diff --git a/web/src/App.tsx b/web/src/App.tsx
index b0464f4..e513e03 100644
--- a/web/src/App.tsx
+++ b/web/src/App.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import { useToast } from './contexts/ToastContext'
 import ResetPasswordScreen from './components/ResetPasswordScreen'
 import { resolvePreferences } from './lib/preferences'
 import { useThemePref } from './lib/theme'
+import { ApplicationsProvider } from './contexts/ApplicationsContext'
 import type { Demographics } from './types/user'
 
 type Screen = 'loading' | 'auth' | 'welcome-back' | 'splash' | 'picker' | 'timeline' | 'demographics' | 'analyzing' | 'dashboard'
@@ -148,7 +149,14 @@ export default function App() {
       case 'analyzing':
         return <AnalyzingScreen key="analyzing" onComplete={handleAnalyzingComplete} />
       case 'dashboard':
-        return <Dashboard key="dashboard" startIdx={dashStartIdx} answers={dashAnswers} firstName={dashName} onSignOut={handleSignOut} />
+        // The college list is written from the dashboard, the calendar and
+        // Application Tracking; one provider around all of them keeps it a
+        // single record rather than three copies racing each other.
+        return (
+          <ApplicationsProvider key="dashboard">
+            <Dashboard startIdx={dashStartIdx} answers={dashAnswers} firstName={dashName} onSignOut={handleSignOut} />
+          </ApplicationsProvider>
+        )
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/web/src/components/ApplicationStatusTab.test.tsx b/web/src/components/ApplicationStatusTab.test.tsx
index 92c992a..ea33e1d 100644
--- a/web/src/components/ApplicationStatusTab.test.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/ApplicationStatusTab.test.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,13 @@ const APPS = [
 const schoolRow = (name: string) =>
   screen.getAllByRole('button', { name: new RegExp(name) }).find((b) => b.classList.contains('ast-row'))!
 
+// A task with no date shows an "Add date" button, not an empty input: an
+// empty date box is a blank square that says nothing about what it is for.
+const openDateBox = async (label: string) => {
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: `Add a due date for ${label}` }))
+  return screen.getByLabelText(`Due date for ${label}`)
+}
+
 const renderTab = (apps = APPS, initialOpenId: string | null = null) => {
   const onUpdate = vi.fn()
   const onRemove = vi.fn()
@@ -151,14 +158,14 @@ describe('ApplicationStatusTab', () => {
   it('dates a per-school task on that school, and a shared task on every school', async () => {
     const { onUpdate, onSetSharedDue } = renderTab()
     await userEvent.click(schoolRow('Alpha College'))
-    const essayBox = screen.getByLabelText('Due date for Draft the supplemental essay(s)')
+    const essayBox = await openDateBox('Draft the supplemental essay(s)')
     fireEvent.focus(essayBox)
     fireEvent.change(essayBox, { target: { value: '2026-10-12' } })
     fireEvent.blur(essayBox)
     const [id, fields] = onUpdate.mock.calls.at(-1)!
     expect(id).toBe('sc-1')
     expect(fields.tasks.find((t: { id: string }) => t.id === 'essays').due).toBe('2026-10-12')
-    const recsBox = screen.getByLabelText('Due date for Request teacher recommendations')
+    const recsBox = await openDateBox('Request teacher recommendations')
     fireEvent.focus(recsBox)
     fireEvent.change(recsBox, { target: { value: '2026-10-15' } })
     fireEvent.blur(recsBox)
@@ -175,7 +182,7 @@ describe('ApplicationStatusTab', () => {
   it('saves the date box once typing settles, not each in-between value', async () => {
     const { onUpdate } = renderTab()
     await userEvent.click(schoolRow('Alpha College'))
-    const box = screen.getByLabelText('Due date for Draft the supplemental essay(s)')
+    const box = await openDateBox('Draft the supplemental essay(s)')
     onUpdate.mockClear()
     fireEvent.focus(box)
     // Typing a year, then a month: half-typed years and January-on-the-way-to-November.
diff --git a/web/src/components/ApplicationTrackingModule.tsx b/web/src/components/ApplicationTrackingModule.tsx
index 7c06d79..ef42379 100644
--- a/web/src/components/ApplicationTrackingModule.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/ApplicationTrackingModule.tsx
@@ -13,11 +13,13 @@ import {
   useCallback,
   useMemo,
   useRef,
+  type ReactNode,
 } from 'react'
 import { useAuth } from '../contexts/AuthContext'
 import { markIntroSeen } from '../lib/profiles'
 import { MODULE_COLORS } from '../lib/designTokens'
-import { useModuleChecklist, useModuleData } from '../lib/useModuleState'
+import { useModuleChecklist } from '../lib/useModuleState'
+import { useApplications } from '../contexts/ApplicationsContext'
 import { useToast } from '../contexts/ToastContext'
 import {
   APPLICATIONS_CHECKLIST,
@@ -46,7 +48,6 @@ import { domainOf } from '../lib/collegeLogo'
 const MC = MODULE_COLORS.applications
 const MODULE_NAME = 'applications'
 const TOUR_INTRO_KEY = 'applications-module-tour'
-const APPS_DATA_KEY = 'apps'
 
 /* ─── primitives ─── */
 
@@ -73,9 +74,12 @@ interface Props {
   onClose: () => void
   /** Close the module and open the profile page, where household income is editable. */
   onEditIncome?: () => void
+  /** Deadline rail for the Overview tab. Built by the dashboard so every
+   *  panel shares one set of handlers and one copy of the student's dates. */
+  aside?: ReactNode
 }
 
-export default function ApplicationTrackingModule({ open, onClose, onEditIncome }: Props) {
+export default function ApplicationTrackingModule({ open, onClose, onEditIncome, aside }: Props) {
   const { user, profile, refreshProfile } = useAuth()
   const tourSeen = profile?.settings?.intros_seen?.includes(TOUR_INTRO_KEY) ?? false
   const [showTour, setShowTour] = useState(false)
@@ -92,8 +96,10 @@ export default function ApplicationTrackingModule({ open, onClose, onEditIncome
   const [feeWaiverDismissed, setFeeWaiverDismissed] = useState(false)
   const { progress, handleToggle, handleMarkComplete } = useModuleChecklist(MODULE_NAME, open)
   const toast = useToast()
-  const { data: storedApps, saveData: persistApps, dataRef: appsRef, loadFailed: appsLoadFailed } =
-    useModuleData<ApplicationEntry>(MODULE_NAME, APPS_DATA_KEY, open)
+  // Shared with the dashboard and the deadline panels rather than loaded
+  // again here: the list persists as one whole array, so a second copy meant
+  // whichever view saved last replaced what the other had just written.
+  const { apps: storedApps, saveApps: persistApps, appsRef, loadFailed: appsLoadFailed } = useApplications()
   // Views get only categories they know; what's stored is left as it is.
   const apps = useMemo(() => storedApps.map(withKnownCategory), [storedApps])
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -185,7 +191,7 @@ export default function ApplicationTrackingModule({ open, onClose, onEditIncome
     && shouldShowFeeWaiverNotice(incomeLevel, profile?.settings?.intros_seen)
 
