BACHELOR’S DEGREE
$73,300 $ 52,100
ASSOCIATE DEGREE (OCCUPATIONAL PROGRAM)
$ 44,300
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE (NO COLLEGE)
Gauge Their Interests Discuss College Options
What classes does your student most enjoy in school?
What is your student most intereted in outside of the classroom?
What is your student’s dream job?
Where does your student want to be in five years?
Is your student interested in a two-year associate degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree?
Is your student interested in going to school close to home or far away?
Is your student interested in a smaller college community or a large campus?
Make Connections
Work with your student to identify a support team, which will probably include their high school counselor.
Your support will be extremely important to the success of your student.
Campus Tours
Researching Colleges
Colleges and universities offer both on-campus and virtual opportunities to help you explore academic programs and campus. Check out a school’s website to learn more about visit options and relevant contact information for your student.
Schedule campus tours to help your student see what life is like as a college student. It’s important for a student to be able to picture themselves on the campus before making a decision about where to enroll.
Paying for College
Talk to schools about financial aid and scholarship opportunities. Pay attention to deadlines for each institution or college your student is applying to so they can apply for as many opportunities as are available to them.
Be prepared to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) during the fall of your student’s senior year.
Research external scholarships that may be available in your community.
Now is time for your student to apply to the colleges they have identified they are interested in attending.
Mark application deadlines on your calendar. Plan for your student to apply by early application deadlines.
If your student has taken the SAT or ACT, review their scores and identify colleges they are applying to that may require score submission.
If your student plans to retake the SAT or ACT, make sure their updated scores will be available by college application deadlines.
Encourage your student to reach out to potential recommenders at least a month prior to the application deadline to request a letter of recommendation.
Student athletes: If your student is a student athlete, ensure they register with the NCAA Clearinghouse for eligibility certification.
In order for your student to qualify for federal student aid including federal grants, workstudy and loans, they should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Many institutions also use FAFSA data to award their own aid.
The FAFSA becomes available during the fall semester of your student’s senior year of high school at studentaid.gov
Students who apply by our Early Action deadline of November 1 will get priority consideration for scholarships.
A final transcript will be required by the college where your student chooses to enroll. Support your student as they complete AP or IB exams.
Help your student compare colleges they are admitted to and the financial aid packages offered. Celebrate your student once they decide where they want to enroll.
After confirming their enrollment, your student will need to complete items on their new student
Be aware of each colleges’ priority deadlines for submitting the FAFSA. Find assistance for completing the FAFSA at cfnc.org/pay-for-college/fafsa-assistance/. Scholarships: Have your student identify each school’s scholarship application deadlines. Some require your student to apply for consideration while others will automatically consider your student for scholarship opportunities. Help your student look for external scholarship opportunities in your community. checklist, make housing arrangements, and plan for orientation dates and any placement testing requirements.
Ensure your student has sent all enrollment items to their future college (i.e. official final transcripts, AP/IB test scores).
Find tips for completing the NC State application at go.ncsu.edu/ applicationtips
Tour schools: Take time during your student’s school breaks to visit colleges they are interested in. If you aren’t able to visit campuses in person, many colleges offer virtual tours for your student to get a glimpse of what the campus is like.
Have your student attend a college fair: At a college fair, students have the opportunity to talk to admissions representatives from a variety of institutions all in one place. If a college fair is not hosted at your student’s high school, check college admissions websites to see when a rep may be in your area.
NC State might be coming to your school! Visit our Pack on the Prowl page for more info at go.ncsu.edu/ packontheprowl
Encourage your student to continue to focus on their academics: A student’s junior year is the last full year of grades available on their transcript when applying to colleges. Some schools may ask for a senior year schedule with grades before making a final decision. Your student should take an English class and a math class each year.
16 Public Universities
58 Public Community Colleges
Review options for taking the SAT or ACT with your student: Many colleges and universities who use test scores in their admission review allow your student to submit multiple exam scores and consider their highest score or “super score.” To have multiple scores to submit by fall application deadlines of their senior year, your student should take at least one exam their junior year.
