Tracking the College Search Industry

Why college search?

There are a lot of colleges out there and nobody knows all of them. College search tools can help students, parents, and counselors compare different college options and narrow down the huge number of colleges to a manageable number that students can compare.

However, the two main issue are that:

Most college search tools aren't very good.
Most college search tools specifically fail low-income students.

You can read more about the rational behind Easy Access at Why is Easy Access necessary?

What Makes a Good College Search Tool

Easy of use for students
Allows students to compare colleges.
Understanding of students and college landscape
Helps students create balanced college list
Helps disadvantaged and underrepresented students.

2 Main Ways to Use College Search Tools

Creating a feasible short-list of colleges

Narrowing down college options to a manageable number

With 1700 4-year colleges & universities, it's impossible to research or compare each one. The first task of a college search tool is to narrow down these options into a short list of approximately 10-20 colleges that students can actually research, compare, and potentially visit.

This narrowing down process is the most important function of a college search tool because it helps potentially overwhelmed students focus their time and energy. A good college search tool will help students narrow down their option to the "right" colleges-- those that are affordable, that include a mix of safety, target, and reach colleges, and those that have the student's major and other characteristics that the student is looking for.

2. Creating a final college list

Comparing a narrowed down group of colleges to decide which to visit and apply to.

Once you have a short list of 10-20 colleges (or less), college search tools can also be useful in comparing these colleges and deciding which to apply to.

From this group of 10-20 short-list colleges, students should apply to between 3-12, depending on their individual situations. For more about creating a college list, click here.

They can also be useful at the very end of the process-- when a student has been accepted by multiple colleges and is having trouble deciding which to attend.

Our Favorites

Big Future

What we like:

It's comprehensive, relatively easy to use, and trusted by counselors and the field. The "Financial Aid By the Numbers" tab under Paying provides important financial aid data that is hard to find elsewhere. It also has good content around applying to college.

What it lacks:

It's great if you want to look up specific colleges, but the college search and list building features need a lot of work. The same could be said for all of the tools here though.

College Raptor

What we like:

Along with College Vine, College Raptor displays the best understanding of what's important in the college application process. It has a lot of functions for affordability and helps students separate their colleges by target, safety, and reach.

What it lacks:

It is difficult to use and the account making process is just too complicated.

Niche

What we like:

Simple to use with the best user interface. It also has some nice college profile pages where students can read review and 1-word descriptions of colleges.

What it lacks:

Niche college search is completely based on rankings, so its not the best at finding the right colleges for each individual student.

College Vine

Why we like it:

College Vine is attempting to be a comprehensive tool where students can not only find colleges, but also manage the entire application process. It also gives good advice on other parts of the application process, including financial aid, essays, and comparing award letters.

What it lacks:

College Vine is very focused on the most selective colleges in the country, and right now only has approximately 650 colleges in its college search (out of 1700+).