   const content =
-    tab === 'overview' ? <ModuleOverviewTab progress={progress} onToggle={handleToggle} onMarkComplete={handleMarkComplete} checklist={APPLICATIONS_CHECKLIST} contentMap={APPLICATIONS_CONTENT_MAP} allIds={APPLICATIONS_ALL_IDS} totalItems={APPLICATIONS_TOTAL_ITEMS} accent={MC} title="Application Strategy Checklist" subtitle={"Click an item title to read it. Click the circle to cycle status: empty → in-progress → done."} itemTypeIcon={itemTypeIcon} /> :
+    tab === 'overview' ? <ModuleOverviewTab progress={progress} onToggle={handleToggle} onMarkComplete={handleMarkComplete} checklist={APPLICATIONS_CHECKLIST} contentMap={APPLICATIONS_CONTENT_MAP} allIds={APPLICATIONS_ALL_IDS} totalItems={APPLICATIONS_TOTAL_ITEMS} accent={MC} title="Application Strategy Checklist" subtitle={"Click an item title to read it. Click the circle to cycle status: empty → in-progress → done."} itemTypeIcon={itemTypeIcon} aside={aside} /> :
     tab === 'discover' ? <CollegeDiscoverTab open={open} apps={apps} onAdd={handleAddFromDiscover} onOpenSchool={openInStatus} onManageList={() => openInStatus(null)} onRemove={handleRemoveApp} /> :
     <ApplicationStatusTab key={statusSchool ?? ''} onFindColleges={() => switchTab('discover')} apps={apps} onUpdate={handleUpdateApp} onRemove={handleRemoveApp} onSetShared={handleSetSharedTask} onSetSharedDue={handleSetSharedDue} gradeStartIdx={profile?.grade_start_idx} initialOpenId={statusSchool} />
 
diff --git a/web/src/components/CalendarPage.test.tsx b/web/src/components/CalendarPage.test.tsx
index 73de7a1..63050fd 100644
--- a/web/src/components/CalendarPage.test.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/CalendarPage.test.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ vi.mock('../contexts/ToastContext', () => ({
 }))
 
 import CalendarPage from './CalendarPage'
+import { ApplicationsProvider } from '../contexts/ApplicationsContext'
+
+// The college list is owned by the provider, so the page needs it in scope.
+const renderPage = () => render(
+  <ApplicationsProvider><CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} /></ApplicationsProvider>,
+)
 
 const SENIOR = 10
 /** Pinned so the calendar opens on a known month regardless of the real date. */
@@ -48,7 +54,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
 
   it('pins a tracked scholarship on its deadline date', async () => {
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([tracked()])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     // The grid names it on the 15th; the detail panel below shows whichever
     // day is selected, which on arrival is today.
     expect(await screen.findByText('Coca-Cola Scholars')).toBeInTheDocument()
@@ -56,7 +62,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
 
   it('opens on today and shows that day underneath', async () => {
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([tracked({ deadline: 'Sep 4, 2026', deadlineDate: '2026-09-04' })])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     expect(await screen.findByRole('heading', { name: /Friday, September 4/ })).toBeInTheDocument()
     // Named twice now: the pin in the cell and the row in the day panel.
     expect(screen.getAllByText('Coca-Cola Scholars').length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
@@ -64,7 +70,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
 
   it('shows a picked day in the panel below the grid', async () => {
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([tracked()])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     await screen.findByText('Coca-Cola Scholars')
     // Nothing is due today, so the panel says so until a day is picked.
     expect(screen.getByText('Nothing on this day')).toBeInTheDocument()
@@ -80,7 +86,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([
       tracked({ deadline: 'September 15 (annual)', deadlineDate: null }),
     ])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     await userEvent.click(await screen.findByRole('button', { name: /September 15.*1 due/ }))
     expect(screen.getByText('est.')).toBeInTheDocument()
   })
@@ -89,7 +95,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([
       tracked({ deadline: 'Varies - check official site', deadlineDate: null }),
     ])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     expect(await screen.findByText(/Add colleges in Application Tracking/)).toBeInTheDocument()
     expect(screen.queryByText('Coca-Cola Scholars')).not.toBeInTheDocument()
   })
@@ -116,7 +122,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
 
   it('exports the chosen group, named after it', async () => {
     mixedList()
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     const { ids, filename, opts } = await exportWith('early')
     expect(ids).toEqual(['app-harvard-EA'])
     expect(filename).toBe('edvifi-early.ics')
@@ -126,7 +132,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
 
   it('exports everything under "all"', async () => {
     mixedList()
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     const { ids, filename } = await exportWith('all')
     expect(ids.sort()).toEqual(
       ['app-harvard-EA', 'app-yale-RD', 'fafsa-priority', 'scholarship-t1'].sort(),
@@ -142,7 +148,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
       // Recurring text, so the date is inferred rather than known.
       tracked({ deadline: 'September 15 (annual)', deadlineDate: null }),
     ])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     await screen.findAllByText('Coca-Cola Scholars')
 
     const { ids, filename } = await exportWith('all', ['Confirmed dates only'])
@@ -156,7 +162,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([
       tracked({ deadline: 'September 15 (annual)', deadlineDate: null }),
     ])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
 
     await userEvent.selectOptions(await screen.findByLabelText('Export'), 'scholarships')
     expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Add to my calendar' })).toBeEnabled()
@@ -167,7 +173,7 @@ describe('CalendarPage', () => {
 
   it('shows a count against every group so an empty one is visible', async () => {
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([tracked()])
-    render(<CalendarPage startIdx={SENIOR} />)
+    renderPage()
     // Only a scholarship is tracked: no college deadlines exist to export.
     expect(await screen.findByRole('option', { name: /Every college deadline — 0/ })).toBeInTheDocument()
     expect(screen.getByRole('option', { name: /Scholarships only — 1/ })).toBeInTheDocument()
diff --git a/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.test.tsx b/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.test.tsx
index dcfd869..04a8da9 100644
--- a/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.test.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.test.tsx
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ const H = vi.hoisted(() => {
     mk({ scorecard_id: 1, slug: 'state_flagship', name: 'State Flagship University', institution_type: '4yr' }),
     mk({ scorecard_id: 2, slug: 'local_cc', name: 'Local Community College', institution_type: '2yr', ownership: 'public', admit_rate: null, avg_net_price_cents: 300000, transfer_rate: 0.3 }),
     mk({ scorecard_id: 3, slug: 'private_college', name: 'Private Liberal Arts College', ownership: 'private_nonprofit' }),
+    // Another region entirely, so the region filter has something to remove.
+    mk({ scorecard_id: 4, slug: 'harborside', name: 'Harborside College', state: 'MA', city: 'Boston',
+      region: 'Northeast', latitude: 42.36, longitude: -71.06, size: 4000, ownership: 'private_nonprofit' }),
   ]
   const studentProfile = {
     gpa: 3.6, satTotal: 1300, act: null, intendedFields: ['engineering'], familyIncomeCents: 6000000,
@@ -166,12 +169,12 @@ describe('CollegeDiscoverTab', () => {
     renderTab()
     const grid = () => screen.getByText(/^Showing \d+ of \d+$/).textContent
     await user.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Private' }))
-    expect(grid()).toBe('Showing 1 of 1')
+    expect(grid()).toBe('Showing 2 of 2') // the liberal-arts college + Harborside
     expect(screen.getAllByText('Private Liberal Arts College').length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
     await user.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Public' }))
     expect(grid()).toBe('Showing 2 of 2') // flagship + community college
     await user.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Public' })) // click again clears it
-    expect(grid()).toBe('Showing 3 of 3')
+    expect(grid()).toBe('Showing 4 of 4')
   })
 
