Update your High School Planner at californiacolleges.edu.

Review courses with your school counselor to make sure you are meeting high school graduation and entrance requirements for the colleges that interest you.

Search for scholarship money using the scholarship search function at californiacolleges.edu or other scholarship search sites.

Attend ILP workshops, college fairs, college planning sessions, and financial aid information sessions. See page 89.

Visit college campuses that are a good match with your credentials and career interests. Many students who apply to selective colleges select three to five schools to apply to: their “dream” school, their “safety” school, and two to three other choices. For foster youth, applying to up to four UC and four CSU campuses is free.

If you plan to attend a California Community College with the intent to transfer to a CSU, visit calstate.edu/attend/ transfer for transfer pathways.

Gather vital documents such as birth certificate, social security card and CA ID, and store in a safe place.

Complete all final “a-g” course requirements. Be sure to take an English and math course to keep your skills strong for your first year in college. Advanced math courses such as Trigonometry or Analytic Geometry/Calculus are also recommended.

Find programs to help you succeed in college prep courses, such as those found at cacollegepathways.org/help-youth-plan/planning-for-college.

Learn more about what classes to take by visiting blogs.calstate.edu/college/students

SAT/ACT test scores will no longer be considered for admission. If you choose to submit test scores, they may be used for course placement for UC’s.

Contact the foster youth liaison at the college of your choice to find out about your eligibility for foster youth and EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs & Services) or EOP (Educational Opportunity Programs) support and important dates and application procedures. For info, visit cacollegepathways.org/find-campus-support-programs.

Get an email address for yourself that is strictly for college application information.

Apply for on-campus housing (“dorms” or “residence halls”) for each college campus that you are applying to and place your name on the waitlist, if needed. As a foster youth, you may have priority access to on-campus housing.

Check with your campus support program or ILP Coordinator for assistance with payments and deposits for college. Some colleges require an upfront deposit for on-campus housing and only accept checks or credit cards.

Apply for the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) when you submit your CSU or UC application. Include your letters of recommendation.

Review the 8 personal insight question options and start thinking about 4 you will respond to. Select questions that are most relevant to your experience and best reflect your individual circumstances. Start working on the questions before you enter them into the application. Keep in mind that each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words. Get coaching and feedback from your counselors. If you are comfortable doing so, include information about your foster care experience in your essay.

Admissions applications now ask that the applicant provide contact information for individuals that will be your recommenders, so start gathering email addresses and phone numbers that you will add to your application. Let your recommenders know once you have submitted your application, so that they look out for emails coming from the school(s) you have applied to.

Finish your personal essay for your EOP and scholarship applications.

Have your high school counselor or other advisor proofread your application, including any essays, before submitting it.

Apply to CSU (www2.calstate.edu/apply) and/or UC (admission.universityofcalifornia.edu). If you regularly updated your High School Planner, your course information will be automatically transferred to your application. Application deadline is November 30, unless otherwise noted. For foster youth, up to four CSU and four UC applications are free.

Don’t forget to press the submit button on your college application and ALWAYS print out copies of applications submitted online.

Double check your transcript to make sure all the information is correct.

Have your transcripts sent to requesting colleges. Save one copy for yourself.

Get the Financial Aid Guide for California Foster Youth at jbay.org/ca-fy-financial-aid-guide.

Get a FAFSA FSA-ID at studentaid.gov/fsa-id.

Apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at studentaid.gov or California Dream Act Application at dream.csac.ca.gov by March 2. If you miss the March 2 deadline, you can still apply, but less financial aid is likely to be available. You can start completing the FAFSA as early as October 1 for the following fall term.

Identify yourself as a foster youth by marking yes on the question asking if you are an “orphan or ward of the court or foster youth” on the FAFSA.

Apply online for the Chafee Grant at chafee.csac.ca.gov. Up to $5,000 in grant funds may be available for eligible foster youth.

Create a Webgrants account to manage your Cal Grant and Chafee Grant online at mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov.

Check to see that your high school sent your Cal Grant GPA Verification form to the California State Aid Commission (CSAC).

Apply for any private scholarships for which you may be eligible.

