Post-Secondary Support Center

The College Search

• Take a look at this presentation for more information on how to begin your college search. You can begin preparing for college as early as 9th grade!
• Graduation rates
  • It is important to examine a college’s graduation rates when you are completing your college research. Graduation rates will tell you what percentage of students graduate from the institution within 4,5, or 6 years. You can also research a college’s graduation rates by Race/Ethnicity, Gender, or Income Level. While graduation rates are not the only factor to look at when researching schools, it is an important piece when building your college list. 
• SchooLinks
  • Schoolinks has a great built-in College Search tool under the Colleges tab. You can filter through different colleges based on what you are looking for. Don’t forget to favorite any of the schools you’re interested in and write a short note about why to help you in the process of forming your college list.
• Collegeresults.org 
  • College Results is a great resource for graduation rates and other general information about 4-year colleges. Please note - College Results does not have information about community colleges or trade schools.
• Cappex.com
  • Create a profile. Search colleges by name or select qualities you are looking for in a school to find a match based on your profile!
  • Explore colleges and universities in Illinois HERE.
• Big Future - College Search
  • Choose qualities you’re looking for in the school and get a list of schools that have those qualities 
• Big Future - College Search Step-by-Step
  • Explains the various aspects of a school that are important to consider and take into account your preferences. Provides you with a list of schools that match those preferences.

Choosing a Major

• In your SchooLinks account, check out the Activities Tab. These different tools can help you explore more about your interests and what careers/majors might be a good fit for you.
• Use the Illinois High School to Career Tool to explore pathways after high school, including post-secondary education choices by degree type and academic area of study, as well as their career outcome.
• Take a look at the majors offered at Illinois State Universities HERE.
• Take a look at the programs offered at City Colleges of Chicago HERE. 
• Click on the "Program Requirements" or "Semester-by-Semester Program Plan" within the pathway to see specific class requirements.

Letters of Recommendation are required for many college applications. Letters can come from teachers, coaches, counselors, and mentors. Teachers and staff put a lot of time and effort into writing letters of recommendation, so please give enough notice to the recommender. 

• Step 1: Ask your teacher for a letter of recommendation. Please ask your teachers if they will write you a letter of recommendation in person. You should only ask 2 teachers to write you a letter of recommendation unless the school requires you to have additional letters.
• Step 2: Complete your Brag Sheet and share it with your recommender. 
• Step 3: Request the letter of recommendation in SchooLinks.
• Click the “Colleges” tab on the left side and “College Applications”
• Click “+ Add application” in the upper right corner and search for the school.
• Click “Add application”, answer the questions that follow, and click “Save Application”.
• Under “TEACHER EVALUATIONS” you will see the required letters of recommendation. 
• Click “Add Recommender” and search for the teacher by email, click “Next”, select a subject, and click “Submit Request”
• Step 4: Confirm that your teacher received the Brag Sheet and Schoolinks request. 
• Step 5: After the letter is complete, say thank you to your teacher. An email or thank you note is a great way to show your appreciation. 

There are many scholarships available to you. Many scholarships come directly from the college. You will be notified of the awards from the college in your acceptance letter or when you receive your award letter.

You can also apply for outside scholarships. SchooLinks has an integrated Scholarship Matching feature and there are also many databases available on the internet. Do your research to make sure you meet all the criteria for a scholarship. Take the time to complete all the requirements. To help in your search, we have compiled a list of scholarships we recommend you check out as well as a list of databases. We will continue to update this list so we encourage you to check back frequently. Here are some helpful tips for getting scholarships.

Scholarship highlights for undocumented students

• TheDream.US: Their National Scholarship Award will cover your tuition and fees up to a maximum of $16,500 for an associate degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree, at one of their Partner Colleges in Illinois.
• Golden Door Scholars: provides DACAmented & undocumented students with the financial aid and support needed to invest in their education and define their futures. More than scholarships, GDS is a vibrant and determined community that offers comprehensive support including career readiness programs, mentorship, and intentional programming, going beyond financial assistance.
• The Illinois Dream Fund Scholarship: seeks to create access to equitable financial resources to further the growth and development of the immigrant leaders of tomorrow. With the generous offerings of private donors in-kind donations, the Illinois Dream Fund provides scholarships for undocumented students, across Illinois.