Frequently Asked Questions

What is Georgia Apply to College?

Georgia Apply to College (GAC), originally called Georgia Apply to College Week, was first held in 2008, and is the result of collaboration between the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the Technical College System of Georgia, the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Communities in Schools and the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education. Georgia Apply to College, held during the month of November each year, has the goal of providing all Georgia high school seniors the opportunity to apply to college using the GAcollege411.org website while receiving assistance from specially trained college and community volunteers. The event has a focus on providing assistance to first generation and underrepresented students as they complete an application for admission. Prior to participating in the event, students are encouraged to complete preparatory work, such as creating a GAcollege411 account, researching colleges and completing a practice application, so that they can make the most of the assistance they will receive during their school's event and successfully submit at least one college admission application at that time.

Does Georgia Apply to College offer free college applications?

No. Georgia Apply to College does not provide free college applications or application fee waivers for students. Participation in this program will not allow students to apply to college for free. The focus of GAC is providing assistance to seniors as they complete college applications.

In the first and second years of GAC, some colleges elected to waive application fees in support of the event. Because of the number of “soft” or non-serious applications received, the colleges notified us that they would not be able to continue offering fee waivers. Some colleges may decide on their own to waive application fees, and some schools never charge an application fee for online submissions. It is the responsibility of the individual institution to communicate information about application fees to high schools. The GAC Committee has no knowledge of fee waivers, and is unable to provide a list of schools without application fees. Please contact the college directly if you have questions.

What resources are available to help my high school hold a successful Georgia Apply to College event?

All high schools are encouraged to use the materials provided on the "Materials for Participating High Schools" section of this website. These resources include a Site Coordinator Handbook, a Volunteer Handbook, and the Georgia Apply to College Guideway available to students through the GAcollege411 website. All participating Site Coordinators are required to participate in Site Coordinator training held during the first week of September each year. During the training, the available GAC materials and resources are reviewed.

When is Georgia Apply to College?

Georgia Apply to College (GAC) is held during the month of November each year. Participating high schools select a day during GAC to hold their event.

What is a Georgia Apply to College Site Coordinator?

In order to apply to participate in Georgia Apply to College (GAC), a high school must identify a Georgia Apply to College Site Coordinator. The GAC Site Coordinator is a high school professional who will be the primary GAC coordinator for that high school and who will be the GAC Committee's primary contact person at that high school. All GAC Site Coordinators are required to participate in GAC Site Coordinator training held during the first week of September each year. The Site Coordinator training typically lasts two hours and is conducted online. In addition to identifying a Site Coordinator, each high school is also asked to provide a Site Coordinator backup. Site Coordinators are encouraged to establish a GAC team at their high school to help ensure all students complete the necessary preparations, that all seniors have the opportunity to participate, and that the event is a success.

What are my responsibilities as a Georgia Apply to College (GAC) Site Coordinator?

The Georgia Apply to College (GAC) Committee works closely with the Site Coordinator from each participating high school to ensure that their school event is a success. Some of the responsibilities of the Site Coordinator include:

• Reserving the appropriate location at the school where the event will be held (typically a computer lab or media center)
• Ensuring that an appropriate number of working, internet-ready computers and printers will be available during the event
• Developing a schedule for the day of the event to ensure ALL students will have the opportunity to participate and that sufficient volunteers will be available for the duration of the event
• Distributing student materials prior to the event and working with teachers to ensure students complete the appropriate activities and college research prior to the event
• Recruiting and communicating college and community volunteers to provide assistance at their high school. The Georgia Apply to College Committee will provide training for all volunteers, and will continue to help spread the word about GAC, and encourage representatives from the Georgia Student Finance Commission, Georgia colleges, universities, and technical schools, local Chambers of Commerce, and other agencies to help support participating high schools.

How can my high school apply to participate in the next Georgia Apply to College event?

Each year, in late winter/early spring, the Georgia Apply to College program application is made available on the Georgia Apply to College website and April 15th is the application deadline. Schools are notified of their selection approximately 4-6 weeks following the deadline.

Why does the application ask for my principal's information?