   it('removes a school from its card with one click when it has no progress', async () => {
@@ -190,3 +193,26 @@ describe('CollegeDiscoverTab', () => {
     expect(onRemove).toHaveBeenCalledWith('sc-1')
   })
 })
+
+describe('CollegeDiscoverTab — region', () => {
+  it('narrows the list to the chosen region', async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup()
+    renderTab()
+    expect(screen.getAllByText('Harborside College').length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+
+    await user.selectOptions(screen.getByRole('combobox', { name: 'Region' }), 'Pacific')
+    // Gone from the grid and from the hidden-gems strip alike: once a student
+    // says where they are looking, an out-of-region card is a leak.
+    expect(screen.queryByText('Harborside College')).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByText('State Flagship University')).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('marks the student\'s own region without preselecting it', () => {
+    renderTab()
+    // homeState is CA. Browsing Discover is often about going somewhere else,
+    // so the filter opens on everything.
+    expect(screen.getByRole('combobox', { name: 'Region' })).toHaveValue('all')
+    expect(screen.getByRole('option', { name: 'Pacific (yours)' })).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByRole('option', { name: 'New England' })).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.tsx b/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.tsx
index 5af3aed..1c86fc2 100644
--- a/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/CollegeDiscoverTab.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ import {
   suggestTransferPath,
   pickAffordableAlternatives,
   collegeDistanceMi,
+  SEARCH_REGIONS,
+  searchRegionOf,
+  type SearchRegion,
   type College,
   type CollegeMatch,
   type AdmissionBand,
@@ -345,6 +348,7 @@ export default function CollegeDiscoverTab({
   const [pathwayFilter, setPathwayFilter] = useState<'all' | PathwayType>('all')
   const [search, setSearch] = useState('')
   const [sortBy, setSortBy] = useState<'fit' | 'price' | 'odds' | 'distance'>('fit')
+  const [regionFilter, setRegionFilter] = useState<SearchRegion | 'all'>('all')
   const [affordableOnly, setAffordableOnly] = useState(false)
   // Public includes community colleges (they're public by definition); private
   // covers nonprofit and for-profit.
@@ -372,6 +376,9 @@ export default function CollegeDiscoverTab({
     () => ({ ...studentProfile, homeState: studentProfile.homeState ?? geoState }),
     [studentProfile, geoState],
   )
+  // Marked in the list rather than preselected: a student browsing Discover is
+  // often looking for somewhere they are not.
+  const homeRegion = searchRegionOf(effectiveProfile.homeState)
 
   // Don't fetch until the student has finished onboarding (avoids a shortlist that's never shown).
   const { rows, loading, error } = useColleges(open && prefs.completed, effectiveProfile, origin)
@@ -430,6 +437,12 @@ export default function CollegeDiscoverTab({
   // screen (dimmed) rather than emptying the grid; later keystrokes keep the
   // previous search's cards the same way. Swapping in a short loading line
   // shrank the page and threw the student's scroll position back up.
+  // A territory has no search region, so an explicit pick is the only thing
+  // that ever hides it — it is never silently dropped from "All regions".
+  const inChosenRegion = useCallback(
+    (c: College) => regionFilter === 'all' || searchRegionOf(c.state) === regionFilter,
+    [regionFilter],
+  )
   const pendingSearch = searching && dbSearching
   const showSearchList = searching && !(pendingSearch && searchScored.length === 0)
   const visible = useMemo(
@@ -444,9 +457,10 @@ export default function CollegeDiscoverTab({
         if (pathwayFilter !== 'all' && s.match.pathway !== pathwayFilter) return false
         if (ownershipFilter !== 'all' && (s.college.ownership === 'public') !== (ownershipFilter === 'public')) return false
         if (affordableOnly && !(s.match.netPriceForYouCents != null && s.match.netPriceForYouCents <= AFFORDABLE_MAX_CENTS)) return false
+        if (!inChosenRegion(s.college)) return false
         return true
       }),
-    [showSearchList, searchScored, scored, prefs.openToTransfer, prefs.openToTrade, pathwayFilter, ownershipFilter, affordableOnly],
+    [showSearchList, searchScored, scored, prefs.openToTransfer, prefs.openToTrade, pathwayFilter, ownershipFilter, affordableOnly, inChosenRegion],
   )
 
   // "Best odds" ranks by how likely admission is (open first … reach last).
@@ -477,8 +491,11 @@ export default function CollegeDiscoverTab({
       // Respect the pathway toggles (same as the main list) so this doesn't leak a
       // community/transfer or trade school the student opted out of.
       .filter((s) => !(s.match.pathway === 'community_transfer' && !prefs.openToTransfer) && !(s.match.pathway === 'career_technical' && !prefs.openToTrade))
+      // Same reasoning for the region: a gem two time zones away is a leak,
+      // not a find, once the student has said where they are looking.
+      .filter((s) => inChosenRegion(s.college))
       .slice(0, 3)
-  }, [scored, topMatches, prefs.openToTransfer, prefs.openToTrade])
+  }, [scored, topMatches, prefs.openToTransfer, prefs.openToTrade, inChosenRegion])
 
   const added = (c: College) => existingIds.includes(collegeAppId(c))
   // Progress worth confirming before removal: a status past "not started", or a ticked task.
@@ -532,6 +549,10 @@ export default function CollegeDiscoverTab({
     border: `1px solid ${active ? color : C.border}`,
     background: active ? color : C.white, color: active ? C.white : C.text,
   })
+  const selectStyle: CSSProperties = {
+    fontFamily: "'Outfit',sans-serif", fontSize: 12.5, color: C.text, background: C.white,
+    border: `1px solid ${C.border}`, borderRadius: 8, padding: '7px 10px', cursor: 'pointer', outline: 'none',
+  }
   const filterBtn = (key: 'all' | PathwayType): CSSProperties =>
     chipStyle(pathwayFilter === key, key === 'all' ? OWNERSHIP_COLOR : FILTER_COLOR[key])
   // Colored dot inside an inactive filter; white once it's switched on.
@@ -594,8 +615,17 @@ export default function CollegeDiscoverTab({
         <span aria-hidden style={{ width: 1, height: 20, background: C.border, margin: '0 2px' }} />
         <button type="button" onClick={() => { setAffordableOnly((v) => !v); setVisibleCount(40) }} style={chipStyle(affordableOnly, CHIP_TONE.money)}>{dot(CHIP_TONE.money, affordableOnly)}Affordable</button>
         <div style={{ marginLeft: 'auto', display: 'flex', gap: 8, alignItems: 'center', flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
-          <select value={sortBy} onChange={(e) => { setSortBy(e.target.value as typeof sortBy); setVisibleCount(40) }}
-            style={{ fontFamily: "'Outfit',sans-serif", fontSize: 12.5, color: C.text, background: C.white, border: `1px solid ${C.border}`, borderRadius: 8, padding: '7px 10px', cursor: 'pointer', outline: 'none' }}>
+          {/* Region narrows the list; "Nearest" only reorders it. A student who
+              wants the Northeast does not want Boston first and Arizona fifth. */}
+          <select aria-label="Region" value={regionFilter} onChange={(e) => { setRegionFilter(e.target.value as SearchRegion | 'all'); setVisibleCount(40) }}
+            style={selectStyle}>
+            <option value="all">All regions</option>
+            {SEARCH_REGIONS.map((r) => (
+              <option key={r} value={r}>{r === homeRegion ? `${r} (yours)` : r}</option>
+            ))}
+          </select>
+          <select aria-label="Sort" value={sortBy} onChange={(e) => { setSortBy(e.target.value as typeof sortBy); setVisibleCount(40) }}
+            style={selectStyle}>
             <option value="fit">Sort: Best fit</option>
             <option value="price">Sort: Lowest net price</option>
             <option value="odds">Sort: Best admission odds</option>
diff --git a/web/src/components/Dashboard.tsx b/web/src/components/Dashboard.tsx
index 36354ed..0460daf 100644
--- a/web/src/components/Dashboard.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/Dashboard.tsx
@@ -205,11 +205,12 @@ export default function Dashboard({ startIdx, answers, firstName, onSignOut }: P
     [profile?.settings],
   )
   // Next-due deadline per module card, derived from the student's college list.
-  // Re-fetch whenever we return to the dashboard so newly-added colleges surface.
   const {
     events: deadlineEvents, failed: deadlinesFailed, toggleDone, addOwn, removeOwn, correctDate,
   } = useDeadlineEvents(startIdx, {
-    active: !openModule,
+    // Entering or leaving a module refetches, so a scholarship added in one
+    // shows up without the panel ever going dark.
+    refreshKey: openModule ?? '',
     visibility: deadlinePrefs,
     // A tick edits a record in another module; say which, or the student
     // never learns the two are the same thing.
@@ -218,6 +219,24 @@ export default function Dashboard({ startIdx, answers, firstName, onSignOut }: P
   // One clock for every dated view on this page, so the week strip, the panel
   // and the module chips can't disagree about which day is today.
   const now = useMemo(() => new Date(), [])
+  // The same panel the sidebar shows, handed to each module's Overview so a
+  // student can see and tick what's due without leaving the module. Built
+  // here, from the one hook above, so every copy writes through the same
+  // handlers — a module loading its own would put a second owner on the
+  // student's ticked-off list.
+  const deadlineRail = (
+    <DeadlinePanel
+      events={deadlineEvents}
+      now={now}
+      failed={deadlinesFailed}
+      onToggle={toggleDone}
+      onAdd={addOwn}
+      onRemove={removeOwn}
+      onCorrect={correctDate}
+      urgentWindow={deadlinePrefs.urgentWindow}
+      onOpenCalendar={() => { setOpenModule(null); setCalendarDay(null); setPage('calendar') }}
+    />
+  )
   const nextDueByModule = useMemo(() => {
     // A module card's "next due": not something already ticked off, and not a
     // date the student put on one of its tasks (those are steps toward a
@@ -560,17 +579,7 @@ export default function Dashboard({ startIdx, answers, firstName, onSignOut }: P
           animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
           transition={{ delay: 0.5, duration: 0.5, ease: EASE_OUT }}
         >
-          <DeadlinePanel
-            events={deadlineEvents}
-            now={now}
-            failed={deadlinesFailed}
-            onToggle={toggleDone}
-            onAdd={addOwn}
-            onRemove={removeOwn}
-            onCorrect={correctDate}
-            urgentWindow={deadlinePrefs.urgentWindow}
-            onOpenCalendar={() => { setCalendarDay(null); setPage('calendar') }}
-          />
+          {deadlineRail}
         </motion.div>
       </aside>
 
