the countdown to college application week

October 21st – 27th is College Application Week. This week is a big part of N.C.’s Countdown to College – a year-long program to help high school seniors learn about residency, financial aid, and college applications. During this week, over 40 N.C. schools waive their application fees, making it an ideal time for seniors to apply to these colleges.

“I feel like [paying] is the worst part of college applications, you finish them, you feel proud of them, and then you have to check out after,” said Nadia Ferjani, senior. Ferjani is applying to Campbell University during College Application Week. 

“The fee is waived, so I don’t have to worry about college application fees while also worrying about my essay and my supplementals,” said Sophia O’Neil, senior. O’Neil is applying to A&T and Elon University. 

High school seniors are encouraged to start their applications before the 21st of October if they are looking to apply to one of these colleges to avoid any last-minute stress.

Some of the more well-known colleges that participate in College Application Week are Campbell University, Davidson College, East Carolina University, Elon University, High Point University, and Meredith College. This week also includes all 58 N.C. community colleges – for the complete list, click here.  

“It definitely opens people’s eyes to more colleges,” said Ferjani. 

2024 is extra special for college applicants because of the new NC College Connect program, which simplifies/shortens the application process. To be eligible for this program, seniors must maintain a weighted GPA of at least 2.8 throughout the school year and be enrolled in a public or charter high school. They also must meet the Department of Public Instruction’s basic graduation requirements and the UNC Systems minimum admission requirements.    

College Application Week is promoted by the College Foundation of North Carolina. Those who wish to apply should go to the CFNC website

Applying to colleges is a stressful part of senior year, but College Application Week is a great opportunity to apply to many qualified NC colleges. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.