College Planning Resources

College Search Websites

www.ajcunet.edu - Site for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Offers a college search for those institutions, as well as various publications, AJCU job bank, online courses and much more.

www.catholiccollegesonline.org - A site to search Catholic colleges and universities. Also includes up-to-date news, events and a job board.

www.collegeweeklive.com/index.cfm? - A comprehensive site where you can do a college search, see scholarship information, view upcoming college events (such as open houses, etc.), and even see on-demand video presentations.

www.hbcuconnect.com - A great site to search for historically black colleges and universities. Also has links for scholarships, jobs and much more.

www.petersons.com– A comprehensive site where you can identify colleges by location, major, tuition and more. There is also test prep and financial aid information.

www.princetonreview.com - A site to help with standardized test preparation, as well as a great college search function.

http://sistersofmercy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=130&Itemid=185 - Links to and contact information for Mercy sponsored colleges and universities.

www.unigo.com– A college guide created by college students nationwide, covering everything from the admissions process to academics to social life at various schools. A great way to get a student’s perspective, or “inside scoop” on the college(s) you’re interested in.

www.usnews.com/sections/rankings - A link to U. S. News & World Report that keeps up-to-date college rankings, including "Best Colleges" (nationally), "Best Graduate Schools", and "World's Best Universities" to name a few.

www.wiredscholar.com– A good place to get a head start on preparing for college, whether you’re a student wondering where to go to school and how you’ll get there, or a parent who is trying to figure out the college and financial aid application processes. You’ll find pointers on the entire “go-to-college” process from preparation to getting loans. There are also interactive tools that enable you to analyze the affordability of schools. 

 Financial Aid & Scholarship Websites

https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.isp - CSS Profile online: The CSS Profile is the form many private colleges and universities require for those applying for financial aid. This is in addition to the FAFSA form.

www.fafsa.ed.gov– Site for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It walks you through preparation for completing the FAFSA application, filing the form and checking your application status after completion.

www.fastweb.com– Includes a database of over 180,000 private scholarships. It offers a free search using an online profile you create.

www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov- The Federal Student Aid Gateway—the source for free information, guidance and tools for federal student assistance—from the U.S. Department of Education's office of Federal Student Aid. Click on the section for “Students, Parents and Counselors” – you are then sent to a portal of web sites that give options for federal student aid, ways to get started with funding and ways to repay federal student loans. As an example, it includes links to the FAFSA website (for info and to apply) and to the FAFSA4caster website (where  you can get an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student financial aid).

www.finaid.com– A great resource for financial aid & scholarships, including a financial aid estimator. It also has information on prepaid tuition plans, athletic assistance, loans, grants and more.

www.mappingyourfuture.org– Sponsored by participants in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), this is a one stop site for advice on financial strategies, choosing a college and career planning.

www.meritaid.com– Assists in finding merit aid scholarships by matching students with merit scholarship opportunities from colleges across the country. Merit aid is awarded to students with a broad range of GPA’s, and can even be based on interests, intended majors, leadership & community service.

www.michigan.gov– Operated by the State of Michigan, this site offers information on Michigan-based scholarships, as well as choosing a college, planning a career and more.

www.mi-studentaid.org– A scholarship search for local and colleges in Michigan.

www.msep.mhec.org– Links to the “Midwest Student Exchange Program” which serves as the Midwest’s largest multi-state tuition reciprocity program. Over 140 colleges and universities in Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin offer each others’ citizens affordable rates. Public institutions agree to charge no more than 150% of the in-state resident tuition rate; private institutions offer a 10% reduction on tuition rates.

www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships --a free college scholarship search that has over ten million members. Scholarships posted are thoroughly researched and verified as legitimate, making certain there are no fees to apply.

www.schoolsoup.com; www.scholarships.com; www.scholarshiphelp.org– all informative scholarship databases, the last of which is an informative site about the scholarship process.

www.uncf.org– Information on scholarship and grant programs funded by the United Negro College Fund.

Other College and Career Related Websites

Common Application: www.commonapp.org– The official site for the Common Application, used by many selective, independent colleges and universities for admission to their undergraduate programs.

NCAA (Clearinghouse):  www.eligibilitycenter.org– This site provides information for prospective NCAA student-athletes regarding Division I & II eligibility requirements. Here you can register with the clearinghouse if planning on playing a NCAA sport in college (after setting up an online account).

Career Planning: www.bis.gov/oco/home.htm- The Occupational Outlook Handbook is the #1 resource for learning about different careers and the education and training needed for those careers.

Mercy’s College Application Process: CLICK HERE to view the senior college application presentation given to seniors and parents.