@@ -579,6 +588,7 @@ export default function Dashboard({ startIdx, answers, firstName, onSignOut }: P
           open={openModule === 'Financial Aid'}
           onClose={() => setOpenModule(null)}
           year={startIdx <= 0 ? 9 : startIdx <= 1 ? 10 : startIdx <= 2 ? 11 : 12}
+          aside={deadlineRail}
         />
       </ModuleErrorBoundary>
 
@@ -595,6 +605,7 @@ export default function Dashboard({ startIdx, answers, firstName, onSignOut }: P
           open={openModule === 'Application Tracking'}
           onClose={() => setOpenModule(null)}
           onEditIncome={() => { setOpenModule(null); setPage('profile') }}
+          aside={deadlineRail}
         />
       </ModuleErrorBoundary>
 
@@ -602,6 +613,7 @@ export default function Dashboard({ startIdx, answers, firstName, onSignOut }: P
         <EssaysModule
           open={openModule === 'College Essays'}
           onClose={() => setOpenModule(null)}
+          aside={deadlineRail}
         />
       </ModuleErrorBoundary>
 
diff --git a/web/src/components/EssaysModule.tsx b/web/src/components/EssaysModule.tsx
index 641de07..b00ce73 100644
--- a/web/src/components/EssaysModule.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/EssaysModule.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   useEffect,
   useMemo,
   type CSSProperties,
+  type ReactNode,
 } from 'react'
 import { useAuth } from '../contexts/AuthContext'
 import { useToast } from '../contexts/ToastContext'
@@ -376,9 +377,12 @@ const inputStyle: CSSProperties = {
 interface Props {
   open: boolean
   onClose: () => void
+  /** Deadline rail for the Overview tab. Built by the dashboard so every
+   *  panel shares one set of handlers and one copy of the student's dates. */
+  aside?: ReactNode
 }
 
-export default function EssaysModule({ open, onClose }: Props) {
+export default function EssaysModule({ open, onClose, aside }: Props) {
   const { user, profile, refreshProfile } = useAuth()
   const tourSeen = profile?.settings?.intros_seen?.includes(TOUR_INTRO_KEY) ?? false
   const [showTour, setShowTour] = useState(false)
@@ -402,7 +406,7 @@ export default function EssaysModule({ open, onClose }: Props) {
 
   const content =
     tab === 'overview'
-      ? <ModuleOverviewTab progress={progress} onToggle={handleToggle} onMarkComplete={handleMarkComplete} checklist={ESSAYS_CHECKLIST} contentMap={ESSAYS_CONTENT_MAP} allIds={ESSAYS_ALL_IDS} totalItems={ESSAYS_TOTAL_ITEMS} accent={MC} title="Essay Strategy" subtitle="Click an item title to read it. Click the circle to cycle status." itemTypeIcon={itemTypeIcon} />
+      ? <ModuleOverviewTab progress={progress} onToggle={handleToggle} onMarkComplete={handleMarkComplete} checklist={ESSAYS_CHECKLIST} contentMap={ESSAYS_CONTENT_MAP} allIds={ESSAYS_ALL_IDS} totalItems={ESSAYS_TOTAL_ITEMS} accent={MC} title="Essay Strategy" subtitle="Click an item title to read it. Click the circle to cycle status." itemTypeIcon={itemTypeIcon} aside={aside} />
       : <DraftsTab drafts={drafts} draftsRef={draftsRef} onSave={handleSaveDrafts} />
 
   return (
diff --git a/web/src/components/FinancialAidModule.tsx b/web/src/components/FinancialAidModule.tsx
index 3d94010..9cd7d66 100644
--- a/web/src/components/FinancialAidModule.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/FinancialAidModule.tsx
@@ -388,11 +388,12 @@ const ModuleTabNav = ({
    TAB: OVERVIEW
    ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
 interface OverviewTabProps {
+  aside?: ReactNode
   progress: ChecklistProgressMap
   onToggle: (itemId: string) => void
 }
 
-const OverviewTab = ({ progress, onToggle }: OverviewTabProps) => {
+const OverviewTab = ({ progress, onToggle, aside }: OverviewTabProps) => {
   const [activeContentId, setActiveContentId] = useState<string | null>(null)
   const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState<Record<number, boolean>>({ 0: true, 1: true, 2: true, 3: true })
   const toggle = (i: number) => setExpanded((p) => ({ ...p, [i]: !p[i] }))
@@ -439,7 +440,8 @@ const OverviewTab = ({ progress, onToggle }: OverviewTabProps) => {
   }
 
   return (
-    <div style={{ padding: '28px 30px' }}>
+    <div className="mov" style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'flex-start', gap: 26, padding: '28px 30px' }}>
+      <div className="mov-main" style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0 }}>
       <div style={{ display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 6, fontFamily: "'Outfit',sans-serif", fontSize: 11, fontWeight: 600, color: MC, textTransform: 'uppercase', letterSpacing: '0.07em', background: '#EBF5F0', padding: '4px 10px', borderRadius: 99, border: `1px solid ${MC}20`, marginBottom: 12 }}>
         <span style={{ width: 5, height: 5, borderRadius: '50%', background: MC }} />Scholarship Hunt
       </div>
@@ -505,6 +507,9 @@ const OverviewTab = ({ progress, onToggle }: OverviewTabProps) => {
         )
       })}
       <p style={{ fontFamily: "'Outfit',sans-serif", fontSize: 11, color: C.textFaint, marginTop: 10, textAlign: 'center' }}>Click any item to open its content</p>
+      </div>
+
+      {aside && <aside className="mov-aside">{aside}</aside>}
     </div>
   )
 }
@@ -2500,9 +2505,12 @@ interface Props {
   open: boolean
   onClose: () => void
   year?: number
+  /** Deadline rail for the Overview tab. Built by the dashboard so every
+   *  panel shares one set of handlers and one copy of the student's dates. */
+  aside?: ReactNode
 }
 
