College Planning Resources

• ​​Big Future
  • This site is managed by the SAT/College Board, you can create an account to save your searches
  • It has very detailed filter options to allow you to identify what is important to you in a college
  • There is a Paying for College link with financial aid resources
• Niche
  • Click on the College Link
  • You can put in a variety of different search criteria (i.e. size, tuition, major, etc. ) to help you identify colleges that match your interests
  • This site ranks colleges-you may wish to focus on what is offers and how it will best serve you, before considering rank
• Oregon Goes to College
  • This site provides general information on the college application process and financial aid
  • It has links to scholarship databases and Oregon specific scholarships
  • It shares resources for different student population such as first generation, undocumented students, LGBTQ students in the You Can Go to College tab
• Opportunities Guide and Workbook
  • Offers a variety of resources, one of the most helpful may be the yearly planning checklists to prepare for the college application process. 

1. Do I apply as a Freshman or Transfer Student?
   1. If you are applying for the Fall immediately following graduation, you will apply as a Freshman. The majority of colleges/universities will accept most of your credits and you will enter with Sophomore or Junior standing. 
2. How do I know if my credits will transfer?
   1. Check with the colleges you are applying to or your ECHS counselor for guidance.
3. What GPA do I use? High school or college?
   1. You will use our cumulative high school GPA, weighted or unweighted depending on what the college/scholarship requests. 
4. How do I get my transcript?
   1. High School-ECHS counselors can provide electronic high school transcripts. Many college will accept electronic transcripts we provide as official. Some colleges/scholarships (OSU for example) require a mailed official transcript. Students need to request official paper transcripts from their home high school. 
   2. PCC-You can access your official and unofficial PCC transcript through you MyPCC account. 

This is not an exhaustive list of scholarships, but are ones that are local/regional. Your counselor can provide additional resources. 

Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber Scholarship-Due Jan. 22

Amount: $2,000-$6,000; several public and private universities in Oregon match the award to double the award amount. 

Eligibility: Oregon resident attending high school, Hispanic ancestry, 3.0 GPA, enrolling in college (4-year or community college) the fall following graduation

Application Details: Applicants will be evaluated on academics, extra-curricular activities, community service, written essays and letters of recommendation.

Pacific University-Early College High School Award- Due Feb. 1

Pacific University awards one renewable award of combined federal, state and institutional gift aid that meet full tuition and fees to a graduate of the Early College High School program at participating Portland Community College campuses. Must apply as a current high school senior, and must enroll as a full-time undergraduate student in the academic year following graduation from the Early College High School program. Application and interview required. Contact Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Justin McRobert, at McRobert@pacificu.edu for additional information and eligibility requirements

Lam Research Core Values Scholarship-Due Feb 1

Amount: $10,000

Eligibility: TTSD senior, plans to attend 2 or 4 year university following graduation, 2.7 GPA

Application Details: 

• Completed application form, including list of activities (school, community, employment, other)
• High School Transcript (official or unofficial)
• Essay (max 700 words) about how you exemplify Lam's Core Values
• ONE recommendation (from a teacher or other adult who is not a relative and who can speak in detail about your strengths)

Al Fortham Memorial Scholarship-Due Feb. 6, 2023

Amount-One scholarship totaling $10,000 and several others in varying amounts

Eligibility: Oregon high school seniors who have been raised by a parent/guardian who has experience addiction or the student who has abused alcohol or drugs and is now pursuing recovery. 

Application and details-Applications may be submitted online or emailed. The application includes six essays and requires a letter of recommendation.

OSAC Scholarship-Priority deadline Feb. 15 (applicants will be entered into a drawing for $1000), final deadline March 1

The OSAC Scholarship Application provides current Oregon students one application to apply for multiple scholarships. ECHS has filtered the list of hundreds of scholarship down to about 70. Check out the BSD/TTSD Scholarship list

Application eligibility and application requirements vary by scholarship. The general application requires 4 short essays and an activity list. 

