For high school counselors, November is more than just another month on the academic calendar, it is an opportunity to turn student hesitation into lifelong momentum. As ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC) kicks off National College Application Month, educators across the country are stepping up to help students navigate options, complete critical milestones, and see themselves as college bound.
The ACAC works with high schools to help students — particularly first-generation students and students from under-resourced communities — navigate the application process and pursue opportunities they may not otherwise have considered. While state campaigns may recognize their own week(s) or month(s), ACAC declares November as the official National College Application Month. Hosting a college application event during the school day gives counselors the opportunity to reduce barriers like application confusion, application fees, competing priorities for afternoons and weekends, and transportation challenges.
This helps clear the way for counselors to clarify next steps and students to celebrate their progress and independence.
1. Help students build a balanced college list
Encourage students, especially juniors, to consider academic programs, affordability, location, campus environment, student support, and career outcomes — not just name recognition alone. School counselors can guide students toward a balanced mix of options, while admissions counselors can make information about programs, costs, and student experiences easy to find and compare.
When visiting a campus, encourage students to take a solo tour as well. This means spending around 30 minutes alone walking the campus, exploring the student center, listening to how students speak to each other. Encourage them to visualize themselves living and learning there.
2. Turn deadlines into a clear, manageable plan
Help each high school senior get organized and create a clear view of upcoming deadlines for applications and scholarships; financial aid steps; recommendation requests; transcript submissions; and key test dates, including ACT national and school-day administrations. Breaking large tasks into weekly goals helps students focus on what to complete now, what can wait, and whom to contact when they need help.
3. Offer dedicated application work time
Host application “labs” during the school day, after school, or online. Provide computers, reliable internet access, a quiet space, and trained adults who can guide students and answer questions. Admissions offices can support these sessions through virtual drop-ins, regional representatives, or partnerships with local schools and community organizations.
4. Make requirements easy to understand
Clearly define application plans, required documents, testing policies, essay expectations, recommendation letter procedures, and decision timelines. When policies vary by institution, encourage students to verify requirements directly with each college.
5. Address application costs before they become a barrier
Proactively identify students who may qualify for application fee waivers and help them follow through. Highlight colleges that do not charge an application fee and make scholarship information accessible. School and admissions counselors can work together to communicate eligibility requirements clearly while still protecting student privacy throughout the process.
6. Connect applications with financial aid
Encourage every student seeking financial aid to complete the FAFSA form, regardless of income, and to review state, institutional, and scholarship deadlines. Offer FAFSA completion events, explain contributor responsibilities, and remind families that the form is free.
7. Coach students to tell their own stories for admissions essays
Help students identify experiences, responsibilities, interests, and goals that should be highlighted and reveal what makes them special. Ask thoughtful questions, provide feedback, and guide revisions for clarity while keeping each student’s voice authentic and avoiding overreliance on AI. Admissions counselors can reinforce this work by explaining what essay readers hope to learn and how they assess authenticity.
8. Facilitate document requests early
Clarify the process for requesting recommendations, sending transcripts, and confirming receipt of required forms. Encourage students to ask recommenders early, share helpful context, and express appreciation.
For instance, make sure your students understand that letters of recommendation are about more than academic achievements; they are about their character, resilience, and personality. Students should reflect those things when filling out ‘brag sheets’ or when discussing their letter with whoever is providing it.
Admissions offices can reduce confusion by clearly communicating what is required, what is optional, and how students can check their file status.
9. Reach out to students who have not started
Use personal outreach methods, including student relationships and data from teachers, to identify students who have not opened, started, or submitted an application. A brief, one-on-one conversation can reveal barriers such as uncertainty, work or family responsibilities, limited access to technology, cost concerns, or fear of making the wrong choice.
Using ACT test data can help identify students’ academic strengths and help them pursue college opportunities they may not have considered. Help them focus on the next achievable step, then follow up.
10. Celebrate from first steps through submission — and prepare students for what comes next
Create college application events with the help of ACAC resources. Make applying to college a celebration and minimize barriers. Check out examples of recent ACT ACAC Schools of Excellence.
Recognize every completed application with an “I Applied” display, certificate, photo opportunity, or simple personal acknowledgment. Then help students monitor application portals and email, submit missing materials, complete financial aid requirements, compare offers, and keep their grades strong. Applying is a journey, not the finish line.
College Application Month is most powerful when students experience consistent support from the people guiding them at school and the people welcoming them to college. By making the process clearer, more accessible, and more encouraging, counselors can help more students move from “I’m not sure” to “I applied.”
Take action this fall: Use ACT’s ACAC resources to plan, promote, and support an application completion event that celebrates and meets your students where they are.