-export default function FinancialAidModule({ open, onClose, year = 11 }: Props) {
+export default function FinancialAidModule({ open, onClose, year = 11, aside }: Props) {
   const { user, profile, refreshProfile } = useAuth()
   const toast = useToast()
   // Held in a ref so the load effect below re-runs only when the module
@@ -2663,7 +2671,7 @@ export default function FinancialAidModule({ open, onClose, year = 11 }: Props)
   const yearMeta = YEARS[year] ?? YEARS[11]
 
   const content =
-    tab === 'overview' ? <OverviewTab progress={progress} onToggle={handleToggleChecklist} /> :
+    tab === 'overview' ? <OverviewTab progress={progress} onToggle={handleToggleChecklist} aside={aside} /> :
     tab === 'scholarships' ? <ScholarshipsTab userDemoTags={userDemoTags} /> :
     tab === 'scholarship-search' ? <ScholarshipSearchTab userDemoTags={userDemoTags} userDemographics={userDemographics} trackerIds={trackerScholarshipIds} onAddToTracker={handleSearchAddToTracker} /> :
     tab === 'deadlines' ? <DeadlinesTab collegeIds={collegeIds} onAddCollege={handleAddCollege} onRemoveCollege={handleRemoveCollege} /> :
diff --git a/web/src/components/ModuleOverviewTab.tsx b/web/src/components/ModuleOverviewTab.tsx
index a03cf31..9d3b216 100644
--- a/web/src/components/ModuleOverviewTab.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/ModuleOverviewTab.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * checklist data, content map, accent, and copy.
  */
 
-import { useState } from 'react'
+import { useState, type ReactNode } from 'react'
 import { motion, AnimatePresence } from 'framer-motion'
 import { C, EASE_OUT } from '../lib/designTokens'
 import { Bar, Ring } from './moduleUI'
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ interface Props<T extends string> {
   title: string
   subtitle: string
   itemTypeIcon: Record<T, string>
+  /** Deadline rail beside the checklist. Built once by the dashboard and
+   *  passed down, so every panel shares the one set of handlers rather than
+   *  each module loading its own copy of the student's dates. */
+  aside?: ReactNode
 }
 
 export default function ModuleOverviewTab<T extends string>({
@@ -47,6 +51,7 @@ export default function ModuleOverviewTab<T extends string>({
   title,
   subtitle,
   itemTypeIcon,
+  aside,
 }: Props<T>) {
   const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState<Record<number, boolean>>(() =>
     Object.fromEntries(checklist.map((_, i) => [i, true])))
@@ -73,7 +78,8 @@ export default function ModuleOverviewTab<T extends string>({
   }
 
   return (
-    <div style={{ padding: '24px 28px', maxWidth: 760 }}>
+    <div className="mov" style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'flex-start', gap: 26, padding: '24px 28px' }}>
+      <div className="mov-main" style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, maxWidth: 760 }}>
       <h2 style={{ fontFamily: "'Young Serif',serif", fontSize: 24, color: C.text, margin: 0, marginBottom: 6 }}>{title}</h2>
       <p style={{ fontFamily: "'Outfit',sans-serif", fontSize: 13, color: C.textMuted, margin: 0, marginBottom: 20, lineHeight: 1.6 }}>
         {subtitle}
@@ -140,6 +146,9 @@ export default function ModuleOverviewTab<T extends string>({
           </div>
         )
       })}
+      </div>
+
+      {aside && <aside className="mov-aside">{aside}</aside>}
     </div>
   )
 }
diff --git a/web/src/components/SchoolApplicationPage.tsx b/web/src/components/SchoolApplicationPage.tsx
index a7db8ce..f076a50 100644
--- a/web/src/components/SchoolApplicationPage.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/SchoolApplicationPage.tsx
@@ -49,6 +49,10 @@ const font = "'Outfit',sans-serif"
  * reports '' for a half-edited value too, so leaving mid-retype (or the window
  * losing focus) reverts instead of erasing the date (for a shared task, on
  * every school). Leaving the box saves a complete date or reverts.
+ *
+ * Before there is a date, the control is a labelled button rather than the
+ * input: an empty date input is a blank box that says nothing about what it
+ * is for, so the feature went unfound.
  */
 const DUE_SAVE_DELAY_MS = 600
 const plausibleDay = (v: string) => {
@@ -64,6 +68,8 @@ function TaskDueInput({ due, label, hint, onCommit }: {
 }) {
   // null = not editing: show the saved value.
   const [draft, setDraft] = useState<string | null>(null)
+  // Swapped in by the "Add date" button, so the input arrives focused.
+  const [adding, setAdding] = useState(false)
   const timer = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null)
   const pending = useRef<string | null>(null) // plausible value waiting to save
   const latest = useRef({ due, onCommit })
@@ -87,9 +93,30 @@ function TaskDueInput({ due, label, hint, onCommit }: {
   // Full size while being edited, even with every segment wiped, so the
   // student isn't retyping into a collapsed, invisible chip.
   const set = draft !== null || !!value
+  if (!set && !adding) {
+    return (
+      <button
+        type="button"
+        onClick={() => setAdding(true)}
+        aria-label={`Add a due date for ${label}`}
+        title={hint}
+        style={{
+          flexShrink: 0, padding: '3px 9px', borderRadius: 7,
+          border: `1px dashed ${C.borderStrong}`, background: 'transparent',
+          fontFamily: font, fontSize: 11.5, fontWeight: 600,
+          color: C.textMuted, cursor: 'pointer', whiteSpace: 'nowrap',
+        }}
+        onMouseEnter={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = MC; e.currentTarget.style.color = MC }}
+        onMouseLeave={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = C.borderStrong; e.currentTarget.style.color = C.textMuted }}
+      >
+        + Add date
+      </button>
+    )
+  }
   return (
     <input
       type="date"
+      autoFocus={adding}
       value={value}
       onFocus={() => setDraft(due ?? '')}
       onChange={(e) => {
@@ -104,16 +131,16 @@ function TaskDueInput({ due, label, hint, onCommit }: {
         if (e.currentTarget.validity.badInput) flush('', false)
         else flush(draft ?? '', true)
         setDraft(null)
+        setAdding(false)
       }}
       onKeyDown={(e) => { if (e.key === 'Enter') (e.target as HTMLInputElement).blur() }}
       aria-label={`Due date for ${label}`}
       title={hint}
       style={{
-        flexShrink: 0, width: set ? 132 : 34, padding: '3px 6px',
-        border: `1px ${set ? 'solid' : 'dashed'} ${C.border}`,
-        borderRadius: 7, background: set ? C.white : 'transparent',
-        fontFamily: font, fontSize: 11.5,
-        color: set ? C.text : 'transparent',
+        flexShrink: 0, width: 132, padding: '3px 6px',
+        border: `1px solid ${C.border}`,
+        borderRadius: 7, background: C.white,
+        fontFamily: font, fontSize: 11.5, color: C.text,
         cursor: 'pointer', outline: 'none',
       }}
     />
@@ -300,8 +327,9 @@ export default function SchoolApplicationPage({
                         {task.done ? '✓' : ''}
                       </button>
                       <span style={{ flex: 1, fontFamily: font, fontSize: 13.5, color: task.done ? C.textMuted : C.text, textDecoration: task.done ? 'line-through' : 'none' }}>{task.label}</span>
-                      {/* Empty until they set one, so an undated checklist stays
-                          a checklist rather than a wall of date pickers. */}
+                      {/* A button until they set one, so an undated checklist
+                          stays a checklist rather than a wall of date pickers
+                          — but still says a date can go here. */}
                       <TaskDueInput
                         due={task.due}
                         label={task.label}
diff --git a/web/src/contexts/ApplicationsContext.tsx b/web/src/contexts/ApplicationsContext.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e964ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/contexts/ApplicationsContext.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/**
+ * The student's college list, owned in one place.
+ *
+ * Two views write this record: Application Tracking (add, remove, edit, tick a
+ * task) and the deadline panel (ticking an application marks it submitted).
+ * It persists as one whole array, so two independent copies meant the second
+ * writer replaced whatever the first had just saved — a college added inside
+ * the module vanished when a deadline was ticked on the dashboard.
+ *
+ * The dashboard hook used to dodge that by pausing while a module was open,
+ * which also ruled out showing the panel inside a module at all. One owner
+ * removes both problems: every writer reads and writes the same array, and a
+ * change made in either place is visible in the other immediately, with no
+ * refetch to wait for.
+ *
+ * Deliberately not a store for anything else. Scholarship tracker items look
+ * like the same problem but are not: they are rows in their own table written
+ * one at a time, so concurrent writers cannot overwrite each other.
+ */
+
+import { createContext, useContext, useMemo, type ReactNode } from 'react'
+import { useModuleData } from '../lib/useModuleState'
+import { APPLICATIONS_MODULE, APPLICATIONS_DATA_KEY } from '../data/applicationDeadlines'
+import type { ApplicationEntry } from '../data/applicationsChecklist'
+
+export interface ApplicationsValue {
+  /** As stored. Views that only understand some categories map over this. */
+  apps: ApplicationEntry[]
+  /** Latest value, for handlers that read-modify-write. */
+  appsRef: React.RefObject<ApplicationEntry[]>
+  /**
+   * Replace the list. Resolves false when the write was refused (no completed
+   * read yet) or rolled back — never partially applied.
+   */
+  saveApps: (next: ApplicationEntry[]) => Promise<boolean>
+  loadFailed: boolean
+}
+
+const Ctx = createContext<ApplicationsValue | null>(null)
+
+export function ApplicationsProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
+  // Always loading: the list feeds the dashboard, every module overview and
+  // Application Tracking, so there is no point at which it is not wanted.
+  const { data, saveData, dataRef, loadFailed } =
+    useModuleData<ApplicationEntry>(APPLICATIONS_MODULE, APPLICATIONS_DATA_KEY, true)
+  const value = useMemo(
+    () => ({ apps: data, appsRef: dataRef, saveApps: saveData, loadFailed }),
+    [data, dataRef, saveData, loadFailed],
+  )
+  return <Ctx.Provider value={value}>{children}</Ctx.Provider>
+}
+
+// eslint-disable-next-line react-refresh/only-export-components -- hook co-located with its provider
+export function useApplications(): ApplicationsValue {
+  const v = useContext(Ctx)
+  if (!v) throw new Error('useApplications must be used inside <ApplicationsProvider>')
+  return v
+}
diff --git a/web/src/index.css b/web/src/index.css
index e0444a1..827795a 100644
--- a/web/src/index.css
+++ b/web/src/index.css
@@ -3150,6 +3150,21 @@ button {
     min-height: 40px;
   }
   .msh-content { overflow-y: visible !important; }
+  /* The deadline rail goes under the checklist rather than beside it. */
+  .mov { flex-direction: column !important; gap: 18px !important; }
+  .mov-main { max-width: none !important; }
+  .mov-aside { width: 100% !important; position: static !important; }
+}
+
+/* ---- the deadline rail on a module overview ----
+   Same panel as the dashboard's, so a student never has to leave a module to
+   see what is actually due. Sticky so it stays put while the checklist
+   scrolls; the width matches the dashboard aside so the panel keeps its
+   proportions in both places. */
+.mov-aside {
+  width: 300px; flex: none; position: sticky; top: 0;
+  border: 1px solid var(--border); border-radius: 12px;
+  background: var(--card-bg); padding: 14px 15px;
 }
 