Find out your student’s options for taking the PSAT or PreACT exam(s): These exams can help students prepare for the SAT or ACT. Some schools administer these exams for free to their student body. Note: If your student takes one of these preparatory exams, take their scores seriously and use it as a benchmark. If their scaled score is not in the range your student was hoping for, encourage them to take advantage of free test-prep resources.
Have your student create an email address specifically for their college search that is not a school or .edu email address.
Explore college options: Your student can choose to pursue a two-year associate degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree after high school. Some students choose to pursue an associate degree at a community college before transferring to a four-year university.
Take the lead: Motivate your student to take the next step within clubs and organizations they are already involved in by pursuing a leadership position. Dedication to activities over time will be considered in a holistic college application review process.
Over 1,000 four-year colleges and universities do not require ACT/SAT scores for admission.
Make sure your student asks about institutions’ testing policies when researching!
See a full listing of test-optional schools at fairtest.org
ACT act.org
Khan Academy khanacademy.org/SAT
bigfuture.collegeboard.org cfnc.org
Use
Become your student’s support system: Work with their school counselor, teachers, coaches and other family members to support them in their journey to college.
Meet with a school counselor: Discuss courses required to graduate from high school and attend college to make sure your student signs up for courses your that will put them on the right track for their goals.
Ensure your student has a productive summer: Have them attend a college program or camp! Students can explore colleges, discover their interests, make friends and maybe even gain some college credit through student enrichment programs hosted by colleges. Note: Deadlines to apply or register to attend pre-college programs or camps are typically in the spring. Learn more at www2.cfnc.org/StudentEnrichment.
Inquire about AP, IB or dual enrollment courses offered in high school: Talk to your student’s school counselor about their options to make sure your student is on track to continue challenging themselves throughout high school.
Ensure your student is involved outside the classroom: Motivate your student to pursue their passions by joining clubs, playing sports, getting a job or volunteering in your community. Balancing academics and activities can be tough so help your student choose a few extracurriculars they are passionate about.
View
Schools offer a variety of curricula. In addition to taking at least the UNC minimum course requirements, we recommend students take challenging courses their school may offer. For students applying to STEM or business majors, this usually means taking precalculus or higher as one of their mathematics courses. While first year students applying to NC State for fall 2024 or a later semester are no longer required to take two units of world language, the completion of two sequential world language courses is recommended to satisfy the two additional academic courses required. Two additional courses in English, mathematics, science, social studies or computer science are also accepted.
the courses recommended for NC State applicants at go.ncsu.edu/ prepare-to-apply
the summers wisely –your student can attend a pre-college program at NC State! Learn more at precollege.ncsu.edu
Use this Planning for College Guide to keep your student on track from the time they begin high school until they enroll at a college or university.
With over 5,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. alone, the search process can be intimidating – but it doesn’t have to be. Start by asking your student questions about what they want out of their college experience and leverage online search sites to narrow your options as a family.
Find a match: Your student can take a series of quizzes on bigfuture.collegeboard.org to help them find a best fit for career paths, colleges and scholarships.
It’s important that your student be able to picture themselves on a specific college’s campus before making a decision about where to apply. Colleges and universities offer both on-campus and virtual opportunities to help you explore academic programs and campus.
NC State’s campus and community is the heartbeat of Raleigh, North Carolina. Whether you visit us in person or from the comfort of your own home, we’re excited to show you around. Schedule a visit at go.ncsu.edu/scheduleyourvisit
The college essay is a major part of the application process. Your student can get helpful tips on brainstorming and writing their story with assistance from Big Future’s Essay Hub at bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/ your-college-application/essay-hub
If you want to leverage an AI tool like ChatGPT for help writing your college essay, we encourage you to use it as a learning experience that can help brainstorm ideas and structure thoughts. In the end, we want to hear about your experience in your own unique voice.
Finances are top of mind for students and families preparing to apply to college. When it comes to finding help, connecting with your student’s high school counselor is a great place to start. Counselors have access to funding databases and can help provide guidance on where to look for scholarships.
There are options for paying for college. Learn more about financial aid at bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college.
Aid comes in different shapes and sizes. Learn the differences between grants, loans, work-study and scholarships at studentaid.gov/ understand-aid/types