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Senior 2026 - College Application Process

Wylie East High School

Your counselor is here to help! Contact them with questions about your college applications & scholarship search.

Counselor

Contact Information:

A-B: Mandy.Coers@WylieISD.net

C-F: Natalie.Nuss@WylieISD.net

G-K: Lezlie.Mitchell@WylieISD.net

L-P: Adrien.Weeks@WylieISD.net

O-Si: Jeff.Hattaway@WylieISD.net

S-Z: Niki.Davis@WylieISD.net

*Make sure you use your counselor’s @WylieISD email address on application sites*

Collin College & Career Counselor

Contact Information:

Aaron Hinojosa

ahinojosa@collin.edu

Office 902 E at Wylie East on Tuesdays and Thursdays and every other Friday

Schedule an Appointment Here

Additional online resources:

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Make A List of 3-5 Schools To Apply To

Be sure to include one fall back school on your list. All seniors will apply to Collin College on October 9th in government/economics classes.

Need to do more research on colleges/universities? Check out Big Future to narrow down your college list.

Decide on your major. Some majors have additional requirements and/or deadlines. Review this information on the college websites. Business and engineering typically have more requirements. Top 10% does NOT guarantee you will get in to your major.

Example Major Quizzes: US News & World Report, LUC.edu, Marquette

Make sure you are doing college visits. For a list of college preview days click here. Also, check the college websites for visitor information & additional days. Can’t visit in person? Check out virtual tours here and here.

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How To Make Your College Application Stand Out

https://youtu.be/hlcKp199b-A

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Step 1 - Fill Out College Applications

Check out each college's website for information on how to apply for Fall 2026 freshman admissions. Use a personal email, not your Wylie ISD school email address.
If you qualify for free/reduced lunches, you are eligible for an application fee waiver. These can be found in your College Board account.
Pay attention to deadlines. Many colleges have an early action deadline as early as Oct. 15th. Please talk to your counselor BEFORE you consider applying for Early Decision! Early Action vs. Early Decision
Some colleges may have scholarship deadlines earlier than their admissions deadline. Example: University of Houston has a June 1st admission deadline, but their scholarship priority deadline is Nov. 3rd. You have to submit your admissions application before you can apply for their scholarships.
You might be required to use an application site such as: www.commonapp.org or https://www.applytexas.org/. The Common App is recommended.
Interested in a HBCU (Historically Black College or University)? You can apply at Common Black College App.

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Completing Your College Application Essay(s)

How to Write Your College Application Essay

College Application Essay Review

*Make sure you know which essays each college requires.

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Gather Supporting Documents

Test Scores - Most colleges are test optional this year. If you choose to submit your scores, they must be sent from your account directly to your college. SAT (College Board)/(ACT)
College Readiness Scores - If you did not meet the College Readiness scores on your SAT, you will want to try to get those scores before graduation. Reading/Writing = 480 Math = 530. If you are going to a Texas college, you can sign up for a TSI exam. Otherwise, you can retake the SAT or ACT. Here are the Testing Dates for Wylie ISD
Unofficial Transcript - Some colleges such as Texas A&M will require you to complete a SRAR (Self-Reported Academic Record). You can find your unofficial transcript in Skyward to help you complete your SRAR. This is the transcript from the end of your junior year.
Official Transcript - Once you have submitted your college application, an official transcript must be sent directly from WEHS. Request transcripts by completing this link. Some applications including The Common App will ask you to add your counselor’s email. This will send your counselor a direct link to upload your transcript. Remove “apps” from your counselor’s email address.
Letter(s) of Recommendation - Please give your teacher(s) or counselor a personal fact sheet or your resume/brag sheet to help them write your letter. Most colleges will not read more than 2 letters of recommendation. Please allow your recommender at least 2 weeks to complete your recommendation. Be mindful of deadlines that fall around school breaks as your teachers/counselors will not be checking emails over holidays. You can add teacher emails in Common App. They will receive a link to upload your letter of recommendation. Please make sure that your recommenders know that you are requesting a letter.

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When will colleges review my application?

Colleges will start reviewing your application when they have received:

Application for admission (this includes the SRAR if it is required)
Official high school transcript from WEHS.
Test scores (if you applied with test scores)
Application fee or application fee waiver

It can take weeks to months to get a decision. Many schools are deciding in December or January. If you meet automatic admission requirements (top 10% for Texas schools/top 5% for University of Texas), you should get a decision sooner.

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Step 2 - Apply for Scholarships

Many colleges will have a scholarship application as a part of the admissions process. Make sure that you complete those.
If there was not a scholarship application for the college when you applied for admissions, search the scholarship page on your college’s website.

UTD Example

Don't forget to check out the Wylie East Counseling scholarship spreadsheet. There will be several local scholarships that will be available this Spring. Check back to this routinely for more information. There are several scholarships available now!

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Step 3 - Complete the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the one application for federal grant money or student loans. Many colleges need a FAFSA on file to review you for scholarships.
The 2026-2027 FAFSA opens on October 1st. You will need to create an account at www.studentaid.gov DO NOT complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA, as this is the current year.
Texas colleges have a January 15th priority deadline.
You will need to add all colleges that you are applying to in your FAFSA. These schools will send you a financial aid award letter between February and April.
Here are additional resources: Financial Aid Resources, News & Updates About Federal Financial Aid, Collin College Financial Aid, finaid, Going Merry

*Completing the FAFSA is a graduation requirement for the State of Texas and must be completed senior year. If you do not complete this, you will be required to complete an opt out form before graduation.

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Step 4 - Read Your Emails!

You will receive emails from all of the colleges that you have applied to. These emails will have “next steps.” Some may require you to create an admissions portal. Make sure that you keep up with your usernames and passwords! This portal will show missing items and/or to do items. This is also the first place that will show if you have been accepted. Note: Final transcript is not available until June. Shot record is needed before you start classes.
After you receive a college acceptance letter, let us know here so we can celebrate you.
Once you complete FAFSA, you will get financial aid award letters from all of the schools you put in your

FAFSA application. You will need to thoroughly review these with your parents/guardians and accept or

decline these offers. You need to let all colleges know if you are or are not attending by May 1st.

Review housing/parking information. Most colleges have a day that housing applications open. You can put a deposit on a dorm. If you are taking your car to college, you will need to get a parking permit.

Review orientation information. The sooner you can do your orientation, the better choices you will have on your class schedule. Most students don’t want an 8:00 am class on Monday or a 5:00 class on Friday!

In May, you will be asked to complete a final senior survey. This will tell us where to send your final transcript. If you were a dual credit student, you will need to send that transcript to your college from Collin College.