Over the years, the Georgia Apply to College (GAC) committee has found that one of the keys to a high school holding a successful GAC event is the overwhelming support of the high school administration. For this reason, we ask that each high school provide their principal's information on the GAC application to ensure the principal is aware of, and supports, their high school's participation in the GAC event. Principal support helps to ensure all seniors will be given sufficient opportunities to prepare for and participate in the GAC event.

What if my high school needs to change the event date after the application is submitted?

When completing the application to participate, high schools are asked to provide their first, second and third choice dates for their school's event during Georgia Apply to College. The Georgia Apply to College committee makes every effort to provide each selected high school with their preferred event date, but in order to ensure adequate resources can be provided to each selected school, in some situations a school may receive their second or third choice. If a selected school finds that they are unable to hold their event on the designated date, the high school site coordinator should contact the GAC committee immediately to determine if another date is available.

How and when will my high school be notified if selected?

April 15th is the deadline for high schools to apply to participate. Once all submitted applications have been reviewed by the GAC committee, each high school will receive an email notification of their selection. At that time, the Site Coordinators from the selected schools are asked to accept the invitation to participate. Once a high school accepts the invitation, they are listed as a participating high school on the GAC website. In the fall, each Site Coordinator will participate in Site Coordinator training. Following training, a final survey will be given to officially confirm participation in the event.

Do the selected high schools receive help identifying volunteers to provide assistance during the event?

It is recommended that 1 adult be present for every 5-6 students on computers (ex. In a computer lab with 30 students, 5-6 adults would be recommended). This allows students to receive the attention that may be necessary. Because GAC is quickly moving toward the goal of becoming a state-wide event, volunteer coordination will now be the responsibility of each participating school. The Georgia Apply to College Committee will provide training for all volunteers, and will continue to help spread the word about GAC, and encourage representatives from the Georgia Student Finance Commission, Georgia colleges, universities, and technical schools, local Chambers of Commerce, and other agencies to help support participating high schools, but will not be coordinating volunteers for individual school events. Plan to utilize counseling staff, teachers, administrators, parents, local college or business representatives, and others to meet the volunteer needs for your event.

Do the selected high schools receive training prior to Georgia Apply to College?

Each high school selected for participation in Georgia Apply to College (GAC) is required to identify a GAC Site Coordinator. In early September, all Site Coordinators are provided GAC Site Coordinator training. This training, which is offered online, covers important topics to help the participating high schools plan and hold a successful Georgia Apply to College event. The training includes a review of the available GAC materials so that high schools can make the most of the available resources, among other things.

Do all of my high school's seniors have to participate in Georgia Apply to College?

The purpose of the Georgia Apply to College (GAC) is to provide all high school seniors with the opportunity to apply to college while receiving assistance from specially trained college and community volunteers, with an emphasis on providing assistance to first generation and underrepresented students. We understand that by early November, some seniors may have already applied to college and even finalized their college plans. Those students who have already made the appropriate plans for college do not need to participate in Georgia Apply to College. We strongly encourage all other students to take advantage of Georgia Apply to College and ask that participating high schools ensure all seniors who have not yet finalized their plans be given the opportunity to participate. The Georgia Apply to College events should not be limited to specific groups of students, such as only those enrolled in a specific English course. We also ask that high schools do not require their students sign-up to participate as we have found that, in many cases, those students who stand to benefit the most from the event are those least likely to sign-up ahead of time.

How long should my high school's Georgia Apply to College event last?

When completing the application to participate in Georgia Apply to College, each high school is asked to provide a first, second and third choice date for their school's event to be held during Georgia Apply to College. The actual duration of each GAC event on the selected day is determined by the high school and should be based on the size of their senior class size and the number of available computers. Typically, a participating high school will start their event first thing in the morning and it will last until early afternoon. It is STRONGLY recommended that your event be held during the regular school day. Past experience has shown that students who would benefit most from the event are the least likely to attend after school events. If special arrangements are necessary, please indicate this on the GAC application. High schools are asked to provide their event times on their application for participation so that this information can be made available on the volunteer registration form.