 /* The application round, with what it commits you to on hover/long-press.
diff --git a/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.test.ts b/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.test.ts
index f5480e1..e21c62f 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.test.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import {
   suggestTransferPath,
   pickAffordableAlternatives,
   regionOf,
+  searchRegionOf,
+  SEARCH_REGIONS,
   formatNetPrice,
   haversineMiles,
   collegeDistanceMi,
@@ -263,6 +265,24 @@ describe('regionOf & formatNetPrice', () => {
     expect(regionOf('IL')).toBe('Midwest')
     expect(regionOf(null)).toBeNull()
   })
+  it('puts every state and DC in exactly one search region', () => {
+    // A state missing from the map would silently vanish from the Discover
+    // list the moment anyone picked a region.
+    const STATES = ('AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO '
+      + 'MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY').split(' ')
+    expect(STATES).toHaveLength(51)
+    for (const st of STATES) expect(SEARCH_REGIONS).toContain(searchRegionOf(st))
+  })
+  it('gives territories and unknowns no search region rather than guessing', () => {
+    expect(searchRegionOf('PR')).toBeNull()
+    expect(searchRegionOf(null)).toBeNull()
+  })
+  it('splits the regions finer than the census ones', () => {
+    // The whole point: these two share a census region and not a search one.
+    expect(regionOf('WA')).toBe(regionOf('AZ'))
+    expect(searchRegionOf('WA')).toBe('Pacific')
+    expect(searchRegionOf('AZ')).toBe('Mountain West')
+  })
   it('formats net price', () => {
     expect(formatNetPrice(842300)).toBe('~$8,423/yr after aid')
     expect(formatNetPrice(null)).toMatch(/varies/)
diff --git a/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.ts b/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.ts
index 824ce7a..454956f 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/collegeMatch.ts
@@ -84,6 +84,42 @@ for (const [region, states] of Object.entries({
 export const regionOf = (state: string | null | undefined): string | null =>
   state ? CENSUS_REGIONS[state] ?? 'Territories' : null
 
+/**
+ * The regions a student actually searches in.
+ *
+ * The four Census regions above score a college's distance and are far too
+ * coarse to browse by: "West" is Seattle, Phoenix and Honolulu together, and
+ * "Northeast" runs from Maine to Pennsylvania. These are the finer splits
+ * people mean by "the Northeast" or "the Pacific Northwest" — narrow enough
+ * that picking one meaningfully shortens the list.
+ *
+ * Kept separate rather than replacing the Census map: that one is stored on
+ * every college row and feeds the match score, so changing it would silently
+ * restate every student's results.
+ */
+export const SEARCH_REGIONS = [
+  'New England', 'Mid-Atlantic', 'Southeast', 'Midwest',
+  'South Central', 'Mountain West', 'Pacific',
+] as const
+export type SearchRegion = (typeof SEARCH_REGIONS)[number]
+
+const SEARCH_REGION_OF: Record<string, SearchRegion> = {}
+for (const [region, states] of Object.entries({
+  'New England': 'CT ME MA NH RI VT',
+  'Mid-Atlantic': 'NJ NY PA DE MD DC',
+  Southeast: 'VA WV NC SC GA FL AL MS TN KY',
+  Midwest: 'OH IN IL MI WI MN IA MO ND SD NE KS',
+  'South Central': 'TX OK AR LA',
+  'Mountain West': 'MT ID WY CO UT NV AZ NM',
+  Pacific: 'CA OR WA AK HI',
+} satisfies Record<SearchRegion, string>)) {
+  for (const st of states.split(' ')) SEARCH_REGION_OF[st] = region as SearchRegion
+}
+
+/** Null for territories and anything without a state — never guessed at. */
+export const searchRegionOf = (state: string | null | undefined): SearchRegion | null =>
+  (state && SEARCH_REGION_OF[state]) || null
+
 export function incomeBracketFromCents(cents?: number | null): IncomeBracket | null {
   if (cents == null) return null
   const d = cents / 100
diff --git a/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.test.tsx b/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.test.tsx
index c494b86..3fb6266 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.test.tsx
+++ b/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.test.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,13 @@ vi.mock('./fafsaData', () => ({
 }))
 
