Resources
For current articles on colleges, majors, financial aid, higher education and other topics related to your college search, please check out my Twitter
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College Search & Information Websites
- BigFuture - College Board's new college search and resource website
- Cappex
- college and scholarship search website
- CCAA - organization of Catholic colleges and universities
- College Confidential - college searches and online discussions
- College Data - resource for college search, research and scholarship information
- College Navigator - Federal site that provides college facts and figures
- College Newspapers - website that provides links to many campus papers (great for journalism majors!)
- College Portrait - voluntary system of accountability & comparison for over 300 public universities
- The College Tour - free streaming channel with current, in-depth college tours
- College Xpress
- an insider's guide to college searches
- Colleges that Change Lives - guides to 44 unique schools
- Colleges of Distinction - nationally recognized list of colleges
- Colorado Department of Higher Education - college information for Colorado students and families
- College Results Online - graduation rates for most four-year college or universities
- College Scorecard - U.S. Dept. of Education college search tool highlighting salary outcomes and affordability
- ECampus Tours - video college tours
- Fair Test - colleges not requiring SAT or ACT
- USA Gap Year Fairs - outlines regional fairs & gap year programs
- Go See Campus - college trip planner
- Guiding Bright Minds - source for support and guidance for LD students and families
- IPEDS (Integrated Post Secondary Education System) - Government data on all colleges and universities
- My College Options - college search by majors
- National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) - independent survey alternative to rankings Download their Pocket Guide to Choosing a College
- Niche - college reviews by students
- Peterson's - comprehensive college guide
- TeenLife - lists thousands of teen-centered academic and experiential learning opportunities
- Unigo - college reviews and details
- USNews Rankings - While I'm not a fan of rankings, many families still want to check them out!
- YOUniversity TV - video tours of colleges and careers
- YouVisit - virtual college tours of 600+ colleges
Recommended College Guide Books
- Fiske Guide to Colleges
by Edward B. Fiske
- Princeton Review The Best 388 Colleges
- Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope & Hilary Masel Oswald
- College Match by Steven R. Antonoff, PhD
- America's Best Colleges for B Students by Tamra B. Orr
- Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers by Elaina Loveland
- Paying for College Without Going Broke by Kalman Chany
- The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price by Lynn O'Shaughnessy
- Letting Go: A Parent's Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen L. Coburn and Madge L.Treeger
ACT and SAT test preparation
- ACT information, registration and scores
- SAT
information, registration and scores
- Applerouth offers online tutoring and test prep services for all major standardized tests
- Arborbridge offers online personalized tutoring and test prep services
- Compass Education Group offers local 1-on-1 test prep and tutoring
- Mindfish offers local group and 1-on-1 ACT, SAT and academic tutoring
- Moser Educational Services offers local ACT, SAT and academic 1-on-1 tutoring
Financial Aid
- Fill out the FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, to submit after October 1. This official site is a free service.
- College in Colorado College Opportunity Fund provides a stipend funding for up to 145 credit hours for eligible Colorado students attending a participating Colorado public college or university. Sign up now!
- CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile is a financial aid profile required by a subset of selective colleges to be submitted after October 1.
- College Affordability and Transparency Center - U.S. Department of Education’s site providing information on costs for each college, as well as net price calculator access.
- CollegeBoard features EFC and College Cost Calculators.
- FinAid explains various financial aid programs available and includes a "SmartStudent" Guide to Financial Aid including calculators
- Mapping Your Future - “Managing Your Money” menu option will provide access to “Calculators.” The Student loan debt/salary wizard tool helps estimate earnings required to pay off student loan debt.
- Federal Student Aid - offers free information from the US Dept. of Education on preparing for and funding education beyond high school.
- Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) allows students who are residents of certain Western states to request a reduced tuition rate of 150% of resident tuition at participating college programs outside of their home state.
Scholarship Searches
- Cappex - scholarship overview and search assistance
- College Answer - SallieMae college funding and scholarship information
- College.Net - free online scholarship search
- Denver Scholarship Foundation - Scholarship Directory links to a wide variety of scholarships.
- Fastweb - website for scholarship search and financial aid advice
- Going Merry - free scholarship search and application platform
- Scholarships - free online scholarship search
- Unigo - college reviews and scholarship search
- Please note: Do NOT pay for online scholarship services. Most are happy to take your money with little or no results.
Application
- Common Application - college application and supplements accepted by over 900 member institutions. (The newest version is now available, but essay prompts may not yet be updated.)
- Universal Application - college application and supplements accepted by a select group of colleges
- Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success - new portfolio-based application used by nearly 100 colleges
- ZeeMee - phone app that creates a profile used to supplement the college application to over 200 colleges
- AXS Companion - Oregon State University's free online guide to walk you through the Common Application
Athletics
- NCAA Eligibility Center - Explore this site to learn more about the NCAA, its athletics divisions, its sports and other information about collegiate athletics.
- NAIA Eligibility Center for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 300 member schools.
- beRecruited - connect with over 25,000 coaches in 31 sports
- Scholarship Stats - odds of playing college sports and athletic scholarship sources
Majors & Career Planning
- Educate to Career provides occupations and salary outcomes by college and major
- Glassdoor
provides an inside look at potential jobs and employers
- My Colorado Journey - college and career resources for Colorado residents
- MyMajors provides searches and articles on majors and careers
- Occupational Outlook Handbook helps you research potential salary ranges by occupation and region
- O*NET offers a career exploration and job analysis tool
- PayScale provides a survey and salary report as well as tips to help you accomplish your career goals
- Roadtrip Nation provides interviews with hundreds of professionals to help you "Define Your Road in Life"
- Salary.com provides articles on majors, jobs and earning potential
- Study.com offers videos on thousands of subjects including majors and careers
- TryEngineering provides helpful insights and articles about engineering careers
Custom College Plan Login
Important Dates
Test dates below are current, but please check back or visit testing websites for updates, announcements or cancellations.
July 13
September 14
October 26
February 8
April 5
June 14
July 12
