteria Minimum final high school cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.25 Once a college student Must be a full time student Maintain a 3.25 gpa Take 1 college honors class per semester
Scholarships You can also get scholarships by applying directly Deer Valley Unified School District Scholarship Database Free scholarship search engines available on-line Raise Me Fastweb AzCIS Once admitted, search school specific scholarships through financial aid department DVUSD Scholarship Database
FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid Need-based funding Completing application for FAFSA screens for all four types of financial aid Grants Need-based Scholarships Federal Work Study Loans
FAFSA Apply for the FAFSA as soon as October 1st of your senior year Before you apply, you must create a username and password called an FAS ID You must use your parents tax information to complete the FAFS Check out opportunities for help completing application through College Goal FAFSA
More Tools Financial Aid Information College Search How to decide your major How will my community college credits transfer to AZ Universities How will AP scores and college credits transfer out of state
Questions?