College Planning Resources

College Planning

US Department of Education College Scorecard
collegescorecard.ed.gov
Search and compare colleges, location, degrees, programs, costs, etc.

US Department of Education’s College Navigator
National Center for Education Statistics
nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

College Board Big Future
bigfuture.collegeboard.org

Peterson’s
petersons.com
Searchable database of multiple criteria (degree, area of study, type of school, tuition, admission difficulty, gpa, ACT, SAT, school size, setting); scholarships

Washington Monthly
washingtonmonthly.com/2018college-guide
Guide rates colleges based on their contribution to the public good ((1) social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), (2) research, and (3) service); also lists colleges best suited to adult learners.

The Common Application
www.commonapp.org/search-colleges
Member organization of more than 750 colleges and universities. Students can complete one application when applying to an unlimited number of member institutions.

National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC)
Step by Step: College Awareness and Planning for Families, Counselors and Communities
www.nacacnet.org/STEPS
Information on Paying for College
www.nacacnet.org/knowledge-center/financing-college/paying-for-college/

Helpful resource for late applicants
Annual College Openings Update: Options for Qualified Students
www.nacacnet.org/news–publications/Research/CollegeOpenings/
Note: Annual list of NACAC member postsecondary institutions that voluntarily provide information that they are still accepting applications from qualified freshman and/or transfer students for the upcoming fall term as of May 3.

US News
www.usnews.com/education

Common Data Set (CDS)
A number of colleges voluntarily participate in the CDS and post their annual data set on their websites. Data includes enrollment data and breakdowns by various criteria (including race, ethnicity, gender, international), acceptance rates (such as % of freshman accepted), high school rank for their incoming freshman
Find a college’s CDS by searching online for the college name and Common Data Set.

College fairs
www.nacac.com
www.neacac.net

Virtual campus visits
www.youvisit.com/
www.youvisit.com/collegesearch

New England Commission on Higher Education, Inc. (NECHE)
www.neasc.org/colleges-and-universities
Regional accrediting body for 236 colleges and universities in New England and 11 overseas institutions.

Mobile Applications

Google College Search
www.blog.google/products/search/college-search-google/
Uses public information from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a comprehensive data set available for 4-year colleges. Launched 6/12/18.

The College Fair
itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-college-fair-college-search-advice-app/id990111320?mt=8

Admitsee
www.admitsee.com/
Social network for college students to connect & share advice, requires monthly subscription

My Options
myoptions.org/
Free app in Apple itunes. College planning platform for students, parents and educators. Formerly “Admitttedly.”

State agencies for college planning information

Connecticut Office of Higher Education
www.ctohe.org/StudentsFamilies/StudentsFamilies.shtml
www.ctohe.org/HEWeb/CollegesList.asp

Finance Authority of Maine (FAME)
www.famemaine.com/education/topics/choosing-a-college/maine-college-search/

Massachusetts Education Finance Authority (MEFA)
mefapathway.org/

New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF)
www.nhheaf.org/choosing-a-college.asp

Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA)
www.risla.com/college-planning/plan

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC)
www.vsac.org/plan/searching-for-a-college

College Planning Publications

College Board
store.collegeboard.org
College Handbook; Book of Majors; Getting Financial Aid; International Student Handbook

Peterson’s
www.petersonsbooks.com/
Four-Year Colleges ; Two-Year Colleges; How to Get Money for College

Fiske Guide to Colleges (mobile app version)
itunes.apple.com/us/app/fiske-college-guide-2018/id1286565414?mt=8

Rugg’s Recommendations on Colleges
www.ruggsrecommendations.com/

Colleges That Change Lives’ book recommendations
ctcl.org/bookshelf/

Assessment Tests

FairTest
www.fairtest.org/university/optional
Information on more than 1,000 colleges that do not require admissions assessments (SAT, ACT) in all cases.

SAT Assessments: College Board
collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat

ACT
www.act.org/

Prior-Learning Assessments
AP (College Board’s Advanced Placement Tests)
apstudent.collegeboard.org/home

CLEP (College Board’s College-Level Examination Program)
clep.collegeboard.org

DSST Exams
getcollegecredit.com/
Including test options for military.

GED Testing Service
ged.com/
Joint venture of American Council on Education (ACE) and Pearson

The Princeton Review
www.princetonreview.com/college-education
College search, test prep and tutoring

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
www.ets.org/toefl

Resources for students with disabilities

Directory of Transition Websites
www.heath.gwu.edu/directory-of-transition-websites

The National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)
www.nccsdonline.org/

National Organizations Working on Disability and Higher Education
www.nccsdclearinghouse.org/national-organizations.html

National Resources for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education
www.dreamcollegedisability.org/national-resources-for-college-students-with-disabilities.html

Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability
thinkcollege.net/tpsid

Exploring degree programs and careers

University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Career Center, What Can I Do With a Major In…www.uncw.edu/career/WhatCanIDoWithaMajorIn.html

MEFA Pathway: Your Plan for the Future
www.mefapathway.org
Free, interactive planning tool for students in middle school, high school and beyond, as well as families and school counselors.

Road Trip Nation: Career Exploration
roadtripnation.com/roadmap/stepone

US Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration, My Next Move
www.mynextmove.org/