College Planning Resources and Websites
This list of college planning websites provides information on choosing a college, college applications, financial aid and scholarships, college admissions, test prep, and college counseling.
College Applications
Common Application – The Common Application (common app) allows students to complete one admission application that may be submitted to any of 456 participating colleges and universities. The application can be completed online or in print.
California State University system – provides application and admission information regarding the California State University system.
University of California system – provides application and admission information regarding the University of California system.
College Visits and Tours
Campus Tours – offers virtual college tours and interactive college maps.
eCampusTours – offers virtual tours of over 1,300 college campuses.
youniversitytv – offers video tours of most major colleges and universities in the U.S.
Preparing for and Finding a College
College Navigator – A comprehensive database of colleges provided by the U.S. Department of Education which allows you to do side-by-side comparisons of schools. Your search criteria can include specific states, distance from a specified zip code, type of degree offered, public or private institution, and major(s).
College Board – offers information on planning for college, comparing schools, and registering and preparing for the SAT and AP tests.
Prep for College Calendar – National Association for College Counseling’s calendar for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors with month-by-month suggestions for college planning.
SAT and ACT Test Prep and Registration
ACT – offers information on registering and taking the ACT test.
College Board – offers information on planning for college, comparing schools, and registering and preparing for the SAT and AP tests.
Number2.com – free online test preparation for the ACT and SAT tests.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is the form you must complete in order to see if you are eligible for any kind of federal financial aid, such as grants, student loans, and work study. Even if you don’t think you are eligible for financial aid, you should still fill it out because many colleges also use it to award non-federal aid.
FastWeb – Free online scholarship search
High School Athletes
NCAA Eligibility Center – Registering is a requirement for any student who plans to play NCAA division I or II sports.