Prospective Students

If you think you have to wait two more years to go to college, think again.

NAASE empowers high-achieving students like you to begin full-time on-campus study at The University of Iowa after junior year of high school. Next year could be your last year of high school. Think of it as senior skip year—will you be ready? Use these tips as you are preparing to apply to NAASE to enter college early.

• Decide whether you want to graduate from your high school at the end of your junior year or after your first year at the University. If you want to graduate after three years, make sure you communicate that with your school administrators. If you attend a private institution, discuss with administrators any tuition requirements for finishing your last year at The University of Iowa.
• Continue to take as many honors or AP courses as possible. These courses will help prepare you academically for the challenge of university course work.
• Refer to the Building Your Future Resource (pdf) for entry requirements for The University of Iowa. Work with your guidance counselor to make sure you are meeting the specific requirements of the college you plan to enter at Iowa.
• Take the PLAN or PSAT exam early in the year. Your high school counselor will probably recommend you take these as you prepare for the ACT or SAT.
• Plan to take the ACT early so that you have time to re-take to achieve an optimal score. To be eligible for the Presidential Scholarship at The University of Iowa, an ACT score of 30 is required. Taking it multiple times allows you to increase your score by preparing for the sections you need.
• Attend a NAASE Information Day in the fall. Learn more about the program, visit campus, and meet with the staff members at the Belin-Blank Center.
• Attend a residential summer camp for the experience of being away from home for an extended period of time. It can be an academic program, a sports camp, or any other summer camp offered on a college or university’s campus. The Belin-Blank Center offers a number of residential summer programs that are academically and socially stimulating.
• Look for internship and job-shadowing opportunities. Admissions officers like to see well-rounded applicants who have participated in high school extracurricular activites, but also consider volunteering or job shadowing in a career area that interests you.
• Keep track of your achievements so when you start filling out college applications, you won’t have to try to remember all of your awards and extracurricular activities.