Here Are the Best Online Resources for College Admission
Last Updated on June 20, 2023 by Jill Schwitzgebel
So, you’ve decided it’s time to take the first steps in the college search process. Maybe you’ve even read the Best Books about College Admissions. But now what? The next step for most of us is to turn to the internet in search of some online resources for college admission and the process surrounding it.
I’ve been immersed in the college search and admissions process for a while. And there are some online resources that I refer to repeatedly, out of necessity. Some provide the facts that I need to make good recommendations to families and some I suggest to families as good starting points.
1. The Common Data Set
This is an important database that families should access when they are getting serious about final college application lists. The Common Data Set Initiative is a collaboration with the stated goal to “improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education…”
From a user perspective, what it does is to allow families to compare apples-to-apples. This database compiles all of the relevant fact and figures about a college into a standardized format. With every college self-reporting their numbers in the same way, it’s much easier to compare two or more colleges. It includes not only basic numbers like enrollment figures and graduation rates, it includes pertinent information like how much aid students receive on average, what the average loan debt is, average class size, demographic information, etc.
To find the Common Data Set (CDS) for any college you are interested in, you just need to search “X College and Common Data Set.” Keep in mind that the information the CDS will provide is quantitative information, rather than qualitative. And qualitative matters a lot! Be sure to read Why You Really Need to Check Out the College Common Data Set.
2. College Navigator
This is run by the Department of Education as a consumer education resource. It provides some of the same valuable information that you will get through looking at the college’s CDS. The website is not particularly visually appealing, but the information may be a little easier to digest here than it is looking at the CDS, and better yet, it gives you the ability to search for colleges using various criterion.
3. The College Board
Yes, no matter your opinion of it, this is a highly important website for most high school students. All high school juniors take the PSAT in high school, which is the test to qualify as a National Merit Finalist. The scores are reported here. Students taking Advanced Placement classes can also find information and their test scores on this website. And finally, this is where students also register for and receive their scores for the SAT.
But, this site has become more than just a portal for test scores. It also has FREE practice tests on it. And, using your student’s PSAT and SAT scores, the site now provides free custom test practice through Khan Academy. Khan Academy will give students immediate feedback on their answers as they practice. If your teen is diligent in using this site for practice, you don’t need to pay for pricey tutors!
4. ACT
If you’ve been reading MY website, you know that I strongly recommend that students take both the SAT and the ACT to determine which test is better for them. So this site does much the same as the College Board’s site, above. This is where students can register for the ACT and receive their test scores.
Similar to the College Board website, the ACT site also offers testing practice. They offer the ACT Academy which includes practice tests, webinars, study guides, and an ACT question of the day. And again, if your teen is motivated, they can skip the expensive tutors and get all the practice they need for free on the website.
5. Campus Tours
No website can replace a visit to campus, but there are now several websites you can visit to take a virtual tour of colleges that are of interest. You can find fun tours from colleges all over the US! This can make it slightly easier to narrow down that college list.
6. BigFuture
If you have been on the College Board website, then you have likely seen links to BigFuture. This site allows you to set multiple parameters from location to diversity to selectivity to search for colleges.
When you look at a specific college page on this website, you will be able to get some of the same information that is available in the CDS. But, I would always verify that information via the CDS or on the college’s own website when you’re getting more serious in your search. Generally, I have found the information to be highly accurate, especially about what colleges consider important in their application process, as well as test score and GPA ranges.
One feature I like is that on the right side of the page, it will give you information about what other colleges people looked at, that also viewed the one you are currently viewing. Sometimes, the overlaps are random, but sometimes, it can give you an idea of a similar college that’s worth checking into for your student.
This website also has a feature that allows your teen to explore careers. It includes some surveys they can take and information about careers that they may not ever have heard of or considered. Of course, remind your student that no survey can have a complete picture, and obviously, they are not bound to any career suggestions that the website makes.
If you’re interested in some fantastic books about the college search and admissions process, make sure you check out the four books I discuss here!