 import { useDeadlineEvents } from './useDeadlineEvents'
+import { ApplicationsProvider, useApplications } from '../contexts/ApplicationsContext'
+
+// The college list lives in the provider now, so every render needs it. Its
+// I/O is the same getModuleData/setModuleData pair already mocked above.
+const wrapper = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
+  <ApplicationsProvider>{children}</ApplicationsProvider>
+)
 
 const SENIOR = 10
 
@@ -38,7 +45,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents', () => {
     H.getModuleData.mockResolvedValue(apps)
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([scholarship])
 
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.length).toBeGreaterThan(1))
 
     const ids = result.current.events.map((e) => e.id)
@@ -54,7 +61,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents', () => {
     H.getModuleData.mockResolvedValue(apps)
     H.getTrackerItems.mockRejectedValue(new Error('offline'))
 
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.length).toBeGreaterThan(0))
     expect(result.current.events.every((e) => !e.id.startsWith('scholarship-'))).toBe(true)
   })
@@ -63,7 +70,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents', () => {
     H.getModuleData.mockRejectedValue(new Error('offline'))
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([scholarship])
 
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.length).toBeGreaterThan(0))
     expect(result.current.events.map((e) => e.id)).toContain('scholarship-t1')
   })
@@ -73,26 +80,27 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents', () => {
     // view tells the student to add what they already added.
     H.getModuleData.mockResolvedValue(apps)
     H.getTrackerItems.mockRejectedValue(new Error('offline'))
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.failed).toBe(true))
   })
 
-  it('does not fetch while inactive, and fetches once it becomes active', async () => {
+  it('refetches when the key changes, without ever going dark', async () => {
     H.getModuleData.mockResolvedValue(apps)
     H.getTrackerItems.mockResolvedValue([scholarship])
 
-    // The dashboard pauses whilst a module is open, then refetches on the way
-    // back so a scholarship just added shows up.
+    // The dashboard passes the open module, so opening one and coming back
+    // both pick up a scholarship added meanwhile. It used to pause instead,
+    // which is why the panel could not be shown inside a module.
     const { result, rerender } = renderHook(
-      ({ active }) => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR, { active }),
-      { initialProps: { active: false } },
+      ({ refreshKey }) => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR, { refreshKey }),
+      { initialProps: { refreshKey: '' }, wrapper },
     )
-    expect(H.getTrackerItems).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(result.current.events).toEqual([])
-
-    rerender({ active: true })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.length).toBeGreaterThan(0))
     expect(H.getTrackerItems).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+
+    rerender({ refreshKey: 'Financial Aid' })
+    await waitFor(() => expect(H.getTrackerItems).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2))
+    expect(result.current.events.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
   })
 })
 
@@ -113,7 +121,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a tick writes through to the owning record', ()
       Promise.resolve(over[key] ?? []))
 
   const tick = async (id: string) => {
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.some((e) => e.id === id)).toBe(true))
     const event = result.current.events.find((e) => e.id === id)!
     await act(async () => { result.current.toggleDone(event) })
@@ -143,7 +151,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a tick writes through to the owning record', ()
     // The mis-tap case: a not-started application ticked and immediately
     // untapped used to be left in-progress for good.
     stored({ apps: app('not-started') })
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.some((e) => e.id === 'app-harvard-EA')).toBe(true))
 
     const find = () => result.current.events.find((e) => e.id === 'app-harvard-EA')!
@@ -157,7 +165,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a tick writes through to the owning record', ()
   it('tells the view which module a tick just changed', async () => {
     const onNotice = vi.fn()
     stored({ apps: app('not-started') })
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR, { onNotice }))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR, { onNotice }), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.some((e) => e.id === 'app-harvard-EA')).toBe(true))
     await act(async () => {
       result.current.toggleDone(result.current.events.find((e) => e.id === 'app-harvard-EA')!)
@@ -249,7 +257,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a dated college task', () => {
 
   it('shows up beside every other deadline', async () => {
     stored({ apps: withTask() })
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.length).toBeGreaterThan(0))
 
     const task = result.current.events.find((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))
@@ -263,7 +271,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a dated college task', () => {
     // Otherwise the calendar and the college's own checklist disagree about
     // whether the same thing is done.
     stored({ apps: withTask() })
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.some((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))).toBe(true))
 
     const event = result.current.events.find((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))!
@@ -277,7 +285,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a dated college task', () => {
 
   it('unticks it again', async () => {
     stored({ apps: withTask(true) })
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.some((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))).toBe(true))
 
     const event = result.current.events.find((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))!
@@ -297,7 +305,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a dated college task', () => {
       tasks: [{ id: 'recs', label: 'Request teacher recommendations', done: false, phase: 'before', due: '2026-10-02' }],
     })
     stored({ apps: [recs('sc-1', 'Alpha'), recs('sc-2', 'Beta')] })
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.some((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))).toBe(true))
 
     const taskEvents = result.current.events.filter((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))
@@ -314,7 +322,7 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a dated college task', () => {
     let resolveApps: (v: unknown) => void = () => {}
     H.getModuleData.mockImplementation((_m: string, key: string) =>
       key === 'apps' ? new Promise((r) => { resolveApps = r }) : Promise.resolve([]))
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR))
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), { wrapper })
     const fake = { id: 'task-cal-poly::c-1', done: false, shortTitle: 'Ask Ms. Reyes' } as unknown as Parameters<typeof result.current.toggleDone>[0]
     await act(async () => { result.current.toggleDone(fake) })
     expect(H.setModuleData.mock.calls.some(([, k]) => k === 'apps')).toBe(false)
@@ -322,3 +330,46 @@ describe('useDeadlineEvents — a dated college task', () => {
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.events.some((e) => e.id.startsWith('task-'))).toBe(true))
   })
 })
+
+/**
+ * The reason the college list has one owner.
+ *
+ * Both of these write the whole array. While the panel kept its own copy, a
+ * tick saved the list as it was when the panel last loaded — erasing a school
+ * added in Application Tracking since. The dashboard dodged it by pausing the
+ * panel whilst a module was open, which is exactly what stopped the panel
+ * being shown inside a module.
+ */
+describe('useDeadlineEvents — one owner for the college list', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    H.getModuleData.mockReset().mockResolvedValue(apps)
+    H.getTrackerItems.mockReset().mockResolvedValue([])
+    H.setModuleData.mockReset().mockResolvedValue(undefined)
+    H.updateTrackerStatus.mockReset().mockResolvedValue(undefined)
+  })
+
+  it('keeps a college added elsewhere when a deadline is ticked', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(
+      () => ({ panel: useDeadlineEvents(SENIOR), list: useApplications() }),
+      { wrapper },
+    )
+    await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.panel.events.length).toBeGreaterThan(0))
+
+    // Application Tracking adds a school, the way opening the module would.
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.list.saveApps([
+        ...result.current.list.appsRef.current,
+        { collegeId: 'yale', category: 'unranked', deadlineType: 'RD', status: 'not-started' },
+      ])
+    })
+
+    // The panel — live, not paused — ticks Harvard off.
+    const harvard = result.current.panel.events.find((e) => e.id.startsWith('app-'))
+    expect(harvard).toBeDefined()
+    act(() => { result.current.panel.toggleDone(harvard!) })
+
+    const written = H.setModuleData.mock.calls.at(-1)![2] as { collegeId: string; status: string }[]
+    expect(written.map((a) => a.collegeId)).toContain('yale')
+    expect(written.find((a) => a.collegeId === 'harvard')!.status).toBe('submitted')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.ts b/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.ts
index 8322880..bcf12b7 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/useDeadlineEvents.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
  */
 
