College Planning
Welcome to the College Planning page! Access various college planning resources below:
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- Preparing for College
- Resources for Choosing a College
- Direct Applications: Institutional applications completed for individual colleges/universities.
- Financial Aid
- Scholarships
Preparing for College
Preparing for College
Preparing for college begins in middle school and continues all the way to high school graduation. Talk with your teachers, dean and family about what courses are best for you, where you might want to attend, and what you want to do as a career.
Check out this helpful resource:
Check out this useful platform for all things college planning! This site has unlimited free resources for writing a college essay, college application assistance, college search tools, free online course videos, and more! There are numerous tips and tricks for how to make the college application process as easy and less stressful as possible:
Resources for Choosing a College
Free Application Opportunities at Minnesota Colleges & Universities
Identify What You Want in a School
Choosing a College - 2023-2024 College Programs & Profiles
U.S News College Ranking Search
Naviance SuperMatch College Search
- Click on 'Student'
- Click on 'Continue with Single Sign-On' (be sure you are logged into your school google account)
- Click on 'Colleges' at the top of the page
- Click on 'SuperMatch College Search' under 'Find Your Fit'
Direct Applications: Institutional applications completed for individual colleges/universities.
Common App
The Common Application is a single online college application form used by over 900 colleges and universities. Instead of filling out the same general information—like your address, GPA, and extracurriculars— a dozen times, you only have to do it once.
Refer to this Application Guide for step-by-step instructions on how to complete your application.
Information you will need to complete your Common App:
Irondale High School
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Mounds View High School
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Questbridge
Questbridge is a powerful platform that connects the nation's brightest students from low-income backgrounds with leading institutions of higher education and further opportunities.
Financial Aid
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
Before each year of college, apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Your college uses your FAFSA data to determine your federal aid eligibility. Many states and colleges use FAFSA data to award their own aid. After submission, you'll receive your Student Aid Report (SAR)
Federal and State Grants
Federal and state governments provide grants for students attending college or career school. Most types of grants, unlike loans, are sources of free money that generally do not have to be repaid.
Paying for College and Financial Aid Resources
Federal Student Aid - An Office of the U.S. Department of Education
Minnesota Office of Higher Education - A cabinet-level state agency providing students with financial aid programs and information to help them gain access to post-secondary education.
Scholarships
Mounds View Public Schools has established a long-standing tradition of working with community businesses and organizations to provide local scholarships to graduating seniors. The scholarship program is aimed at reinforcing the District's Equity Promise of supporting all students in achieving their post-secondary goals, whether at a two-year college or a four-year college or university.
PMA Educational Foundation Scholarship
Scholarship Search Engines
Minnesota Institutional Scholarships
Local Scholarships
Minnesota Scholarship Directory - a list of 100+ vetted scholarships for students across the state, broken down by month.
Naviance Scholarship Search
Naviance provides students with comprehensive scholarship lists and national scholarship search tools. Students can find these scholarship search function under their "Colleges" profile tools.