April College Planning Calendar squares w/ piggy bank, student athletes, CX logo

College Planning Calendar: April 2024

Happy spring! Help your students get ready for standardized tests, the end of the admission process, and more with this month’s College Planning Calendar.

It’s finally springtime! Flowers are blooming, the weather is warming up, and students will soon be prepping for finals and looking forward to the end of the school year. April is eventful, and a lot of your students will be off to college in just six short months. Be sure they’re ready for everything on the horizon with our April College Planning Calendar. Happy planning!

General monthly planning

Month-long observances and events

Monday, April 1

CollegeXpress easy monthly scholarship opens

Today is the first day to enter our Favorite Color Scholarship contest! Your students could win $1,000 just by telling us what their favorite color is. Create a free CX account (or log back in) and answer the question—no additional applications or long essays required!

Tuesday, April 2

World Autism Day

Today is a day to celebrate Autistic individuals across the globe and raise awareness about the learning differences for those who don’t know about it.

Thursday, April 4

Free financial planning webinar

Kaplan isn’t just helping students with the SAT and ACT this month—they’re also offering webinars on college planning in general! Students can sign up for their free Financial Planning for College: A Deep Dive Into Timelines class on Thursday the 4th from 7:30–8:30 pm ET.

National School Librarian Day

Today honors the professionals who keep school libraries in order. Be sure to thank your librarians today!

Friday, April 5

Start of National Wildlife Week

Sponsored by the National Wildlife Foundation, this week-long celebration is dedicated to honoring and supporting the beauty and diversity of America’s wild creatures.


@bbcamerica via GIPHY

Saturday, April 6

National Student-Athlete Day

This day recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of student-athletes, both academically and athletically. Give your school’s student-athletes some extra praise today!

  • 4 Things Student-Athletes Should Do This Summer: Here are a few ways high school athletes can stay busy, have fun, and even make a little money while staying involved with the sport(s) they love this summer (in between workouts and practices, of course!).

Sunday, April 7

World Health Day

Sponsored by the World Health Organization, this global awareness day promotes both mental and physical health, with the 2024 theme of “My health, my right.” 

Free ACT prep class

Kaplan is offering their usual monthly ACT Live Online Trial Classes to help students prepare for the standardized test. The first free session of the month takes place on Sunday the 7th from 6:00–8:00 pm ET.

Start of National Library Week

Sponsored by the American Library Association since 1958, National Library Week honors the important role libraries and librarians play in our schools. This year’s theme is “Ready, Set, Library!”

Gif of stack of books and cloud with words "When in doubt, go to the library"
@IntoAction via GIPHY

Thursday, April 11

Free skill-building webinar

Kaplan is also helping students learn how to build skills for college with a webinar on leadership, communication, teamwork, and more. Students can plan to settle in for this session between 7:30–8:30 pm ET on Wednesday the 11th.

Saturday, April 13

ACT test date

Today is an ACT test date for students across the country.

Monday, April 15

World Art Day

Encourage students to pursue their artistic passions and celebrate all things art on this day designated by the International Association of Art.

Patriots’ Day

This holiday is celebrated in Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and some places in Florida to commemorate the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy—some of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. The city of Boston celebrates by holding the annual Boston Marathon every year. #BostonStrong

Tax Day

Individual income tax returns are due to the US federal government today. Help your students learn about this ultimate financial task with our expert advice on What Is Important to Know About Taxes as a Student?

Wednesday, April 17

Free ACT prep class

The second Kaplan ACT prep session students can sign up for will take place on Wednesday the 17th from 5:30–7:30 pm ET.

Thursday, April 18

Free high school success webinar 

Your students can create a road map for success with Kaplan's free Navigating High School: Coursework and College Goals webinar on Thursday the 18th from 7:30–8:30 pm ET.

Friday, April 19

SAT regular registration deadline

Today is the regular registration deadline for the May 4 SAT test date.

Sunday, April 21

Start of National Volunteer Week

This special week promotes service to others, but students also get the added benefit of boosting their résumés with volunteering experiences—a true win-win!