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
-import { getModuleData, setModuleData } from './moduleProgress'
 import { getTrackerItems, updateTrackerStatus, type TrackerItem } from './fafsaData'
 import {
   getDoneIds,
@@ -34,8 +33,6 @@ import {
   type DeadlineOverrides,
 } from './personalDeadlines'
 import {
-  APPLICATIONS_MODULE,
-  APPLICATIONS_DATA_KEY,
   deriveDeadlineEvents,
   deriveScholarshipEvents,
   mergeDeadlineEvents,
@@ -47,7 +44,8 @@ import {
 import {
   deriveTaskEvents, isSharedTask, parseTaskEventId, setSharedTask, tasksForEntry,
 } from '../data/applicationTasks'
-import type { ApplicationEntry, AppTask } from '../data/applicationsChecklist'
+import type { AppTask } from '../data/applicationsChecklist'
+import { useApplications } from '../contexts/ApplicationsContext'
 
 /**
  * State plus a ref that always holds its latest value. Setting updates both
@@ -62,9 +60,13 @@ function useLatest<T>(initial: T) {
 }
 
 export interface UseDeadlineEventsOptions {
-  /** Skip fetching while false — e.g. the dashboard pauses whilst a module is
-   *  open, then refetches on the way back so new entries surface. */
-  active?: boolean
+  /** Refetch the sources this hook owns whenever this changes — the dashboard
+   *  passes the open module, so leaving or entering one picks up a scholarship
+   *  added meanwhile. It used to *pause* instead, because the college list had
+   *  two owners and a paused copy could not clobber the other; the list has one
+   *  owner now (see ApplicationsContext), so staying live is safe and lets the
+   *  panel render inside a module. */
+  refreshKey?: string
   /** The student's standing deadline preferences, from the settings page.
    *  Applied here so every dated view filters identically; omitted means no
    *  filtering, which is what the pure tests want. */
@@ -98,12 +100,14 @@ export interface DeadlineEventsResult {
 
 export function useDeadlineEvents(
   gradeStartIdx: number | null | undefined,
-  { active = true, visibility, onNotice }: UseDeadlineEventsOptions = {},
+  { refreshKey = '', visibility, onNotice }: UseDeadlineEventsOptions = {},
 ): DeadlineEventsResult {
+  // The college list is shared with Application Tracking rather than fetched
+  // here, so the two can never save over each other.
+  const { apps, appsRef, saveApps } = useApplications()
   // Each list keeps its latest value in a ref, so every handler computes the
   // next value once and writes it once, outside a state updater (StrictMode
   // runs updaters twice), and two handlers can't overwrite each other's change.
-  const [apps, setApps, appsRef] = useLatest<ApplicationEntry[]>([])
   const [scholarships, setScholarships, scholarshipsRef] = useLatest<TrackerItem[]>([])
   const [own, setOwn, ownRef] = useLatest<PersonalDeadline[]>([])
   const [doneIds, setDoneIds, doneIdsRef] = useLatest<string[]>([])
@@ -112,18 +116,14 @@ export function useDeadlineEvents(
   // on a list still being refetched would save the copy from before the pause
   // over whatever changed meanwhile (a college added in the module), so each
   // writer does nothing until its list is loaded; the gap is a moment.
-  const ready = useRef({ apps: false, scholarships: false, own: false, doneIds: false, overrides: false })
+  const ready = useRef({ scholarships: false, own: false, doneIds: false, overrides: false })
   const [failed, setFailed] = useState(false)
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!active) return
     let cancelled = false
     const r = ready.current
-    r.apps = r.scholarships = r.own = r.doneIds = r.overrides = false
+    r.scholarships = r.own = r.doneIds = r.overrides = false
     const fail = () => { if (!cancelled) setFailed(true) }
-    getModuleData<ApplicationEntry[]>(APPLICATIONS_MODULE, APPLICATIONS_DATA_KEY)
-      .then((data) => { if (!cancelled) { setApps(data ?? []); r.apps = true } })
-      .catch(fail)
     getTrackerItems()
       .then((items) => { if (!cancelled) { setScholarships(items); r.scholarships = true } })
       .catch(fail)
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ export function useDeadlineEvents(
       .catch(fail)
     return () => { cancelled = true }
     // The setters are stable (useLatest), listed only to satisfy the rule.
-  }, [active, setApps, setScholarships, setOwn, setDoneIds, setOverrides])
+  }, [refreshKey, setScholarships, setOwn, setDoneIds, setOverrides])
 
   /**
    * Local state moves first and the write follows, so a tick feels immediate.
@@ -159,7 +159,6 @@ export function useDeadlineEvents(
   const priorStatus = useRef(new Map<string, string>())
 
   const setAppStatus = useCallback((collegeId: string, done: boolean, title: string) => {
-    if (!ready.current.apps) return
     const prev = appsRef.current
     const current = prev.find((a) => a.collegeId === collegeId)?.status
     if (done && current) priorStatus.current.set(collegeId, current)
@@ -170,13 +169,11 @@ export function useDeadlineEvents(
         : a,
     )
     if (!done) priorStatus.current.delete(collegeId)
-    setApps(next)
-    setModuleData(APPLICATIONS_MODULE, APPLICATIONS_DATA_KEY, next)
-      .catch(() => setFailed(true))
+    saveApps(next).then((ok) => { if (!ok) setFailed(true) })
     onNotice?.(done
       ? `${title} marked submitted in Application Tracking.`
       : `${title} moved back in Application Tracking.`)
-  }, [onNotice, appsRef, setApps])
+  }, [onNotice, appsRef, saveApps])
 
   /** The tracker's mirror of the above. */
   const setScholarshipStatus = useCallback((itemId: string, done: boolean, title: string) => {
@@ -196,7 +193,6 @@ export function useDeadlineEvents(
 
   /** Flip one task's done flag inside its college's entry. */
   const setTaskDone = useCallback((collegeId: string, taskId: string, done: boolean, title: string) => {
-    if (!ready.current.apps) return
     const prev = appsRef.current
     // A shared task is ticked for every school that needs it, as on the pages.
     const owner = prev.find((a) => a.collegeId === collegeId)
@@ -206,13 +202,11 @@ export function useDeadlineEvents(
       const tasks: AppTask[] = tasksForEntry(a).map((t) => (t.id === taskId ? { ...t, done } : t))
       return { ...a, tasks }
     })
-    setApps(next)
-    setModuleData(APPLICATIONS_MODULE, APPLICATIONS_DATA_KEY, next)
-      .catch(() => setFailed(true))
+    saveApps(next).then((ok) => { if (!ok) setFailed(true) })
     onNotice?.(done
       ? `${title} ticked off in Application Tracking.`
       : `${title} reopened in Application Tracking.`)
-  }, [onNotice, appsRef, setApps])
+  }, [onNotice, appsRef, saveApps])
 
   const toggleDone = useCallback((event: DeadlineEvent) => {
     const done = !event.done