Attention Students and Families: Join us on December 5th or 12th, 2024 at 6:00 pm to learn about the 2025-26 FAFSA, financial aid process, and available aid, from financial aid professionals representing local colleges. Register now at bit.ly/finaid512.
You’re one step closer to college! Congrats on getting this far! You’ve looked into colleges and sent in applications. You’ve filed your FAFSA. Now, the fun part: Deciding where to go! Below, you’ll find some guidance and tools to help you make this important decision.
Once you’ve decided, we’d love to hear what school you’ll attend. Share your decision with us using #DecisionDayVA and tag @SCHEVnews.
Refresh your memory about where each school is by checking ECMC’s map of Colleges and Universities in Virginia. Think about where each college is in relation to where you want to be. How close or far is it from home? Would you need a car, or are there other transportation options for when you want to get off campus?
Also consider whether you like cities, small towns, rural/agricultural settings, mountains, or coastal areas. Is it important for you to go to college in a place where you could easily find internships and future jobs in professions you are interested in?
You’ll also want to think about whether the campus is large or small, and how easy it will be to get around on campus. Many have online tours you can take from the comfort of your home.
Give yourself time to think about what you really want. Your comfort has a role to play in your enjoyment of the college experience and even in your academic achievement.
Does it offer what you want to study? Is it big or small? Do you have a preference? Are there support services to help you succeed? What’s the community like? Are there activities you’re interested in on or near campus? Can you afford it? (Don’t worry, we’ll help with this one below.)
Comparing Your Financial Aid Offers If you filled out the FAFSA, the colleges you’re interested in should have your financial info. They use the information you submitted to figure out what financial help to offer you. Each college’s offer might look different, so it’s important to understand and compare them. If anything is confusing, reach out to the college’s financial aid office. The NASFAA Aid Offer Comparison Worksheet can help break down your financial aid offers.
Affordable College Options in Virginia: The “Is The Price Right?” flyer contains a list of public colleges in Virginia and ways to make them more affordable.
Next Steps
Your Senior Year Checklist (English) (Spanish) You’ve done a lot to get here, but there are a few more things to do! Stay connected with the college you pick. Log in to the student portal regularly to see any updates or deadlines. Not sure about something? It’s okay to ask! Reach out using the contact information they’ve given you in your acceptance packet.
You can download these tools or get a print version of the “Virginia Opportunities Guide” (in English or Spanish) from most school counseling offices.
Find the Fit Toolkit: From the U.S. Department of Education, this toolkit blends findings from research on fit and undermatch, texting and mindset. The materials are in the public domain and include: