College Planning Resources
View College Planning Resources in Spanish by clicking here:
Recursos de Planificación para la Universidad
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/2021college-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 900 colleges and universities. Students can complete one application for 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
National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC)
New England Association of College Admissions Counselors (NEACAC)
Virtual campus visits
www.youvisit.com/
www.youvisit.com/collegesearch
Information on Transfer
NEBHE’s Transfer Resources for Students and Families
Information on Institutional Accreditation
New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
Regional accrediting body for colleges and universities in New England and beyond.
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
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
Publications are usually available in print at public libraries and also for purchase at bookstores and/or online
College Board Publications
store.collegeboard.org
Peterson’s Guides to College
www.petersonsbooks.com/
Four-Year Colleges ; Two-Year Colleges; How to Get Money for College
Fiske Guide to Colleges
Rugg’s Recommendations on Colleges
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/
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