Step 1 - Applying to college
How to Apply
- Online Applications - All colleges prefer online applications. Simply go to the school website and click "apply"
- Application Fees - College application fees vary, but generally it costs from $35 to $50 to apply to each college. Fees are nonrefundable. Many colleges offer fee waivers (that is, they don’t require the fee) to students who can’t afford to pay. Contact your counselor for information about a Fee Waiver.
- Send Your High School Transcript
- All LHS transcripts are sent through Xello.
- Link and Instructions for sending transcripts with Xello
- All LHS transcripts are sent through Xello.
- Send Test Scores
- Most colleges will accept your SAT or ACT scores as part of your transcript. Lowell High School no longer puts the scores on the transcript and most colleges are now moving to "test optional". Simply defined, test-optional means students are not required to submit standardized test scores on their college admissions application. Whether to do so is up to the student.
- A school that is test optional will absolutely still consider a student's standardized test scores, and those scores can be valuable tools for admissions officers. We would encourage any student who has achieved a score in or above the average range of admitted students to submit scores.
- A school that is test optional will absolutely still consider a student's standardized test scores, and those scores can be valuable tools for admissions officers. We would encourage any student who has achieved a score in or above the average range of admitted students to submit scores.
- If the school you are applying to requires test scores you will need to login to College Board or Actstudent.org and pay to have them sent to the college of your choice. You can avoid a fee by selecting schools to send your scores to when you register.
- Most colleges will accept your SAT or ACT scores as part of your transcript. Lowell High School no longer puts the scores on the transcript and most colleges are now moving to "test optional". Simply defined, test-optional means students are not required to submit standardized test scores on their college admissions application. Whether to do so is up to the student.
- Deadlines
- Early Application Deadline
- The most common deadlines for early action are November 1 and November 15. These deadlines are not flexible; you must get all your materials, including recommendation letters and test scores, to the school by the stated deadline. Since you apply early, you'll also be notified of your admissions decision early.
- Regular Application Deadline
- This is the most common type of deadline that applies to most applications. Regular decision deadlines are typically around the beginning of January. Colleges send the acceptance letters sometime in March. You have until the end of April to accept (May 1st is known as College Decision Day)
- Early Decision vs. Early Action - Click Here for information
- Early Application Deadline
- The Common Application is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to any of more than 800 member colleges and universities in 49 states. School using the Common App are highly selective.
- Make sure the school you are applying to requires the Common App before starting.
- Letters of Recommendation
- You will need to request letters of recommendation from 2 teachers at LHS. This should be done in time to give at least 3 weeks notice to the teacher.
- Counselor Recommendation
- You will need to add your counselors email address to the counselor recommendation sections. Make sure you use the lowellschools.com email NOT the lowelleducation email.
- You must schedule an appointment with your counselor to discuss the common application if you plan to apply to a school that uses this application.
