The grade-by-grade college prep checklist.

• Choose 9th-grade courses that keep doors open, especially the math sequence and a world language.
• Sketch all four years on one page, so electives and advanced courses fit.
• Start two habits: a weekly plan and a fixed homework time.
• Plan the summer before 9th grade: a program, a job, reading, or one low-stakes college course if the student is ready.

Caveat can help: High School Launch for 8th graders, a homeschool four-year plan, or the summer study skills bootcamp.

• Keep grades steady. They count toward the GPA colleges see from 9th grade on.
• Pick one or two activities to go deep in, rather than many to try once.
• Start a simple activities record: what, when, hours and any role or award.
• Athletes: learn the NCAA or NAIA core-course rules now, before the courses are set.

Caveat can help: weekly accountability check-ins, a Credit Route Plan, or an athlete eligibility check.

• Add challenge where it fits: honors, AP, dual enrollment or a college course, once the weekly rhythm is solid.
• Take a practice PSAT or similar test to see a starting point, with no pressure.
• Explore interests through a summer program, a job, volunteering or a class outside school.
• Check how any college credit would count at a few colleges the student likes, before paying for it.

Caveat can help: support for any online college course, major and career exploration, or a summer plan.

• Draft a college list of reach, match and likely schools, with each college's net price, not its sticker price.
• Decide on the SAT or ACT, or whether to test at all, college by college.
• Visit campuses, in person or virtually, and note what you liked.
• Ask two teachers for recommendations in the spring, before summer.
• Plan the summer before senior year: essay drafts, the activities list and a short list of scholarships.

Caveat can help: a college list build, a SAT or ACT plan, a net price check, a college visit planner or an athletic recruiting plan.

• Put every deadline on one calendar: applications, aid forms, scholarships and test dates.
• Finish the personal statement, then the supplements, then the activities list. The student writes every word.
• File the FAFSA on StudentAid.gov when it opens in the fall, and the CSS Profile where a college requires it.
• Decide on early action or early decision, knowing what each one commits you to.
• Send test scores and transcripts the way each college asks.

Caveat can help: the Senior Year Pass, the College Launch bundle, essay feedback, an application timeline, a scholarship match or a financial aid walkthrough. See paying for college.

• Compare aid offers side by side, with grants as grants and loans as loans.
• Answer a deferral or waitlist with a short, specific letter, if the college invites one.
• Choose the college and pay the deposit by the deadline, usually May 1.
• Finish strong. Colleges see the final transcript.

Caveat can help: an aid offer comparison, deferral, waitlist or appeal letter help, or senior launch.

• Complete housing, orientation and any placement tests.
• Send final transcripts, including any college credit earned in high school.
• Register with disability services if the student had an IEP or 504 plan.
• Plan the first week: a weekly routine, and where tutoring and advising are on campus.

Caveat can help: senior launch, IEP or 504 to college, or first-semester-of-college check-ins.