📅 College Application Schedule

This schedule is a guide for seniors (class of 2026) going through the college application process during the 2025-26 school year.

Note that while I call out common deadlines and tasks below, this list is not comprehensive and not specific to your college process—in particular, application dates for your schools may vary. Use the information below as a starting point, but be sure to do your own research and make your own schedule and to-do list.

Resources

• Common App Requirements Grid: Application deadlines (and other requirements) for most colleges
• SAT Dates and Deadlines: SAT schedule from College Board
• Early Action Presentation (was presented on Sep 2 @ Salem High School)
• Request your transcript from Salem High School

August

• Aug 29: Registration deadline for the September 13 SAT. (Late registration deadline is September 2.)

✅ To Do

• Request letters of recommendation ASAP if you haven’t already
• Finish your personal statement before school starts if possible. Or at least complete a draft.
• Parents: Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to estimate your eligibility for federal student aid (e.g. Pell Grants and subsidized loans) and calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI), the federal government’s calculation of what your family can afford for college. (This is NOT necessarily what a school will expect you to pay.) The Federal Student Aid Estimator is not terribly complex and going through it will help you prepare for the FAFSA.

September

• Sep 13: SAT
• Sep 19: Registration deadline for the October 4 SAT. (Late registration deadline is September 23.)

✅ To Do

• Finalize your balanced list of schools if possible, especially if you plan to apply Early Action or Early Decision
• Start work on supplemental essays (if any)
• Visit schools of interest now that students are on campus if able

📣 FYI

Events

• Sep 14 (1-6pm): NACAC Virtual College Fair

Financial aid webinars

• Sep 16: Financial Aid 101: How to Prepare for the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and Early Admissions Deadlines
• Sep 17: FAFSA & CSS Profile webinar from College Affordable. Salem High School families can sign up for the webinar
• Sep 30: FAFSA and CSS Profile Made Simple: Expert Tips to Maximize Your College Financial Aid from College Aid Pro

October

• Oct 1:
  • FAFSA: The 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens. (If you’d like to access it earlier, request access to the beta.)
  • CSS Profile: The 2026-27 CSS Profile opens
  • Parent/guardian brag sheet due (Salem High School). Used to inform counselor recommendations; link was emailed to families by the counseling team.
• Oct 4: SAT
• Oct 21: In-house SAT at Salem High for seniors who request it.
  • Contact Ms. Sousa, the College and Career Counseling Director, to register for the test.
• Oct 24: Registration deadline for the November 8 SAT. (Late registration deadline is October 28.)

✅ To Do

• Finish any Early Action or Early Decision applications due in November

📣 FYI

• Oct 4 SAT: Last SAT test date for which scores should be available before Nov 1 Early Decision/Early Action applications are due according to the The College Board Score Release Dates schedule.
• Oct 21 SAT: Caution, this is guesswork and a score release date has not been announced by The College Board: If the timeline for releasing these scores is the same as for other tests, that would suggest that scores are released on Nov 3, in time for Nov 5 Early Action applications (UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell) and Nov 15 Early Action/Early Decision applications. However, it seems unlikely that they would be ready in time for Nov 1 Early Action/Early Decision applications.
  • If you are taking the Oct 21 SAT and applying Nov 1, contact the school(s) directly to ask if they will take your SAT a few days late. But in this scenario, I suggest scheduling the SAT for Oct 4 if possible to avoid any chance of missing the Nov 1 date.

November

• Nov 1: Early Action and Early Decision deadline for many schools
  • E.g. Boston College, Boston University, Clark, UMass Boston, University of Vermont, WPI
• Nov 5: Early Action deadline for UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell
• Nov 8: SAT
• Nov 15: Early Action/Early Decision deadline for many schools
  • E.g. Bates, Merrimack, Salem State, UMass Dartmouth, University of New Hampshire, Wheaton

December

• Dec 1: Early Action deadline for some schools
  • E.g. Lesley, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Roger Williams

📣 FYI

• Early Decision and Early Action admission decisions are sent in December by many schools

January

• Jan 5: Regular decision and Early Decision II applications due for many schools
  • E.g. Colby, Syracuse, Tufts, University of Rochester
• Jan 15: Regular decision and Early Decision II applications due for many schools
  • E.g. Bentley, Brandeis, Clark, Holy Cross, Providence

📣 FYI

• Admission decisions for Early Decision and Early Action are sent in January by many schools

February

• Feb 1: Regular decision applications due for many schools
• Feb 15: Regular decision applications due for many schools

💰 Scholarships in Salem

• TBD: Rotary Club of Salem Scholarship applications open
• TBD: City of Salem Scholarship applications open

✅ To Do

• Visit schools of interest. Students are usually on campus during February vacation.

March

• Some schools are still accepting applications in March, or on a rolling basis.
  • E.g. Johnson & Wales University, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Westfield State University

📣 FYI

• Admission decisions for regular decision are sent by most schools

April

💰 Scholarships in Salem

• TBD: Rotary Club of Salem Scholarship application due
• TBD: City of Salem Scholarship application due
• TBD: City of Salem & Waste Management Scholarship applications open. (Note: Link is for 2025, will update when 2026 scholarship is announced.)

✅ To Do

• Visit schools of interest
  • Admitted student days typically take place in April
  • Students are usually on campus during April vacation
• Choose your college and accept their admission offer by May 1!!

📣 FYI

April 1 is the last day to receive an admission decision for the Fall 2026 regular decision cycle. (Typically only highly selective schools wait until April 1.)

May

• May 1: Deadline for accepting admission offers
• TBD: City of Salem & Waste Management Scholarship application due