Where you should be right now
It is October. If you have not applied yet, you have plenty of time — the final fall deadline is August 1, 2027 — but the best scholarship consideration goes to students admitted by December 1, 2026, and decisions take about two weeks. Applying before mid-November is the simple way to get there. The application has no fee and no essay.
Fall 2026: apply and file
| Month | Checklist |
|---|---|
| August | Applications for fall 2027 opened August 1. Confirm your senior schedule meets the course requirements. |
| September | Meet the Porter counselor visiting your school (see the travel schedule). Ask your school to send a transcript, or self-report and send it later. |
| October | The 2027–28 FAFSA opened October 1 — file it with a parent. Visit at the October 24 Ironclad Preview Day. Apply by October 31 for a decision before Thanksgiving. |
| November | Watch your email for a decision about two weeks after applying, then activate your Porter account. Preview Day November 14. (Starting in January instead? The spring 2027 priority date is November 1.) |
| December | Admitted by December 1: first-round merit review. The Foundation scholarship application opens the same day; start it over winter break. |
Winter 2027: scholarships and aid
| Month | Checklist |
|---|---|
| January | Design and Honors applicants: portfolio and Honors priority date January 15. If your decision was deferred, first-semester grades are due January 29. |
| February | February 1 is the priority date for admission, automatic scholarships and the FAFSA. Everything after this still counts, but against a smaller pool. |
| March | Submit the Foundation scholarship application by March 5. Answer any verification request by March 15. Orientation registration opens March 1 for students who have deposited. |
All of these dates are collected on scholarship deadlines and priority dates.
Spring 2027: decide
- April: aid offers for priority filers arrive by April 1. Compare schools on net price — charges minus grants and scholarships — not on the size of the scholarship headline. Reading your financial aid offer walks through one line by line. Attend Admitted Student Day if you can.
- May 1: pay the $100 enrollment deposit (or have it waived) and submit your housing application to keep the first-year housing guarantee. See enrollment deposit and confirmation.
- May: AP exams, if you are taking them; have scores sent to Porter.
Summer 2027: get ready
| When | Checklist |
|---|---|
| June | Complete math placement, then attend a two-day orientation session (June 14 through July 27). You leave with a registered fall schedule. |
| By July 1 | Report any outside scholarships to Financial Aid. |
| By July 15 | Official final high school transcript, with graduation date, received by Porter. |
| July | Upload immunization records; housing assignments and roommate information arrive. |
| Late August | Fall bill due about a week before classes. First-year move-in August 28–29; First Forge that week; classes begin September 1, 2027. |
The details of the summer stretch are on the new student checklist.
If something goes sideways
- You missed December 1. Apply anyway. Everyone admitted by February 1 is still reviewed automatically for merit and access scholarships.
- Your decision was deferred. That is a request for senior grades, not a no. Send them by January 29 and call your counselor if anything needs explaining.
- The aid offer does not work. Call Financial Aid in April, not August. A change in family income, a medical bill or a job loss can support a financial aid appeal, and there is time for it to matter in spring.
- Senior year wobbles. One bad quarter is not a crisis. A failing grade in a required course can be, so tell your counselor before the final transcript does.
- You want a gap year. Admitted students can defer for a year; see gap year planning.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every deadline, orientation date and move-in day in this timeline is invented for a fictional university; seniors applying to real colleges should follow those colleges’ own calendars.