What type of assistance do the college and community volunteers provide during the event?

Georgia Apply to College could not happen without the assistance of the college and community volunteers. For many students, especially first generation students, completing the application process can be confusing and even overwhelming. During Georgia Apply to College, the specially trained volunteers play a crucial role by helping students complete and submit their online admission application(s) using the GAcollege411.org website. The assistance typically provided by volunteers includes:

• Welcoming students and making sure they sign-in
• Directing students to open computers
• Assisting students as they navigate to the online applications on GAcollege411.org
• Answering any questions students may have as they complete their application(s) for admission
• Sharing college experiences and helping students get excited about college

Can I hold a college fair during my high school's Georgia Apply to College event?

The purpose of Georgia Apply to College (GAC) is to provide high school seniors with hands-on assistance from specially trained college and community volunteers as they complete at least one application for admission using GAcollege411.org. In order to ensure all volunteers and students are focused on this task, we ask that the participating high schools avoid holding a college fair or other college recruitment activities during their GAC event. During Georgia Apply to College, we ask that all college volunteers take off their "institution hat" and provide assistance to students, regardless of their college selection. High schools are welcome to hold a college fair either before or after their GAC event.

If my high school is not among those selected, can we still hold a Georgia Apply to College event on our own?

Eight high schools participated in the first annual Georgia Apply to College Week event held in November of 2008. Since that time, Georgia Apply to College has continued to grow each year and our goal is for GAC to eventually be held across the state. Those high schools that are not officially selected to participate are more than welcome to hold their own GAC event and may take advantage of all of the materials and resources available on this website as well as the Apply to College Guideway available on GAcollege411.org. Please let us know if you are holding your own event so that we can highlight your event on this website!

May I invite other schools to participate in the event at my high school?

Yes, if your school has a sufficient number of computers and printers to allow students from other schools to participate at your high school, then we welcome you to invite other schools to join your event. We just ask that you notify the Georgia Apply to College committee by emailing gacw@usg.edu so that we can ensure enough supporting materials are available.

How will I know if my high school is participating?

The list of participating high schools will be posted on this website by late spring or early summer. Georgia Apply to College continues to grow each year. If your school isn’t participating this year, we hope they can be included next year!

What is the advantage of my school participating?

Applying to college can sometimes be a confusing and sometimes frustrating process. Georgia Apply to College was developed to provide high school seniors with assistance as they work on their application(s) for admission through the GAcollege411.org website. In many cases, the volunteers are admission staff from local colleges – who better to help as you work on your application! In addition, in the months and weeks leading up to Georgia Apply to College, students from participating schools will be provided activities to complete which will help make researching and applying for college that much easier. With the help of these activities and the volunteers, college can be within reach!

I have questions about how I can pay for college. Will someone be available during the event to answer these types of questions?

In addition to providing assistance to students as they work on their applications for admission during the event, volunteers may also be available to answer financial aid questions. These volunteers could include representatives from the Georgia Student Finance Commission and representatives from the college Financial Aid offices in the state. Each school’s event is a little different.

What do I need to bring with me on the day of the event?

On the day of the event, you will need to bring the following with you:

• Your GAcollege411.org login information.
• A list of the schools to which you would like to apply.
• Information that will be needed to complete the application (for example, a list of the classes you will be taking during your senior year, list of SAT/ACT test dates and scores earned (if already taken), and tuition classification information).
• Completed essays saved on a disk, if required.
• A method to pay the application fee, if required (or the application may be saved and submitted with the payment when you get home that evening).

What is my role as a Georgia Apply to College volunteer?

Georgia Apply to College could not happen without the assistance of the volunteers. For many students, especially first generation students, completing the application process can be confusing and even overwhelming. During Georgia Apply to College, volunteers play a crucial role by helping students complete and submit their online application(s) for admission using GAcollege411.org.

How do I sign up to participate as a Georgia Apply to College volunteer?

Each summer, as high schools begin confirming their participation, their high school name and event information is added to our website. Individuals interested in supporting a high school event should contact the school directly and ask to speak to their Georgia Apply to College Site Coordinator.