Test Registration

All EIF students are required to take one of the two national standardized tests (ACT or SAT) in their junior year. The EIF Higher Education Advisors work with students to decide which test to take and then ensure that each student has a study plan in place, and is aware of deadlines and fees.

 

 

College Matching

A student's chances of succeeding in college often depend on choosing the right college. Size, location, academic focus, cost and environment are all major factors that the Higher Education Advisors help students consider.

 

Individual Counseling

Often, EIF students are the first ones in their families to go to college, so deciding which one to go to can be a daunting task. That's where the HEAs come in. They work one-on-one with each student to help them choose a college that best meets their individual needs and goals. Students are counseled to apply to at least 3 schools.
• A school they know they will get into
• A stretch school
• A dream school

 

College Trips

It's hard to make a decision about attending a college if you've never been there. By coordinating college trips, EIF helps students get a first-hand feel for what each campus is like. From checking out the dorms to visiting with professors and meeting with student ambassadors, these field trips are an invaluable part of the EIF program.

In recent years, groups of EIF students have visited such schools as:

University of North Texas Southern Methodist University University of Texas-Dallas Texas A&M-Commerce Rice University University of Houston Prarie View A&M University University of TexasMoorehouse College Clark Atlanta University Georgia Tech University Spellman College

 

Annual College Fair

Exposure, exposure, exposure. The DISD Annual College Fair lets EIF students meet with representatives from colleges and universities from around the country. Last year, over 1,100 students and more than 175 colleges and universities attended the fair.

 

Applications! Applications! Applications!

 Individual Counseling All EIF students are required to apply to a least four colleges and universities, including a Dallas County Community College. HEAs work one-on-one with each student to identify their target schools and understand deadline and application requirements. They then help students craft their applications. EIF encourages each student to take their SAT/ACT in the spring of their junior year, and then retake them during the fall of their senior year.

Financial Aid Since all colleges and universities use it as the basis for awarding all financial aid packages, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)  or the TASFA (Texas Application for State Financial Aid) is a critical element to the college application process. But, filling it out correctly can be complicated. HEAs help students and families navigate the process from start to finish.

Scholarship Applications EIF students are required to apply for the Rising Star scholarship through Dallas County Community College District as well as three additional qualified scholarship. To that end, our staff has assembled a database of local and national scholarships that can be searched by factors like dollar amount, deadline, and award focus. Our HEAs then work one-on-one with each student to identify appropriate opportunities and apply for them. Check out the EIF Scholarship Database.

  Strategic Financial Counseling

It is a core goal of EIF for students to not only graduate from college, but to do so with the least amount of debt possible. Navigating the confusing array of funding options can be difficult, and often students wind up saddled with student loan burdens that can be crushing. That's why EIF makes it a point to sit down with each student once all the acceptance letters and scholarships have come in to analyze which school and which combination of scholarships and loans is most financially feasible in the long term.                                    Need a scholarship? Find just what you're looking for in our EIF scholarship database. Quickly search more than a 100 local, regional and national scholarships by school, area of interest, cultural focus and geographic location