The following links will help students and parents as they move through the college search and application process.  The list contains some major sites that have helpful information on college searches, financial aid, scholarships, testing as well as links to other sites.  The NW Academy does not endorse any particular site.

GENERAL INFORMATION
http://www.NACAC.COM/  The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

COLLEGE SEARCHES
http://www.embark.com/ College search program that contains comments from students about college life and offers practice tests, on-line applications, and a financial aid estimator.

http://www.collegenet.com/ College search program run by the ACT. Has information on scholarships and financial aid, as well as applications for hundreds of colleges.

http://www.allaboutcollege.com/ Links to college web pages organized by subject headings.

http://www.gocollege.com/ College search, scholarship search, SAT practice tests and campus crime statistics.

http://www.campustours.com/ College tours on-line, plus campus maps and web sites.

http://www.degreesearch.com/ Shows which schools have which majors, including less common majors.

FINANCIAL AID
http://www.fastweb.com/ A scholarship search program with information on local and federal aid.

http://www.finaid.com/ Information on scholarships, loans, and all types of financial aid. Includes a college expense calculator to determine financial aid eligibility.

http://www.fastaid.com/ A free on-line scholarship database.

http://www.freschinfo.com/ Scholarship search with information on financial aid, scholarship scams and a comparison of various loan programs.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ Complete the Application for Federal Student Aid online.

http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com/ Lists scholarships offered by specific colleges.

http://www.collegeboard.com/ Register for the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Financial Aid Profile. Many schools require the CSS Profile as part of the financial aid application. Also register for the SAT I and SAT II.

STANDARDIZED TESTS
http://www.act.org/ On-line registration for the American College Test (ACT) with prep information, a college search program, and financial aid estimator.

http://www.fairtest.org/ Up-to-date source for a listing of colleges and universities that do not require national tests for admissions.

http://princetonreview.com/college View average SAT and ACT scores of various colleges and compare and contrast the SAT and ACT.

APPLICATIONS
http://www.commonapp.org/ Download the common application and a program to help you fill it out on your computer, or complete the application online and submit electronically. Offers links to obtain most of the required supplements to applications.

http://www.allaboutcollege.com/ Links to college web pages with downloadable applications and online submission forms.

BOOKS
Colleges that Change Lives by Loren Pop.  Published in 1996 and revised in 2000, this timeless classic reminds students about the tremendous potential that exists for them if they find the right college match.

The Fiske Guide  This straightforward guide describes the academic climates as well as the social and extracurricular scenes at the "best and most interesting" schools in North America.

The Insider's Guide to Colleges  Reference book by students' covers topics from admission criteria, and majors to housing, food and social life.

Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges A thoughtful approach to ranking the colleges.  Rugg's advice and comments have appeared in such diverse publications as USA Today, Rolling Stone, College Bound, The Boston Globe, Rocky Mountain News, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, New Jersey Monthly, and Your Money.