College Planning Blog & Student Resources - Page 3

FAFSA with divorced parents? The form has gotcha rules about which parent claims you. Here's what you need to know and which parent figures go where..

FAFSA doesn't have to be painful. Here's a plain-English, step-by-step guide to filling it out in 2026, what documents you need, and mistakes to avoid.

A perfect ACT score is 36. Here's how to build a prep plan that gets you there, what the highest-scoring students do differently, and realistic timelines.

Complete list of 50+ colleges that superscore the ACT in 2026, plus retake strategy and schools that don't.

All 8 Ivies, side by side: acceptance rates, tuition, rankings, and locations. Compare Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell.

Your PSAT score predicts your SAT score pretty accurately. Here's the conversion chart, how National Merit cutoffs translate, and what to do next.

The SAT changed in 2016. Here's how scores from the old SAT convert to the new scale so you can compare scores across years. Updated for 2026.

FAFSA takes 30 minutes to an hour if you have documents ready. Here's how to prep, what to have on hand, and hacks to speed things up.

Top trade school programs in 2026: plumbing, electrical, HVAC, welding, diesel mechanics. Salaries start at $40K–$70K fresh out of trade school.

Coalition essay prompts for 2025–2026: they want your story, values, identity, and growth. Here's how to write essays that actually stand out.

The ACT is a standardized test that colleges use for admissions. Here's what it tests, how it's scored, which schools care about it, and score.

The SAT is the college admissions test most schools use. Here's what it covers, how it's scored, and why it actually matters. Updated for 2026.

ACT scores release 2–8 weeks after your test date. Here's the full 2026-2027 release schedule so you know when to expect yours.

AP scores come out in July. The exact date varies by state, but you can check your scores online once they're released.

Dual degrees mean two separate diplomas from one school. That's different from a double major. Here's how they work and if it saves time.

Best online colleges accepting FAFSA in 2026: accredited schools where you can use federal financial aid for fully online degrees. Compare tuition and.

What's a good SAT score? Compare yourself to averages. 1050 is average; 1200+ is competitive; 1450+ puts you in the top tier.

What's the lowest SAT score? Technically 400, but that's not competitive. Here's what scores actually matter for your schools and how to improve yours.

Business degrees come in flavors: accounting, finance, marketing, management, entrepreneurship. Here's what each specialization leads to. [2026 Guide]

Do college credits expire? Most credits last 10 years, but STEM and nursing credits may only last 5-7 years. Here's how to check and what to do if yours