With the tight economy, budget cuts, loss of staff, and more work than ever before, college financial aid and high school counselors offices are finding it harder and harder to meet all the demands of students and parents when they are looking at planning for college. Students bombard these offices on a daily basis with questions concerning choosing the right college, filling out financial aid forms correctly, and how to determine which schools the family can afford.There are many free resources that college and high school counseling staff members can turn to help ease a large part of the burden. Many of these websites provide the excellent service to students and families as they struggle with huge decisions they must make for their child’s future. Let’s get the word out to students about how to take advantage of these resources.

Princeton Review
Explore for colleges using filters about a student’s academic and extracurricular history.

Cappex
Easy to use calculator which tells a student’s chances for admission.

YOUniversity TV
Take video tours of campuses across the nation.

Zinch
Create profiles which resemble college applications which students can send to colleges and/or colleges can reach out to students.

Now that a student has researched colleges, “toured campuses”, found out if they would be eligible for admission, created a marketing profile, it’s time to determine how the family is actually going to pay the cost of education. Filling out the financial aid forms correctly can be a daunting task. Searching for scholarships can be overwhelming. Reading an award letter can be confusing. Knowing how much student/family debt to carry over 4+ years of study can seem impossible to figure out. There are free resources that are available that can help students and families make important decisions.

TuitionCoach
Offers a series of free web tools to help students calculate the best way to lower college costs and avoid common mistakes on financial aid forms

Scholarships.com
Comprehensive scholarship search for students of all ages

TuitionAdjuster
Calculate your monthly loan pricetag and create a paying-for-college plan in 3 easy steps.

The earlier a family starts planning and researching colleges and universities and using free tools for planning and paying for that experience, the more prepared a student will be for their future.