College Planning

Planning for College

College Visits

College admissions representatives travel to visit students at Chaparral every year. Students in grades 10-12 can sign up to attend a college visit in the front office. The sign-up binder is located near the counselor appointment books. If the visit is during class time, the student will receive a pass to attend. Stop by the College/Career Center during lunch or passing period to see which schools are visiting us next! Visit updates are posted on the College/Career Center Calendar as well.

Chaparral High School - Class of 2024 College Matriculation

Classof2024CollegeMatriculation.pdf

College Planning Timelines

Utilize these timelines to help guide you towards your post-high school journey. There is a planning timeline guide for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Any questions, please see your counselor or stop by the College & Career Center!

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

Students who are residents of WICHE states are eligible to request a reduced tuition rate of up to 150% of resident tuition in participating 2 and 4-year college programs outside of their home state.
Please note that NOT ALL majors are eligible under WUE tuition. It depends on the university and program of study. Always check directly with your prospective college's financial aid office for clarification.

*Image from nau.edu

Helpful Links & Interesting Articles

College Match Tool by Big Future
Quick College Cost Estimator by MyinTuition
13 Surprising Tips for Applying to College from GreatSchools.org
Potential Outcomes of Your College Application and How to Handle Them from International College Counselors, Cheree Liebowitz
Embrace Self-Care During the College Search from Niche.com
College Admissions Free Resources | Sara Harberson
The Best 391 Colleges | The Princeton Review
Applying to College - Scholarships.com - Resources and tips for applying to college via Scholarships.com

Arizona Tri-University (ASU, NAU, UA)

Tri-University Events:
- Tri-University events - College Ready AZ
College Ready AZ makes it easy to plan and apply for college at Arizona's public universities. See their information to help you create the future you deserve!
- Homepage - College Ready AZ
Find information below on the first-year admissions process for our public, in-state universities:

College Testing

*How do scores compare for each test?

SAT Composite Score	ACT Composite Score
1600	36
1560-1590	35
1520-1550	34
1490-1510	33
1450-1480	32
1420-1440	31
1390-1410	30
1350-1380	29
1310-1340	28
1280-1300	27
1240-1270	26
1200-1230	25
1160-1190	24
1130-1150	23
1100-1120	22
1060-1090	21
1020-1050	20
980-1010	19
940-970	18
900-930	17
860-890	16
810-850	15
760-800	14
720-750	13
630-710	12
560-620	11

Campus Visit Information

Whether a student is planning on attending a community college, trade school, or a four-year university, an important component to figuring out if a school is a good fit is to visit the campus.

Most colleges have special days for prospective students. The schools plan special activities and introduce students to campus life. Some of our Arizona universities are listed below. Information for other schools may be found on their websites, or by talking to their representatives.

Before visiting a college campus, it could be helpful to look at a College Visit Planning Checklist.

Be prepared with questions before the visit: Questions to ask College Admissions.

Another helpful article, from College Board, gives information on When to Visit college campuses.

Visiting during the week and experiencing a real day on the campus can be the best way of getting a true feel of what the school is like.

Students considering attending an out-of-state school should try to arrange to visit those campuses as well. If that is not possible, or to just get a look around a school, students can participate in virtual tours online You Visit.

College 101 Information

Admissions "Terms-to-Know:"

Early Decision (ED) - This is a binding agreement, meaning you can apply to only ONE school under this type of admission plan. ED normally benefits top-performing students who have identified their first, top-choice college.
Early Action (EA) - Non-binding. You are not obligated to attend if accepted to a school under this admission type. Most colleges give you until the regular decision deadline to make your college decision. The student will typically receive their admission decision by mid-December. Applying EA will often improve your chances of being admitted, but this is NOT a guarantee.
Restrictive Early Action - Non-binding, early program. If admitted, you are not obligated to attend, but the student likely has until May 1st to reply to their office of admission with their decision.
Regular Decision - Many application deadlines are January 1st or 15th depending on the school. Applying regular decision means you are not applying in the early round, and will typically receive your admission decision(s) in the spring; typically late-March into mid-April.
Rolling Admission - Refers to the application period designated by each specific college. In general, it means a larger application window than with early or regular decision. Once the student has applied, they typically receive their admission decision within 6-8 weeks. *Many of our in-state universities are on a rolling admission basis, with the exception of Honors program deadlines.

The Application Process:
College admissions, while challenging, can be a great experience. Searching for colleges, examining your interests, and having discussions about your future with your family can be enlightening. Our Chaparral counselors and the CCC are here to help you as you work through this process.

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College Planning

Planning for College

Campus Visit Information

College 101 Information

Helpful Links