First-Year Students
A clear route from your previous learning to the work you want to do next.
Your first college chapter.
The first-year route is for students entering college from secondary school. A record of your learning matters, and so does the way you explain a question or project that stayed with you.
Materials to prepare
- Application profile and academic interests
- Secondary-school transcript
- One teacher or counselor reference
- 400–600 word reflection on a question, project or learning experience
A useful way to tell the story
Write 400–600 words about a question, project or learning experience. Describe what you did, what changed in your thinking and the part you would like to understand better. A clear account is more useful than a polished claim about a future career.
Keep these dates close
Fall 2027 priority applications are due November 15, 2026. Regular applications are due February 15, 2027, with records completed by February 22. The reply date is May 1.
All application datesPut a budget beside your plan
Read the annual direct costs separately from estimated books, transportation and personal expenses. College-funded scholarships appear in the individual offer. Fall 2027 applicants should treat current-year figures as a reference until the 2027–2028 schedule is published on March 1, 2027.
Before you arrive
A reply to an offer is followed by final records, an advising conversation and any housing or access planning. Your orientation introduces the people and spaces you will use in the first semester.