Scholarship and College Application Tracker

Scholarship tracker and college application tracker spreadsheet: every school and every scholarship in one workbook, with the days left to each deadline worked out for you. The dashboard shows your next deadlines, what is still missing for each application, your open tasks, application fees and scholarship money applied for and awarded.

WHAT IT DOES

• Colleges tab: school, location, application type (Early Decision, Early Decision II, Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, Regular Decision, Rolling, Priority), platform, deadline, application fee, fee waiver, supplements needed and done, test policy, letters requested and received, transcript sent, scores sent, aid forms, status, decision date and a portal notes column (please don't store passwords)
• Days left and items left worked out for every school you still have to submit: supplements still to write, letters still to come, transcript, scores. Rows turn amber when a deadline is due soon (you choose how many days) and red once it has passed
• 9 starter statuses from Researching to Enrolled (Submitted, Deferred, Waitlisted, Accepted, Rejected, Withdrawn). Rename them or add your own, and choose which ones count as still to submit, submitted or accepted
• Scholarships tab: name, provider, amount, deadline, essay, letters and transcript needed, other requirements, renewable, status (Not started, In progress, Submitted, Awarded, Not awarded), amount awarded and notes. Days left and due-soon colours here too
• Tasks tab: every to-do with a due date, linked to a school or scholarship from a drop-down that fills itself from your lists. Overdue tasks turn red, tasks due soon amber, finished tasks green
• Aid Compare tab: up to 6 schools side by side: tuition and fees, housing and meals, books, travel and personal costs, grants, scholarships, work-study and loans. It works out total cost, total gift aid, net price, what is left to pay after work-study and loans, the net price over all years, gift aid as a % of cost and a rank by net price. Each school's net price also shows on the Colleges tab
• Dashboard: schools on your list, still to submit, submitted, accepted, deadlines due soon, past deadline, supplements left, letters still to come, application fees to pay and fees waived; scholarships tracked, still to submit, money applied for, waiting to hear and awarded; open, overdue and due-soon tasks
• Lists on the dashboard: your next 8 college deadlines, next 6 scholarship deadlines and next 6 tasks, plus schools by status
• Two charts: schools by status and scholarship money (still to apply for, applied for, waiting to hear, awarded)
• Room for 60 colleges, 100 scholarships and 300 tasks. Amounts are plain numbers, so any currency works

WHAT YOU GET

• College-Application-and-Scholarship-Tracker.xlsx (blank)
• College-Application-and-Scholarship-Tracker-with-Sample-Data.xlsx (a filled-in example: 10 schools, 8 scholarships, 14 tasks and 3 aid offers, as of late October of senior year)
• Quick-start guide (PDF)

HOW YOU GET IT

Digital download. After checkout you get a download page right away, plus a receipt by email. Nothing is shipped.

COMPATIBILITY

• Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer (Windows or Mac) and Excel for the web
• Google Sheets: upload the .xlsx to Google Drive, open it, then File > Save as Google Sheets
• Needs a computer or tablet with a spreadsheet app. This is not an app or a printable planner, and it does not submit applications or send reminders

GOOD FOR

High school seniors and their parents applying to college, plus transfer and graduate school applicants, who want every deadline, requirement, scholarship and aid offer in one place.

PLEASE NOTE

An organizing tool. It is not admissions or financial aid advice, and it is not connected to or endorsed by any college, application platform, aid program or testing organization. You type in your own schools, deadlines and figures; always check each deadline on the school's or scholarship's own website. For your own personal use; please don't resell or share the files.

DISCLAIMER

This template is a planning tool and does not replace advice from a qualified or licensed professional (such as a school counselor, financial aid officer, accountant or lawyer). Check the results, and every official deadline and aid offer, before you rely on them.

HOW IT WAS MADE

Designed by VARS Digital with AI-assisted tools. Every formula is checked before release, and the sample file shows each tab working.

QUESTIONS

Email varsdigitals@gmail.com and we'll help you get set up.