The official site for completing the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid.
Resources
Websites
FAFSA on the web
Department of Education PIN
To complete the FAFSA on the Web, both the student and one parent should apply for Department of Education PIN numbers. You can apply here!
FAFSA school codes
All colleges and universities that receive federal financial aid funding have a 6-digit Federal School Code. Check to see if your college receives federal aid here.
Internal Revenue Service
The mission of the IRS is to provide America’s taxpayers with top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and by applying the tax law with integrity and fairness for all.
College Results
This website is an outstanding repository of information regarding graduation rates for colleges and universities nationwide, amongst other data.
The Carnegie Foundation
A website that categorizes each college and university along academic lines. Outstanding college search engine.
Books
Here are some useful books and online resources.
The Price of Admission
A heavy-hitting, name-naming exposé by Wall Street Journal deputy bureau chief Golden concludes that Ivy League admissions offices do not practice meritocracy. Instead, top-drawer schools reward donor-happy alums and the "legacy establishment," which Golden defines as "elites mastering the art of perpetuating themselves..."
The Chosen
The emphasis in college applications on balancing grades and extracurricular activities appears benignly positive at first glance. Yet, as Karabel explains, the top Ivy League schools created this formula in the 1920s because they were uncomfortable with the number of Jewish students accepted when applicants were judged solely on their grades...
Colleges that Change Lives
Prospective college students and their parents have been relying on Loren Pope’s expertise since 1995, when he published the first edition of this indispensable guide. This new edition profiles 41 colleges—all of which outdo the Ivies and research universities in producing performers, not only among A students but also among those who get Bs and Cs...
Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges
Rugg's College Guide recommends quality undergraduate departments at quality colleges. It is a great aid to students, parents, and their counselors in the initial phase of the college search, providing a starter list of colleges to consider.
Fiske Guide to Colleges
For more than 20 years, this leading guide to more than 300 colleges and universities has been an indispensable source of information for college-bound students and their parents. Hip, honest and straightforward, the Fiske Guide to Colleges delivers an insider's look at the academic climates and the social and extracurricular scenes at the "best and most interesting" schools in the U.S., plus Canada and Great Britain...
Harvard Schmarvard
Think that your life's growth, success, and happiness depend on which college you attend? The higher-profile school, the better, right? Wrong! Neither is true.
Written by, yes, a Harvard grad, Harvard Schmarvard rebuts the perception that image is everything when it comes to college and emphasizes this simple fact: What you will be measured by in life is your talent and energy, not your college's name...
The Best 361 Colleges
College students (more than 115,000 of them) reveal what life is really like at the nation's top schools. This must-have guide gives you college rankings like no other and covers all the essentials -- from academics to social life to financial aid, and everything in between. We also provide you with all the basics: admissions criteria, deadlines, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and more...
Campus Visits and College Interviews
Updated to give the pros and cons of college Web sites and "virtual visits," and reformatted with easy-to-use charts and checklists, this quick and handy guide will help you get the right impression during your visit and make the right impression during your interview. It tells you the best times to visit; what to look for while you're there; what questions to expect during your interview; what questions you should ask; and more...
