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The College Application Tracker spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets, with room for 30 schools. A dashboard preview shows schools on the list, applications sent, next deadline, open deadlines, scholarships awarded and lowest net price, with labels for Reach, Target, Safety, Scholarships and Compare offers.

College Application Tracker & Scholarship Planner

Applying to college means many schools, many deadlines and many small tasks. The College Application Tracker puts them on one timeline, so you can see what is overdue and what is coming up.

List your schools as Reach, Target or Safety, add the essays, transcripts and forms you need for each one, track scholarships and recommendation letters, and compare award letters side by side by net price.

It is a digital download for Excel and Google Sheets, made for students and families.

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Digital download. Works in Excel and Google Sheets. Nothing is shipped.

What this spreadsheet tracks

Up to 30 schools with category, round, deadline, status, fee and decision date
Up to 300 tasks such as essays, transcripts, test scores and financial aid forms
Up to 40 scholarships with amount, deadline and status, with awarded and pending money totaled
Up to 10 recommenders, with a reminder to say thank you once a letter is in
Up to 15 award letters compared by net price, loans and rank
A dashboard with 8 tiles and 4 charts

Who it's for

High school students applying to college
Parents and counselors who help keep track
Students comparing financial aid offers

How it works

Set your application cycle on Start Here.
Add your schools and the tasks for each one.
Add scholarships and the people writing your letters.
Enter your award letters on Compare Offers and check the Dashboard.

See inside

College application dashboard with 8 summary tiles and charts for open deadlines by month, where each application stands and the list by category, plus net price by school, a table of overdue and upcoming items and a panel of items that need attention.

Schools tab listing schools with category Reach, Target or Safety, application round, deadline, status, platform, app fee and decision date, plus data check, days left, tasks done, progress and heads-up columns.

Tasks tab with essays, supplements, test scores, transcripts and financial aid forms linked to schools, each with a due date, status, days left and heads-up. An overdue task is highlighted in red.

Scholarships tab with amount, deadline, status, renewable and essay needed, above the Recommenders tab showing who was asked, due dates and whether each letter is submitted, with a thank-you reminder.

Compare Offers tab with cost per year, grants and scholarships, work-study and loans for four schools, calculating net price for year 1, out of pocket, net price over all years, loans, estimated monthly loan payment and rank, with the lowest net price highlighted.

Start Here tab with student name, application cycle, years of study, yearly cost increase and loan assumptions, a short explanation of how the tracker works, seven setup steps, a color code and a list of the tabs.

List of the 7 tabs included in The College Application Tracker and three steps: download, add your schools and deadlines, then follow your timeline. No macros, no subscription, for your own use, digital download.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work in Excel and Google Sheets?

Yes. You get an Excel workbook and a PDF guide with a link to make your own copy in Google Sheets. The two versions are separate files and do not sync.

Does it give admissions or financial advice?

No. It is a tracking tool. Dates, costs and offers come from you, so confirm them with each school.

Does it submit applications?

No. It only helps you keep track. You still apply through each school's own system.

Is there an example file?

Yes. A second Excel file is filled with example data, so you can see how everything works before using your own numbers.