A short list of schools that meet your unique needs, that you plan to apply to. 

College Selectivity

Your list should include schools with a range of selectivity; if every school you apply to only accepts 15% of applicants, you could be left with zero acceptances.

🔎 View a list of the Top Selective Colleges. 

Guaranteed Admission

⚠️ Many of the public four-year colleges in Michigan offer automatic acceptance to students with a 3.0+ GPA!

🔎 Learn about the Michigan Assured Admissions Pact (MAAP).

When should I start my college list?

Ideally, students should start building their list during their junior year to be ready for application season (fall of senior year). 

However, if you are already a senior, no worries, this process can definitely be expedited!

How do I narrow down my list?

There are three main factors to consider when choosing a college: 

• available academic programs 

• socially comfortable environment

• financially feasible

The details and importance of these factors will vary for each student; establishing what matters the most to you will help narrow down your list. We will go over each of these in the following sections.

Focus your Energy

Your final college list should be limited to 3 - 6 schools, as each school may have unique essay prompts or other application requirements.

If you do have a college in mind:

✅ Visit their website and explore the programs they offer. Each program will have a summary, but also look at the required course list; do those classes sound interesting to you?

🔎 If you find/have a major you like, see what other colleges also offer that program. Just because you've heard of a particular college a lot doesn't mean it's the right one for you, or the best school for that program.

Be Career Oriented

A good place to start is exploring careers and their educational requirements. Not every job requires a college degree, but being a surgeon definitely requires multiple degrees and passing state exams.

Careers can be grouped into clusters of similar interests, skills, or knowledge. Combined with the process of elimination, you can quickly narrow down your interests. 

🔎 Explore Career Clusters

🔎 Try Networking! Reach out to a professional in that field and ask about their day-to-day routines. Remember to be respectful of their time and come prepared with questions; good meetings can easily last 30 - 60 minutes. 

You can always decide later.

Many students start college undecided or change their major after starting. Some colleges even have special exploratory pathways to help you discover your passion while still finishing your degree on time. 

How do I find schools that offer my major?

Search for "[major] degrees in [state]" and go from there.

How do I learn about a specific college?

The most accurate source of information about a college is its official website. Every college organizes its information a little differently, so it can be challenging to find what you're looking for at first. 

✅ This full list of Michigan Colleges includes an overview for each school with application requirements, direct program and scholarship links, and contact information.

How do I compare the quality of a school's campus and programs?

There are many platforms that rank colleges on a number of different stats, from dining hall food to after-graduation employment rates. 

☑️ If you like numbers, check out College Scorecard.

☑️ For more social rankings, like best for student athletes, try Niche.

How do I know if the school is a good academic fit?

Your high school GPA is going to be the best metric for comparing academic rigor. 

Most schools share stats about the "average" admitted student; remember, that means students below those numbers were also accepted. Don't let those numbers stop you from applying, but also have realistic expectations. 

This place is going to be your new home; make sure it feels that way, too.

This can be many things: 

• the size of a school 

• available campus clubs 

• sporting events

• disability/mental health/veteran services

• religious affiliation

• the offerings of the surrounding area

• the weather (amount of snowfall)

Whatever you need to thrive, make sure the colleges you are applying to can offer those things, but don't pick a college just because your friends or partner are planning on going there.

Plan a Visit

🔎 If you are able to, visiting in person is the best way to determine if a college is a good fit for you socially. There's an indescribable feeling of home when you're at the right school. 

Colleges offer a variety of events and tours for future students to learn about their school.

College Athletics

If your goal is to play sports at an NCAA school, make sure you are eligible to compete at the level you want. Division I schools have strict high school academic requirements.  

✅ Talk to your coach and visit NCAA.org for more information.

This can be really hard to gauge before financial aid has been processed (usually in the spring). Each college you are accepted into will send you an Award Letter, detailing your aid package and remaining out-of-pocket cost. 

⚠️ Many students make their final selection based on affordability, and some opt to start their degree at a community college to save more.

We'll talk more about how to pay for college in a later section. For now, dream big and apply to the schools you love, but also include some more affordable options.

Apply Directly

✅ Often, the easiest and quickest way to apply to a college is directly through its website; this is what I usually recommend. 

Third-Party Application Platform

There is also a popular consolidated application platform:

☑️ Apply using the CommonApp. 

🔎 Watch a walkthrough on using the CommonApp.

You only have to enter your personal and academic info once, making the process less repetitive when applying to multiple schools. However, considering the backend work from your counselor and other application steps, this can sometimes be a longer process. 

