The fall of senior year can feel like the moment when everything about college admissions suddenly becomes urgent—and in some ways, it is. Application deadlines are approaching, college lists are taking shape, essays need attention, and important decisions about testing, recommendations, financial aid, and applications are all competing for a family’s attention. But the value Read More

Fall term 2026 is upon us, and the below approaches, if not already in place, should be considered during late enrollment for this term and, at the latest, be in place before the next term. For high school counselors, understanding how colleges approach billing and outside funding can also help when working with students and Read More

Financial aid offices are reporting a new pattern: an increase in professional judgment appeals that appear to have been written by AI. And according to a survey of financial aid administrators by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, these letters are not working. Every college is required by law to allow students and Read More

The Common App opened August 1 for the 2026-27 admissions season, and for counselors heading into fall advising, it’s worth knowing what’s different this year before students start asking questions. There are no major overhauls this cycle. The seven personal statement prompts are unchanged, and the application structure is largely the same. The one notable Read More

A growing number of states and colleges are exploring accelerated bachelor’s degree programs that allow students to graduate in three years by reducing required credits from the standard 120 to roughly 90 to 100. This summer, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Indiana have all announced plans or studies around the concept. At least 119 such Read More

If you’ve routinely pointed students toward scholarships designated for students of color, women, or other underrepresented groups, the landscape has shifted. New data from the National Scholarship Providers Association, which tracks more than 33,000 scholarships, shows the share of scholarships with eligibility requirements tied to race, ethnicity, gender, or other demographic factors has dropped from Read More

A growing number of selective universities have announced they will not require supplemental essays for the 2026-27 admissions cycle, and the list has been building throughout the summer. Schools making the change include Tulane (dropping its “Why Tulane?” essay), the University of Georgia (dropping its well-known book essay), UNC Chapel Hill (removing two short-answer prompts), Read More

On June 30, ETS, the nonprofit behind the GRE and TOEFL, announced it is acquiring ACT, one of the most widely recognized names in college and career readiness testing. The deal combines two of the biggest players in educational assessment into a single organization reaching roughly 35 million people annually. For counselors, the immediate question Read More

Starting July 1, federal student loan borrowers who enroll in automatic payments will receive a 1 percentage point reduction on their interest rate – a significant jump from the 0.25% discount that has long been the standard. The benefit is temporary, running through June 30, 2028, but the enrollment window extends to September 30, 2026, Read More

Students who took the June SAT or ACT should have acces to their scores by now. If your student recently received an SAT or ACT score, now is a great time to evaluate what it means in the context of their college goals. A score report can help identify strengths, areas for improvement, and whether Read More