Ford Family Scholarship-March 1

Amount: 90% of unmet college costs (tuition, rom & board, personal costs)-WOW!

Eligibility: Oregon resident, senior who plans to attend a 2 or 4 year college in the Fall in Oregon with ultimate plans of pursuing a Bachelor's Degree, financial need

Application Details: Submit FAFSA or ORSAA, detail leadership and community involvement, show commitment to complete a Bachelor's degree

COSA Scholarships & OASSA Scholarships

Each year COSA (Coalition of Oregon School Administrators) sponsors or assists in processing five $1,000 scholarships. The scholarships may be used for a 2- or 4-year university, trade, or professional/technical school. The applications must be postmarked by March 1. Results will be announced by May.

Each year the Oregon Association of Secondary School Administrators (OASSA) awards two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from Oregon public high schools.  The scholarships may be used for a 2- or 4-year university, trade, or professional/technical school.  These two scholarships are for a son, daughter, or dependent child of an OASSA member who meet the criteria listed on the application.  The applications must be postmarked by March 15.  Results will be announced by May.

PNACAC Student Scholarship-Due March 15

Eligibility: High school senior from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington who plans to enroll in a 2 or 4 year college the fall immediately after graduation, 3.0 GPA

Application Details: Record a 1 minute video responding to one of the prompts: “What would you like to be doing in 10 years, and how does college help you get there?” -OR- “How has your college/career counselor, school counselor or advisor helped you (and/or others) in finding the right college fit and what would you like to say to them?”

Students cannot qualify for financial aid while they are in ECHS, but should begin the application process during their senior year to qualify for financial aid upon graduation from ECHS

• FAFSA
  • Free application for Federal Student Aid-This is the official application to be considered for federal grants, loans, and work study. Even if you/your family will not qualify for federal aid, some colleges/universities use this information to determine institutional aid.
    • Application opens October 1
• ORSAA
  • Financial aid application for Oregon residents who are undocumented, or have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Students who are unable to complete the FAFSA may complete the ORSAA
    • Application opens October 1
• OSAC
  • The Office of Student Access and Completion helps Oregonians plan and pay for college by providing scholarships and other financial aid resources. The OSAC scholarship houses about 600 scholarships that students can apply for using one application
• Oregon Promise
  • This state-funded program may pay for community college tuition for 90 credits at an Oregon community college; Applicants must file a FAFSA and achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.5 by graduation. Credits earned through ECHS count toward the 90 credits.
• Federal Student Aid
  • A comprehensive site for information about financial aid. 
  • FAFSA4Caster is a tool you can use as an estimate for how much financial aid you may be eligible for. The information from the FAFSA4Caster is for your information only, it is not shared with the FAFSA
• WUE
  • For students interested in applying to out-of-state colleges, WUE (the Western Undergraduate Exchange) may offer the opportunity to pay 150% of instate tuition as opposed to out-of-state tuition. Individual public colleges set the qualifying WUE criteria.

 

Beaverton and Tigard/Tualatin offer a free ACT test to juniors in the Winter/Spring, you will receive details in the months prior to the test with details and registration information. If you do not want to test with your home high school or if you wish to do additional testing, you will sign up directly through the College Board (SAT) or through the ACT website. 

SAT: www.collegeboard.org

ACT: www.act.org

Test Prep Resources:

• SAT and ACT provide test prep resources through their websites

• The Princeton Review provides opportunities for free testing as well as test prep for purchase

• PCC Community Ed offers test prep classes

  Under Courses select-Exam Pre

• EBSCO Learning

• EBSCO Learning Express
  • How to write a college essay
• The College Essay Guy

Counselors are happy to write a letter of recommendation for you. To help your counselor write the best letter please request a letter of recommendation packet from them. You need to return the letter of recommendation packet at least 3 week before the letter is due to allow them to write the best possible letter for you.