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Resources for Families
When researching colleges and/or careers and majors, there are several valuable tools to help guide your decision. College search websites like College Board and Niche offer comparisons, user reviews, and essential statistics. Career exploration tools such as O*NET, CareerOneStop, and interest or strength assessments can help students identify potential career paths and understand how majors connect to future opportunities. Additionally, virtual campus tours and social media platforms provide real insights from current students. Don’t forget to check out college rankings and financial aid calculators to make informed choices!
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Niche is a college search website that combines official data with student and parent reviews to rank and compare U.S. colleges. Users explore academic quality, campus life, costs, and overall fit based on real experiences and personalized tools.
IPEDS, or covers areas such as enrollment, graduation rates, faculty, finances, and student demographics, and is used to help policymakers, researchers, and the public understand trends in U.S. higher education.
College Navigator is a tool from the National Center for Education Statistics that helps users search and compare colleges and universities. It offers data on costs, admissions, graduation rates, programs, and more.
BigFuture is a college and career planning tool that helps students explore schools, majors, careers, and scholarships. It offers dashboards, planning checklists, and access to over 24,000 scholarships to support every step of the college journey.
The Western Undergraduate Exchange is a tuition-savings program that allows students from 15 Western states and U.S. territories to attend participating public colleges in other WICHE states at no more than 150% of in-state tuition.
The College Scorecard is a U.S. Department of Education website that provides up-to-date, standardized data to help users compare colleges and universities. It features information on costs, financial aid, andgraduation rates,
CareerOneStop is a free, U.S. Department of Labor–sponsored career and job-search portal offering curated resources for career exploration, education and training, and workforce tools.
O*NET (the Occupational Information Network) is a comprehensive, free U.S. Department of Labor database that provides detailed information about occupations, including skills, abilities, education, and work activities.
Appily is a free, all-in-one college planning platform used by over 3 million students, offering tools like personalized college matching, scholarship search, virtual campus tours, and expert-guided planning resources.
CollegeData is a platform that helps students search, compare, and plan for college using a database of over 2,000 schools. It offers admissions tools, financial aid calculators, and expert advice to support the planning process.
CampusTours is a platform offering interactive virtual tours and detailed campus maps for over 1,700 colleges and universities worldwide. It combines 360° photos, guided videos, and customizable mapping tools.
The College Tour is a free, student-driven platform offering virtual campus tours of over 2,500 U.S. colleges and universities. It features episodes providing authentic insights into campus life, academics, and student experiences .
Additional Resources
Testing Resources
There are many useful platforms and resources to assist students with preparing for standardized tests such as the ACT or SAT.
Other Resources
College Application Platforms
Below are some of the most widely used platforms for college applications. These tools allow students to apply to multiple schools using a single, streamlined application.
Financial Resources
Financial resources for college help students and families plan for and manage the cost of higher education. These tools and programs include scholarships, grants, loans, and financial aid applications. They are essential for making college more accessible and affordable.