Useful College Prep Resources
Planning for college and applying to college is the result of careful exploration and planning. The resources below can help you with each step of the process.
EXPLORE.
Investigate programs and majors. Narrow down your college search by talking to college representatives and taking virtual campus tours. Find a good fit based on your academic and personal goals.
College and Career Exploration resources:
- MyHigherEd College Search Tool
- Choosing a College
- Minnesota College Fairs
- Minnesota Career and Education Explorer.
- CAREERwise Education Minnesota State
- Ready Set Go MN
- Big Future College Board
- GPS LifePlan
- Log into Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS) if available at your school or library
- Log into Naviance Family Connection if available through your school
PLAN.
Get organized! Start gathering the documents you need to complete applications like your transcript, recommendation letters, personal statement and application fees (or fee waivers). Review your academic record and discuss your plans with your parents.
- High School Planning Checklists (Grades 9-12)
- Senior Information for Applications
- How to Get a Great Letter of Recommendation
- Teacher Recommendation Request
- Essay Writing Tips
- Other Essay Resources
- College Planning Workbook - You must have a Google account to open a copy of this workbook
- Comparing College Costs and Financial Aid Worksheet
- College and Scholarship Application Organizer
APPLY!
Work on submitting your applications and following up to make sure they are complete! Start learning about financial aid and scholarship options.
- Explore Higher Education Options
- Admissions Policies & Tests
- College Application Worksheet
- Completing the FAFSA Flowchart
- I Applied, Now What?
Financial Aid and Scholarship Information
- About Financial Aid
- Estimate your eligibility for financial aid
- Federal Student Aid - Everything you need to know about the FAFSA
- Scholarships offered by Minnesota Institutions
- Useful Online Resources
Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view.
Quick Links
- Why College?
- Explore Your Interests & Careers
- Prepare at School
- Summer Academic Enrichment Program
- The Many Ways to Earn Credit for College
- Recommended High School Classes & Graduation Requirements
- Advice for Students with Disabilities
- Succeed as an Adult Student
- Useful College Prep Resources
- Minnesota Goes to College!
- Collecting Data from Minnesota Postsecondary Institutions
- Campus Financial Aid Administrator Resources
- Statewide Financial Aid Conference
- Campus Student Enrollment Reporting Resources
- Ordering Materials for Your Students
- Supplementing Your College Counseling
- Early Awareness Efforts
- Student Homelessness in Higher Education Resources
- Shared Library Resources
- MN FAFSA Tracker
- Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response
- Statewide FAFSA Filing Goal
- MyHigherEd
- Online Applications
- About Financial Aid
- What Does College Cost?
- Tips for Lowering the Cost of Higher Education
- Financial Aid You Don't Repay
- Financial Aid You Must Repay (Student Loans)
- Institutional Payments
- Financial Aid You Earn
- Military Service Education Benefits
- Reduced Out-of-State Tuition Options
- Education Tax Benefits
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness
- Useful Online Resources
- Ready, Set, FAFSA!
- Minnesota Paramedic Scholarship
- Data Maps and Infographics
- Educational Attainment Goal 2025
- Minnesota P-20 Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System
- Minnesota Measures
- Student Enrollment Data
- College Readiness & Participation Data
- Degrees, Graduation Rates, Attainment & Outcomes
- Tuition & Fees Data
- Student Health and Safety
- Financial Aid Data & Trends
- Institution and Data Search
- Transfer Students
- Research Reports
- A-Z Data Table Index
- Postsecondary Funding
- Special Student Populations