Gif of sticker with words "hello I volunteered. You should too."writing out on it
@IntoAction via GIPHY

Monday, April 22

Earth Day

This annual event is dedicated to demonstrating support of environmental protection for our entire planet. Since it was first held in 1970, over one billion people in more than 193 countries have coordinated global events in honor of Earth Day.

Passover

The Jewish holiday of Passover begins today at sundown and commemorates the Israelite’s emancipation from slavery in Ancient Egypt. Chag Pesach sameach to all those who celebrate!

Tuesday, April 23

Late SAT registration deadline

Today is the late registration deadline as well as the deadline for changes and cancellations for the May 4 SAT test date.

Thursday, April 25

Free college admission tests webinar

Catch Kaplan's last free webinar of the month—All About College Admissions Tests: SATs, ACTs, and More—on April 25 from 7:30–8:30 pm ET.

Tuesday, April 30

CollegeXpress easy monthly scholarship deadline

Today is the last day to enter our Favorite Color Scholarship contest! Remind your students to complete registration by today for a chance to win $1,000. They should also check out our list of scholarships with April deadlines before the month is over!

Did you know you can feature our top resources on your website? Head over to our Free College Widgets page to learn more. It’s also a great time for students to look for scholarships using our Scholarship Search tool!

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

About CollegeXpress

CollegeXpress

Welcome to CollegeXpress, your one-stop college shop! We’re a free college planning website used by millions of college-bound students, parents, and counselors—anyone who needs help navigating the college search and application process, financial aid opportunities, and more. 

You’ll find comprehensive College Search and Scholarship Search tools, tons of articles and expert advice, unique college Lists & Rankings, and lots of other resources to help make your life easier. Teen Vogue even named us one of the 7 Best College Search Websites!

Current college students and recent grads also love CollegeXpress for our Graduate Program Search tool and endless information on student life, internships, and beyond. We really have something for everyone, no matter where you are in your college journey.

Create a free CollegeXpress account to start connecting with colleges, winning scholarships, and simplifying your life as a student!

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Emmanuel College

Boston, MA


Ida Akoto-Wiafe

Ida Akoto-Wiafe

High School Class of 2022

I wanted a school that wasn't too far away from home and could provide me with a full-ride scholarship. CollegeXpress helped me put into perspective the money I had to pay to attend those schools, which ultimately drove me to choose to attend a community college first to get used to being in college before transferring to the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, one of the colleges I was able to research further on CollegeXpress.

Ruth Aguilar

Ruth Aguilar

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me by providing me with many scholarship opportunities and information about universities I want to attend. What I love about CollgeXpress is how it provides a variety of information, and as the first child attending a university next year, it has been very essential and helpful. I’m so grateful for this because the information provided by CollegeXpress has also helped me see that there are so many college opportunities, and it always informs me by email. In other words, CollegeXpress has been like a guide for me as a future college student.

Jeff Parsons

Jeff Parsons

Counselor

Thank you so much for this valuable information about these opportunities. I truly appreciate the CollegeXpress communications and use them to keep my high school seniors informed about their opportunities!

Keydi Banegas

Keydi Banegas

Scholarship for Students of Color Winner, Class of 2022

CollegeXpress is a great application that helped me search for many different scholarships, and it narrows the scholarships depending on how you set your profile. Not only that, but it helps you choose different colleges to apply to by finding matches through the description of your profile. It was the best experience for me.

Heather McCarty

Heather McCarty

High School Class of 2020

CollegeXpress has helped me with the college application process. The tips and tricks for important essays were so helpful. I also gained useful knowledge about college life. Even though I’m fully online, CollegeXpress has helped me develop a sense of how college is in person. The experiences from college students that were featured on their Instagram page have shown the good, the bad, and the “secret” life on campus from a reliable perspective. Not to mention, they relieved my feelings of anxiety about the workload. I can now understand how it can be stressful, but it takes self-control and willpower to get assignments completed on time and with quality.