The Handy College Application Checklist

Applying to college can be a juggling act. You need to focus on so many things at the same time. Everything must be done correctly for your application to be successful. Overlooking any one aspect will result in your application getting rejected. That’s why we put together a college application checklist.

Experts advise making a checklist and keeping it handy while working on your application. For preparation and material-gathering purposes, here are some details your checklist should include for each college that you are applying to:

A piece of paper that says "checklist" with lines underneath and a pen sitting on top.

The College Application Process Checklist

  • List of schools you’re applying to
  • Submission deadlines (Regular, ED, Rolling)
  • High school transcript
  • ACT and/or SAT scores
  • Personal application essay prompt / guidelines
  • Personal app essay
  • Recommendation letters
  • Other documentation to submit along with the application
  • Details of where and how to submit
  • List of questions to ask if you cannot find the information on the college website

When you create a college application process checklist with these details, you have all the information you need in one place. A quick glance at your application checklist will give you a pretty good idea of where you are at in the process. You can also check off things as you complete them so you know what you completed and what you still need to do.

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