SchooLinks

As an IB Student, this is your portal to do so much of the college application process. The three most common processes you will be using Schoolinks for are:

BUILDING YOUR APPLICATION LISTS

REQUESTING TRANSCRIPTS

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

 For questions, please see your Counselor. 

THE COMMON APPLICATION

One application for more than 800 colleges.  The Common Application is comprised of a rich and diverse membership – colleges that are public, private, large, small, secular, and religious. Use this service IF your applying to multiple colleges (at least 3) on the list. 

 

HOW TO BE COLLEGE-READY

Timelines for reference in how to ready yourself for the college process in grades 9-12.

 
 

COLLEGE SEARCH

Use College Search to help you build your application list. 

 

COLLEGE FAIRS

 

ADMISSIONS ASSESMENTS

 
 

FINANCIAL AID

 

FASFA (FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID)

Need more FASFA Help? Click or Here or attend College Goal Sunday. 

 

CSS PROFILE (College Scholarship Service)*

*Check to see if your college requires the CSS Here

 
 

COF (College Opportunity Fund)*

*Public Colorado colleges only

 

SCHOLARSHIPS

Check each of your college/university Websites for scholarship opportunities- Biggest Source of $$!

Pay attention to your emails (via Naviance) from the counseling office!

 

ADVICE FROM THE IB ON HOW TO LEVERAGE YOUR IB EDUCATION

From the admissions office: Practical advice for university essays and applications (click)

What universities know about IB: Common questions and answers about university applications (click)

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ADMISSION / APPLICATION INFO

Students and Parents should be aware of the variety of admission options available to students. The majority of institutions employ one of two options: Rolling Decision or Regular Decision. However, some private colleges also utilize an early application option. Following are definitions of the different options available:

Non-Restrictive Application Plans

Students are not restricted from applying to other institutions and have until May 1 to consider their options and confirm enrollment.

  • Rolling Decision: Institutions review applications as they are submitted and render admission decisions throughout the admission cycle.

  • Regular Decision: Students submit an application by a specified date and receive a decision in a clearly stated period of time.

  • Early Action (EA): Students apply early and receive a decision well in advance of the institution’s regular response date.

Restrictive Application Plans

  • Students are responsible for determining and following restrictions.

  • Early Decision (ED): Students make a commitment to a first-choice institution where, if admitted, they definitely will enroll. The application and a decision deadline occur early.

  • Restrictive Early Action (REA): Students apply to an institution of preference and receive a decision early. They may be restricted from applying EA or ED or REA to other institutions. If offered enrollment, they have until May 1 to confirm.

HOW DOES COLLEGE CREDIT WORK FOR IB?

IB exams are recognized for college credit in a similar way to AP exams. You don’t have to earn the IB diploma to get credit for individual classes, as colleges give credit course-by-course. As an example, you can check out the credit policies in all the colleges in Colorado, or you can check out Stanford’s chart for IB credit.

Keep in mind that some schools will completely waive general education requirements for students who have completed the full IB diploma. See the University of Utah’s policy as an example.

What This Means

This means a student with an IB diploma could totally skip general ed classes and jump right into their major. This would obviously save a ton of time and money, and shows why getting the IB diploma can be an advantage.

To find out any school’s policy on IB credit, search “[Name of College/University] IB credit policy.” Most universities have a dedicated web page for explaining their IB credit policy.