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
- 9th grade: This month, high school freshmen should keep looking toward the future and plan for academic success. These tips for winter break will set them up for a great second semester!
- 10th grade: Have your sophomores started building their college funds yet? A few weeks off from school is a great time to look for scholarships, even for younger students.
- 11th grade: If high school juniors are looking for ways to boost their extracurricular résumés, they can find lots of volunteer opportunities over winter break!
- 12th grade: Regular Decision admission deadlines will be upon seniors before they know it. Share these steps to help them finalize and perfect their college applications!
Month-long observances and celebrations
- Advent: This is the extended observance most Christian denominations follow in preparation for Christmas, the commemoration of the birth of Jesus. Get your Advent calendars ready!
- Learn a Foreign Language Month: Encourage your students to expand their horizons with these top tips for learning a foreign language.
Sunday, December 1
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!
World AIDS Day
First observed in 1988, today is an opportunity to get educated about HIV and AIDS, plus ways to prevent them.
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.
- Answers to Your Questions About Volunteering and College Admission: Volunteering is one of the best ways to boost college applications, and students should be taking advantage of their winter break free time to do just that!
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.
- How Students Can Give the Gift of Experiences This Holiday Season: Inspire your students to get into the spirit of giving by trying these other experience-based holiday ideas.
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.
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.
- Check out our CX Gives Back Giveaway Calendar to learn how students can enter fun contests this week for a chance to win and give back $100 each day—plus enter our special $1,000 CX Gives Back Scholarship contest.
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!
- 10 Cool Virtual Camps High School Students Can Join Over Winter Break: Students can find a lot of other online camp opportunities to boost their résumés over vacation—including a few free opportunities!
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!
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 Break Scholarship deadline
We’re giving away $2,000 this month for our Winter Break 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!
- Over 60 December Scholarship Opportunities to Apply For: Help your students discover even more scholarships to apply for this month by sharing our huge list.
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!
If students haven’t found all the colleges they want to apply to, it’s not too late to add to their list. Use our College Search tool to discover even more schools that could be a good fit!
