Resources
DC-Area Public School Calendars
The best times to visit campuses are days when your school is closed but colleges are open. Professional development days can be perfect for this. Import the Google calendars below to check the dates for your school or district and reserve days for local tours or travel.
Offers information about nearly 4,000 two-year and four-year colleges and universities, as well as the PSAT and SAT, and AP classes and exams. (The site’s searchable college database can be found at https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org.) Also maintains an Expected Family Contribution calculator to help estimate financial aid eligibility.
Posted on the US News and World Report’s website and designed by Steven R. Antonoff, based on quizzes in his book College Match.
The largest professional association for school counselors, independent counselors and college admissions staff. NACAC holds national college fairs around the country that feature hundreds of colleges and universities. The schedule of fairs is posted at http://www.nacacnet.org/college-fairs/Pages/default.aspx.
Operated by a non-profit organization and based on a book, both of the same name. The book profiles a group of colleges that provide an outstanding college experience, but are not as prominent at the top-ranked schools. The schools later joined together to create the organization. The site provides information about the member colleges and about the college search process in general.
FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES
A site of the US Department of Education that offers comprehensive information about federal student aid, including grants, loans, and work-study.
Helps families estimate federal aid eligibility and demonstrated financial need.
Note: The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will be replaced with a “Student Aid Index” under recent legislation. This change is schedule to take place after the 2022-23 school year.
DC government site with information about aid for DC students, including the DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DC TAG) and the Mayor’s Scholarship Undergraduate Fund.
State government site with information about aid for Maryland students, including need-based grants; legislative, merit-based and career-based scholarships; and aid for unique populations.
State government site with information about aid for Virginia students, including the Commonwealth Award, Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program, and Tuition Assistance Grant Program.
The College Board’s site for the CSS PROFILE, the “common application” for institutional and private scholarships.
This nonprofit financial aid counseling organization recommends keeping student loan payments to less than 8% of gross income.
SCHOLARSHIP RESOURCES
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
A searchable database of scholarship opportunities.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/grants-and-scholarships/how-to-spot-scholarship-scams
What to look for to be sure you are not falling for a scam.
www.StudentScholarshipSearch.com and http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/ebook/
A website with a searchable scholarship database and a free e-book with step-by-step guidance to finding and applying for scholarships.