College planning calendar with pics of sleepy student, feet by fire, CX logo

College Planning Calendar: December 2024

There’s end-of-semester prep to do before the holidays! Use our College Planning Calendar to help students keep up with test dates, college apps, and more.

The holidays are upon us! We all know there’s a lot of fun to be had in December, but there’s also plenty of college prep students can do over the next few weeks into winter break. Before everyone gets cozy on vacation, help your students get ready for the college admission process, end-of-semester exams, and more with this month’s College Planning Calendar. We hope you have the happiest holiday season and a great end to a busy year!

General monthly planning

Month-long observances and celebrations

Sunday, December 1

World AIDS Day

First observed in 1988, today is an opportunity to get educated about HIV and AIDS, plus ways to prevent them.

New CollegeXpress easy monthly scholarship opens

Get ready for holiday fun with our Winter Wonderland Scholarship! Starting December 1, for a chance to win $2,000, students just have to register on (or sign back in to) CollegeXpress and tell us which they enjoy more: holiday movies or music? That’s it! It’s easy and free to enter, so make sure they do so before the end of the month!

Gif of Black woman with purple hair in winter coat looking around saying it's a winter wonderland
@winterwonderland via GIPHY

Tuesday, December 3

Giving Tuesday

If you need another excuse to help others during the holiday season, Giving Tuesday is all about the spirit of giving back—whether it’s with your time, money, or voice for causes you care about.

Wednesday, December 4

Free ACT prep class

Kaplan is offering more opportunities to join one of their usual monthly ACT Live Online Trial Classes to help students prepare for the standardized test. The first of two free sessions planned for this month takes place on Wednesday the 4th from 7:30–9:30 pm ET.

National Cookie Day

Everyone loves cookies during the holidays! Celebrate by baking and sharing with the ones you love.

Thursday, December 5

Walt Disney Day

Celebrate all things Disney today in honor of the legendary imagineer’s birthday! Students who really love Disney can even consider joining the Disney College Program as part of their higher education.

Gif of Pluto eating a slice of birthday cake then licking Mickey Mouse
@MickeyMouse via GIPHY

Saturday, December 7

SAT test date

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

Sunday, December 8

Free scholarship and digital SAT webinar for parents

Prep Expert’s Dr. Shaan Patel is offering his revamped free parents webinar on strategies to help teens win college scholarships and ace the new digital SAT. The webinar will take place on December 8 at 5:00 pm ET. Be sure to share this opportunity to help parents and students who are still familiarizing themselves with the new test format!

Free ACT prep class

Kaplan’s second free ACT Live Online Trial Class for the month will take place on Sunday the 8th from 6:00–8:00 pm ET.

Monday, December 9

CX Gives Back Giveaway week begins

It’s time for our eighth annual CX Gives Back Giveaway, where we thank our wonderful student community by giving back to them and helping them give back to others! This year, we’re supporting Boys & Girls Club of America, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, and the Salvation Army.

Gif of three varying size presents bopping up and down
@motiongarten via GIPHY

Computer Science Education Week

Today is also the beginning of Computer Science Education Week! Encourage students to pursue their STEM dreams by helping them connect with our featured Science & Engineering colleges.

Tuesday, December 10

Human Rights Day

Designated by the UN in 1948, Human Rights Day celebrates the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—did you know it’s available in 577 languages, making it the most translated document in the world? This year’s theme for the 76th annual HRD is “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now.”  

Saturday, December 14

ACT test date

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

Monday, December 16

Rising Researchers Neuroscience Winter Camp begins

This intensive Neuroscience and Research Methodologies course from Moon Prep lets students participate in online research guided by a STEM mentor for eight sessions over four weeks. Participants should expect to commit to sessions on Mondays and Thursdays for up to an hour and a half until January 16. Spots are limited, so remind your students to apply soon if they’re interested! (Please note: This is not a free opportunity.)

Rising Researchers Biology & Coding Winter Camp begins

If Neuroscience isn’t what your students are looking for, Moon Prep is also offering a Biology Meets No-Code AI and ML Programming course starting on the same day. Students again should prepare for eight sessions over four weeks on Mondays and Thursdays for up to an hour and a half until January 16. Help students sign up for this awesome opportunity if it’s within their budget!

Gif of Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory in bed saying what a fine day for science
Dexter’s Laboratory via GIPHY

Friday, December 20

SAT scores released

Scores for the December 7 SAT test date should be released today and sent to colleges within 10 days.

Tuesday, December 24

ACT scores released

Scores for the December 14 ACT test date will be released between today and February 7.

Wednesday, December 25

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate!

First day of Hanukkah

We hope the Jewish community has a peaceful and loving eight days of celebrating this year. Happy Hanukkah!

Thursday, December 26

First day of Kwanzaa

Joyous Kwanzaa to the African and African American community!

Gif of three people in Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas sweaters, with words celebrate diversity
@LAvsHate via GIPHY

Boxing Day

This holiday is celebrated on the second day of Christmastide in Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries. It’s also known as St. Stephen’s Day in Ireland and the Day of Goodwill in South Africa.

Tuesday, December 31

CollegeXpress Winter Wonderland Scholarship deadline

We’re giving away $2,000 this month for our Winter Wonderland Scholarship, and today is the last chance to enter!

CollegeXpress Scholarship for Students of Color deadline

Did you know we also offer a quarterly Scholarship for Students of Color that closes today? Students who qualify can apply for this contest the same way by creating a free account or logging back into CollegeXpress and answering this question in just one sentence: What is your dream career? They could win $1,500 plus a $500 donation to the charity of their choice!

New Year’s Eve

Where on Earth did 2024 go? Let’s celebrate the end of this year with joy and strap in for what’s sure to be an eventful 2025!

Gif of cartoon wizard doing magic with firewords spelling out Happy New Year
@TinyWizardStudio via GIPHY

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