Below are free and low-cost tools for students and families at any stage of the college admissions process. These work well on their own or alongside professional consulting services.
Free, personalized SAT practice built in partnership with the College Board. Includes adaptive exercises, video lessons, and a progress dashboard.
Go to Khan Academy →Search and filter over 2,000 colleges by location, size, cost, selectivity, and major. Also includes financial aid calculators and scholarship search tools.
Go to College Board Big Future →The shared application platform used by over 1,000 colleges. Students manage applications, deadlines, essays, and activity lists in one place.
Go to Common App →A free application platform used by 150+ colleges, with built-in tools for tracking activities, building a portfolio of work over time, and connecting with college representatives.
Go to Coalition for College →Detailed profiles on 2,000+ colleges covering admissions stats, financial aid, academic programs, and campus life. Includes an expected family contribution estimator.
Go to CollegeData →Federal database comparing colleges on graduation rates, average annual cost, post-graduation earnings, and student debt levels. Data comes directly from institutional reporting.
Go to College Scorecard →A community and resource hub for first-generation college students, offering mentoring connections, scholarship information, and peer support.
Go to I'm First! →The US Department of Education's portal for federal financial aid: grants, loans, and work-study. The FAFSA is required for most financial aid packages.
Go to Federal Student Aid →Student reviews, academic data, and campus statistics aggregated to help students compare schools. Rankings cover academics, value, campus life, diversity, and more.
Go to Niche →Annual rankings of 1,400+ colleges sortable by category, acceptance rate, tuition, financial aid, and program strength. A go-to starting point for comparing schools side by side.
Go to US News & World Report →