Some colleges, such as the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University, are CommonApp exclusive. Students considering these schools can easily submit additional applications to other schools among the 1,000+ colleges on the CommonApp. 

When can I start working on my applications?

Every college is a little different; check their official website to confirm application availability and deadlines. 

⚠️ Deadlines are not due dates; apply early.

You can create your CommonApp account at any time to get started. The new application cycle begins on July 1st, with any updates to college-specific questions; the earliest you can submit a CommonApp application is August 1st.

Apply for Free!

October is Michigan College Month, a number of colleges that still charge an application fee waive it if you submit your application in October, so plan ahead and be ready for October! 

🔎 View October 2025 Waiver Participants.

Spring Application Week offers a second chance for students to apply for free to some colleges. This is usually a last push by colleges to encourage more students to apply.

 🔎 View Spring 2025 Waiver Participants.

*Updated Spring 2026 Waiver Participant lists will be posted once available.

Prioritize

✅ Prioritize completing applications based on deadlines and where they fall on your list. 

Even on the CommonApp, you will submit each application individually, allowing you to submit applications as you complete them.

Application Cycles

More selective colleges have multiple admissions cycles:

• Early Action: Usually around a November 1st deadline, applying in this cycle will get you an admission decision before the end of the year. If you are not accepted in this cycle, your application will be reconsidered in the regular decision cycle.

• Early Decision: Also usually a November 1st deadline, but you can only apply early decision to one school, declaring that this is your first-choice college. 

🚩 This is a binding decision; if accepted, you must attend that school and withdraw all other applications.

• EA/ED II: Some schools will have a second early action/early decision cycle. Multiple deadlines divide up applications and help admission teams spread out their workload.

• Regular Decision: The most common application cycle, with deadlines typically around February 1st, you will receive your admissions decision in the spring.

• Rolling Admissions: Less selective schools offer rolling admissions, reviewing each application as it is received and accepting students until all spots are filled.

Personal Information

Obviously, you'll need to provide all your personal information: name, email, home address, etc. Some college applications also require your Social Security Number at the time of applying.

Essays

More selective colleges will require at least one essay, typically with a maximum of 300 words. 

🔎 Learn more about the 2025-26 Common App essay questions.

Transcripts

The CommonApp will have you enter all your class grades, despite also requiring you to provide an official copy of your transcript. Many high schools use a digital service to process transcript requests.

✅ Ask your school counselor how your school sends transcripts; Ludington High School uses Parchment.

⚠️ Dual-enrolled students will also need to send their college transcripts.

✅ Request your WSCC Transcript.

Letters of Recommendation

Some colleges require Letters of Recommendation, usually completed by your school counselor and a teacher. Remember to ask them ahead of time! 

🔎 It is also helpful to provide a Brag Sheet. 

Admission Reps

Every college has a designated person for your area. They are the ones who may visit your school, and you can reach out to them directly with any college-specific questions; how you interact with them can help sway your admission, good or bad.

Before you hit submit...

✅ Double-check everything. Run a good spell check, then have an adult read any essays. This is your opportunity to make a positive impression on the admissions team.

Oh no, an application fee!

Most Michigan colleges no longer charge an application fee; however, some still do. If your household qualifies for Free or Reduced Lunch, you are eligible for the NACAC Fee Waiver. 

☑️ Talk to your school counselor for more information about fee waivers or to check your eligibility.

🔎 Preview the NACAC Fee Waiver.

Don't forget about Michigan College Month in October and Spring Application Week in March, when many colleges waive their application fee!

Each college you are accepted into will send you an Award Letter after receiving your FAFSA information. This letter will detail the aid you have been awarded from the college and any State or Federal aid you qualified for. 

✅ Use this chart to carefully review and compare each offer before making your final enrollment decision.

⚠️ Aid from the State of Michigan may only be included on the Award Letter from your first listed college on the FAFSA.

Enrollment Deposit

Once you have chosen the lucky college, you will need to submit a deposit to reserve your spot. This will be done through your student portal.

⚠️If not having funds to pay the deposit is impacting your ability to confirm your enrollment, contact your admission rep and ask about deferring your deposit. 

From completing a housing application to attending in-person orientation, there are several tasks to complete before the start of the semester. These tasks will vary from school to school.

✅ Check your email regularly, including your new school email, for important messages regarding your enrollment and required tasks.

⚠️ Each year across America, 10-40% of students who had plans to attend college never make it to fall enrollment, usually due to a lack of knowledgeable support after leaving high school.