Student Stories

Colleges

Scholarships

Site navigation

My Data Locker
My Datalocker
Explore Colleges
- Tools
- College Match
- Featured Articles
- The Road to College
- The Facts on Fit
- Explore Your Options
Explore Colleges

How do you find the right colleges for you? Explore Colleges can guide you through the college search process. Find colleges that are a good fit for you, develop your college search strategy, and explore colleges with College Match.

Click here to Explore Colleges
Expert Advice

The Road to College

The Facts on Fit

Explore Your Options

As you begin to think seriously about college, it will help to understand why you are going to college, the milestones along the way, and what it will be like when you get there.

Read More

To find colleges that are a good fit, you need to learn about the factors that can influence your experience in and out of the classroom. Develop your personal list of college search criteria to find the best colleges for you.

Read More

A better search strategy will give you better results! Whether you want information about colleges you think are a good fit, or you want to find new colleges that are right for you, we have the tips to get you started and the tools to finish the job.

Read More
Tools

COLLEGE MATCH

Use the College Match college search engine to find the right colleges for you.
Prepare & Apply
- Tools
- College Chances
- Admissions Tracker
- Common Application
- Universal College Application
- Featured Articles
- Strengthen Your Chances
- Apply Yourself
Prepare & Apply

To successfully apply and get into college, you need to know what colleges are looking for. Prepare & Apply can help you improve your college admission chances and develop your strategy to become the ideal applicant.

Click here to Prepare & Apply
Expert Advice

Strengthen Your Chances

Apply Yourself

Learn about the qualities colleges value, how to strengthen your preparation, plus everything you need to know about the PSAT, SAT, and ACT.

Read More

When you apply to college, planning and attention to detail really matter! Check out our advice on getting organized, how to make your college applications stand out, and what to do when decisions arrive.

Read More
Tools

COLLEGE CHANCES

Will you get in? Find out! Estimate your admission chances at any college and see how to improve your odds.

ADMISSIONS TRACKER

See who got in, who's applying, and how you compare! Get an inside look at real student profiles and decisions.

Guides

THE COMMON APPLICATION

Our at-a-glance guides make it easy to see the colleges that accept each application, plus deadlines, fees, and supplements.

Get the Common Application Guide

THE UNIVERSAL COLLEGE APPLICATION

Get the Universal College Application Guide
Pay Your Way
- Tools
- Net Price Calculator
- Financial Aid Tracker
- EFC Calculator
- Compare Awards
- Scholarship Finder
- Featured Articles
- College Sticker Shock
- All About Financial Aid
- Paying for College
- Scholarship Smarts
Pay Your Way

Pay Your Way has advice to help you pay for college and get more financial aid. Use the EFC and Net Price calculators to estimate your financial aid and college costs. Use the Compare Awards tool to see which college offers the best deal.

Click here to Pay Your Way
Expert Advice

College Sticker Shock

All About Financial Aid

Paying for College

Scholarship Smarts

Tuition is only part of the cost of college. Learn about the other expenses, why it's important to look past the "sticker" price, and how to find financially friendly colleges and get merit aid.

Read More

Get the facts on college financial aid, including how to qualify, how to apply, how to get the most aid, and how to analyze your awards.

Read More

Learn about short- and long-term strategies to pay for college and how financial aid fits in.

Read More

Scholarships are not just about academics. Learn how to find scholarships you are eligible for, create winning scholarship applications, and watch out for scholarships scams.

Read More
Tools

NET PRICE CALCULATOR

What will college really cost? Uncover your true out-of-pocket cost to attend any college.

FINANCIAL AID TRACKER

Who's getting financial aid and how do you compare? View real financial aid awards and see how much students like you received at any college.

EFC CALCULATOR

Calculate your Expected Family Contribution to see how much colleges expect you to pay.

COMPARE AWARDS

Which financial aid award is best? See which college offers the best deal and why.

SCHOLARSHIP FINDER

Find money for college! Search 595,000 awards worth more than $4.5 billion.
College Buzz
- Tools
- Student Stories
- Resources for Counselors
- Featured Articles
- Money Matters
- Campus Life
- Transfer Students
- Study Abroad During College
College Buzz

Check out College Buzz for personal stories of students on the road to college, plus tips on transferring, studying abroad, and managing your money, your time and your life once you get to college!

Click here to College Buzz
Expert Advice

Money Matters

Campus Life

Transfer Students

Study Abroad During College

To live well at college, you'll need to manage your money wisely. Find out how, including ways to spend less and manage debt, plus everything you need to know about banking options for students.

Read More

There's a lot more to college than classes. Learn more about exploring opportunities outside of the classroom, staying on track, and living in the dorm.

Read More

Changing colleges is a big decision! Find out how to decide, what you need to know to apply and pay for college as a transfer, and how to get a good start at your new school.

Read More

Study abroad programs are not all created equal. Here are tips for finding the right colleges with the right programs.

Read More
True Stories from Students on the Road to College

Real life happens here! See what real students have to say about the ups and downs of getting into college and what college life is like.

See Student Stories

Resources for Counselors

CollegeData is committed to helping students and families make the right decisions about college, just like you.

Counselor Portal

Resource for Counselors
Help
Contact Us
Sign Out

For Students Age 18 and Older
Have you received a Personal Invitation to apply for a Student Credit card?	Click here
Learn how to qualify for a Personal Invitation to apply for a Student Credit Card	Click here

1st Financial Bank believes students who pick colleges wisely will also want to learn how to use credit cards wisely.

Like on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin on Pinterest Share on Instagram

Pay Your Way
Financial Aid Tracker
Get Started

Get 2000 CD$ when you sign up for the COLLEGEdata Dollars Program! Learn More

Financial Aid Tracker

"I wanted to attend college but wasn't sure if I could afford it. Financial Aid Tracker showed me what other students were offered in merit aid and what I might qualify for."

I have an account. Log In

How much financial aid can you expect? View thousands of real student financial aid awards and see how much students just like you received at any college.

Select a college and see real financial aid awards students received.

The cost of college depends on two things -- the school's "sticker price" and how much of it will be offset by financial aid. With the Financial Aid Tracker, you can see actual financial aid awards that students similar to you received. Will you get merit aid? See how your GPA and test scores stack up against students who did. What about need-based aid like grants and loans? You can see how much students with EFCs like yours received. Add your own profile and compare yourself at any school.

View Tracker Profiles for an in-depth look at students' qualifications and financial aid awards.

Why do students receive different financial aid awards? It's not always easy to tell, but Tracker Profiles help you see what might have factored into those decisions. In addition to financial aid details, each profile also contains information about the student's college choices, academic qualifications, extracurriculars, admissions decisions, and more. Tracker Profiles are anonymous, so you won't know whose profile you're viewing (and no one else will know they're viewing yours).