College & Career

Departments

College & Career

COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS IN CALIFORNIA

The CA School Dashboard College/Career measure shows how well local educational agencies and schools are preparing students for likely success after graduation. Only graduates can be classified as Prepared or Approaching Prepared. For schools and LEAs to demonstrate success on this state measure, high school graduates must meet at least one of the criteria in the Prepared level. There are multiple measures to indicate preparedness.

Please click here to review the College & Career Readiness Indicator Components

OVERVIEW OF COLLEGE AND CAREER IN SDUHSD

SDUHSD Counseling Departments follow the district Career & College Scope and Sequence and deliver information to support student post-secondary goals. Counselors are available to assist students with career and college planning in grades 7-12.

Please review the Career Technical Education, Graduation & College Entrance Requirements and the individual school websites for more specific information including 6-year plans, course offerings, school profiles, calendars, events, and grade-level materials. In spring, SDUHSD hosts an annual College & Career Night with over 200 participating institutions.

College & Career Events Calendar & Scholarships

Spring 2021 College & Career Information

SDUHSD Virtual College & Career Webinar Series

Click here to view the Event Flyer with more details.

Session Presentation materials and recordings linked below:

Presentation Materials

4/13 - Changes in College Admission due to COVID-19 & School Closures Presentation / Recording
4/15- Career Opportunities for SDUHSD Students Presentation / Recording
4/20- College Admission Testing Updates Presentation/ Recording
4/22- Skills and Certifications that are Highly Valued in the Workforce Presentation/ Recording

Disclaimer:

The following links are provided purely as resources for educational purposes and SDUHSD does not endorse any specific external agencies or services.

SDUHSD COLLEGE & CAREER TOOLS

The following links lead to free resources that all middle and high school students and parents may use to research careers and colleges, including exploring diverse occupations, selecting a major, and applying and paying for college.

To assist students in their career and college exploration, SDUHSD schools use these main tools:

California Career Zone - a secure, web-based platform designed to help students explore, plan, and prepare for a career journey. By working through the system, you can access: Self-assessment modules including interest, work-importance, and skills profile tools, financial literacy tools including our popular “Budget your Life” assessment, over 900 occupations, as well as information on US colleges and certifications, and personalized pathway recommendations based on student exploration
CaliforniaColleges.edu - provides students with an inclusive guide for their career & college paths. Includes career interest profiles and career assessments along with college research tools, application tools, and the ability to build a college list.
College Board Big Future - via this website, middle and high school students and parents can get a free step-by-step college plan, information about careers and college majors, financial aid and application guidance.
College Data - a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, this site contains tools to explore and search, to determine competitiveness for admission along with costs, the Expected Family Contribution and financial aid, and graduation data.

ADDITIONAL COLLEGE RESOURCES

Assist.org an online student-transfer information system that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another.
Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities - the AICCU represents almost 80 California private nonprofit colleges and universities.
California Community Colleges - tools for students, programs and applications to CA community colleges, and transfer to four-year college programs.
Common Application Planning- contains answers to the most common college-related questions - why go to college, how to prepare and how to pay for college.
Peterson's Private Colleges - in-state and out-of-state private college information including size, type, setting and costs.
University of California Academic Planner - Follow this 4-step plan to prepare for admission to the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU) and many independent colleges with similar requirements, and Explore UC Campuses.

COLLEGE APPLICATION LINKS

California State University - apply to any of the 23 CSU campuses directly.
Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success - developed to improve the college application process for all students as they search for and apply to their perfect college. The platform provides a single, centralized toolkit for students to organize, build, and refine their applications to numerous institutions.
Common Application - direct application to nearly 700 colleges and universities.
University of California - apply to any of the 9 UC campuses directly.

FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES

California Student Aid Commission - a site for students or parents searching for resources and assistance in obtaining a higher education. The CSAC administers financial aid programs, including Cal Grants, for students attending public and private colleges and vocational schools in California. Helpful information basics are provided at Understanding Aid & Aid Eligibility/Requirements.
CSS Profile Financial aid application for nearly 400 colleges, professional schools, and scholarship programs to award non-federal aid.
Federal Student Aid - The office of Federal Student Aid provides grants, loans, and work-study funds for college or career school.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) - most colleges require families to complete this application to be completed for financial aid consideration. For information about how to complete and submit the FAFSA, which opens October 1, please visit the FAFSA website directly to view resources, including Filling Out the FAFSA® Form at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out. Site includes:

1. 1. The types of documentation and personal information that each student financial aid application requires, including, but not necessarily limited to, documents relating to income taxes, finances and income, college choices, academic status, and personal identification such as social security or taxpayer identification numbers.
  2. An explanation of definitions used for each application. These definitions may include, but are not necessarily limited to, definitions of “legal guardianship,” “household size,” “parent,” “dependent,” and “taxable college grants and scholarships.”
  3. Eligibility requirements for student financial aid that may be applied for using the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application.
  4. Application timelines and submission deadlines.

ADDITIONAL CAREER RESOURCES

California Career Center - students can plan their middle and high school years so that they have a path to the future THEY want to achieve, and set high school and post-high school goals.
Education Planner - a one-stop career and college planning website that provides practical and easy-to-understand advice to help prepare middle and high school students for the important decisions they will face in the future.
Road Trip Nation - a program that shows how people figured out how to build a career around their own unique combination of interests.