Obtain a letter that verifies that you were in foster care from your social worker and keep it in a safe place. You will need this to qualify for certain benefits available only to foster youth. If you have exited foster care and no longer have a social worker, you can obtain a letter verifying that you were previously in foster care by calling the Foster Care Ombudsman’s office at 877-846- 1602.

Determine if the college you will be attending has a foster youth support program and contact the program to determine participation requirements. You can find programs at student.cacollegepathways.org/find-campus-support-programs.

Apply for EOPS and NextUp (also known as CAFYES) by contacting the EOPS office at the school to which you are applying for information about application requirements and deadlines. NextUp is only available at certain colleges.

Apply for DSPS (Disabled Student Programs and Services), which provides support if you have a disability, including a learning disability.

Apply to participate in campus support programs for foster youth like Guardian Scholars and Renaissance Scholars. You can find programs at student.cacollegepathways.org/find-campus-support-programs.

Apply for EOP at the same time that you submit your admissions application.

March: Take the AP exam(s). You can earn college credit for AP courses if you score well on the test(s), which may exempt you from taking entry-level classes in college and shorten the time it takes you to finish college. Have the scores sent to the schools where you are applying. Ask your counselor about a fee waiver.

Talk with a counselor to find out about the steps required at the college you plan to attend for assessment of skills in math and English, or English as a Second Language (ESL), to determine placement into those subjects. All campuses will require a high school transcript and most campuses will require a placement test. If a test is required, make sure you know whether you can take it online or in person, the dates the test is available, and what information you must provide to take the test (such as picture I.D. and Student I.D.). Your scores on the assessment tests determine if you can enroll directly into college level English and math classes or if you will need to take developmental courses first. Talk with a counselor and check the college’s website or those of other community colleges for information about how to prepare for these tests.

The EAP test you took in 11th grade (see page 13) will determine whether you need to attend a summer Early Start Program. Visit csustudentsuccess.org for more information.

Complete the college application at cccapply.org. Identify yourself as a foster youth on the application to ensure that you are able to access all benefits for which you are eligible.

Contact the foster youth liaison at the college to find out about your eligibility for foster youth and EOPS support programs and important dates and application procedures. Attend any orientations they offer. For info, visit cacollegepathways.org/campus-support/.

Meet with a counselor at the college to create your education plan. If you are enrolled in EOPS or NextUp (also known as CAFYES), you will receive counseling through those programs. (Bring transcripts to your counseling appointment.)

Enroll in an orientation course designed to familiarize you with the college and its services, assist you in selecting classes and create your abbreviated SEP (Student Education Plan). See the current Schedule of Classes for available counseling courses.

If you plan to transfer to a 4-year college from community college, meet with a counselor early in your enrollment to develop an education plan and map out the appropriate sequence of courses to get you where you want to go. You’ll want to ensure that all your coursework units are transferable.

Ask your school counselor to send your final high school transcript to the college you will attend.

Students can attend community college without a high school diploma or GED. For students without a high school diploma or GED, talk to your high school counselor or local community college to learn more about your options.

Register ASAP: as a current or former foster youth, you may be entitled to register prior to the general registration period. Classes fill up fast, and getting into the classes you want is important to keeping your education plan, as well as your financial aid, on track. Determine in advance if you are eligible and take advantage of this option. You must complete orientation, assessment and an education plan to qualify for priority enrollment. See the website of the school you plan to attend for more information.

Pay enrollment fees and any nominal health and/or student activity fees, due at the time of registration. Check in advance with the Admissions Office for acceptable forms of payment; many can be made online. You may qualify for a waiver of certain fees. Check with the foster youth liaison at the college you plan to attend and make sure you have applied for a CA College Promise Grant (formerly the BOG fee waiver) to have your course enrollment fees waived.

Warning! Disenrollment may occur after registration if fees have not been paid within a certain time frame. Check with the college Admissions Office for deadlines.

Pay a nonrefundable deposit for freshmen tuition to the college you plan to attend, if required, to hold your spot. Contact the foster youth campus program for possible help paying that deposit.

Pay any on-campus housing deposits required to secure your housing. As a foster youth, you may be entitled to priority access to on-campus housing.

Register ASAP: as a current or former foster youth, you may be entitled to register prior to the general registration period. Classes fill up fast, and getting into the classes you want is important to keeping your education plan, as well as your financial aid, on track. Determine in advance if you are eligible and take advantage of this option.