A daily college decision plan for parent and student.
College Compass starts with a sample plan, then turns the student profile, school data, family budget, and source confidence into a working list of schools to review, verify, and narrow.
1Start with the sample plan
See the command center first so the family understands the output before entering everything.
2Add the student profile
Enter high school, academics, major interests, geography, budget, residency, and preferences.
3Build the watch list
Search schools, add them to the family watch list, and compare fit, admit range, cost, merit, and source quality.
4Review why each school is there
Every recommendation explains the fit reason, cost risk, evidence, confidence, and next practical action.
5Use the daily check-in
Parents and students see what changed, what is blocked, and which cost, deadline, or merit detail needs verification.
6Copy the family report
Use the report for family conversations, counselor meetings, and deciding which schools to keep, verify, or remove.
Admissions, merit, and cost values are planning estimates. Verify school-specific aid, deadlines, program rules, and application details before decisions.
Saved browser plans
Choose which family plan to load.
Use separate saved plans for different region, academic, budget, or list scenarios. Plans here are saved in this browser unless signed-in cloud save is active.
Data and confidence
Every number is labeled by what it is and how much to trust it.
College Compass separates official source data, family-entered details, modeled planning estimates, and items that need verification before decisions.
1Official baselines
College Scorecard/IPEDS and school-reported fields support baseline school facts where available.
2Family inputs
Student academics, high-school context, budget, residency, preferences, and watched schools personalize the plan.
3Planning estimates
Admit range, fit, affordability, merit signal, and school ranking are planning calculations, not guarantees.
4Source confidence
Labels distinguish official data, high-trust sources, modeled estimates, and details that need verification.
5Freshness signals
The dashboard shows when source details were last reviewed and what might deserve another look.
6Verification tasks
Families should confirm aid, deadlines, program rules, scholarship policies, and net price details with each college.
Use College Compass as a decision-confidence layer. Treat official labels as source-backed, planning-estimate labels as directional, and verification labels as required follow-up.
Pick the answer that sounds most like your family. College Compass will reflect back the risk before opening the command center.
Pricing
$99 Student Season Pass.
Free Starter shows the first useful planning read. Plus unlocks continuity for one student from list-building through final decision.
Free Starter$0
Sample plan, one student profile, three-school watch list, basic fit/cost/admit signals, and report preview.
Student Season Pass$99
Expanded watch list, full family report, comparison and narrowing workflow, report history, daily check-in history, and cloud-saved family plan.
Current version
College Compass v1.6.1
Recent updates are focused on making the first plan calmer, clearer, and easier for parents to act on.
v1.6.x Decision model foundation
Added a guided plan builder that walks families from fit questions through student details and into a ranked reveal.
Added a recommendation reveal with the current top school, best value, best fit, merit opportunity, cost risk, and safer option to discuss.
Simplified saved-plan switching with a Current Plan selector and quieter plan-management options.
Updated the public header with a cleaner split-action layout and a more intentional free-account button.
Added parent-readable decision stages that show whether a school is a strong value, merit item to verify, cost risk, reach review, or candidate to keep active.
Added score-improvement cost scenarios so families can see when a stronger score might change the affordability picture.
Added clearer next actions and verification tasks behind each school while keeping the main view simple.
v1.5.x Parent guidance and Student Season Pass preview
Added a simpler parent intake to identify your family's biggest planning concern.
Added a Family Plan Risk Snapshot with the risk, why it matters, and the next action.
Added a true step-by-step guided start so parents answer one question at a time.
Added a guided next-step highlight and sticky continue control so the next action stays obvious.
Simplified the guided setup button to say Next while the highlighted action explains where it leads.
Added non-upload ways to complete transcript, SAT/ACT, and activities steps, plus clearer save/load feedback.
Reduced empty space in the intake cards so document and activity steps are easier to scan.
Clarified Sample Plan vs My Family Plan, privacy/upload expectations, and Free Starter vs Student Season Pass boundaries.
Added multiple saved browser plans, a plan picker, blank reset, save notifications, and faster next-step jumps.
Temporarily unlocked Student Season Pass access for signed-in accounts during testing.
Made watch-list schools easier to select, stopped stage clicks from bouncing the page, and added estimated annual merit dollars to verify.
Made ranking chips more visual so admit range, cost risk, and merit estimates no longer look greyed out.
Split the experience into a product landing page, instant static sample dashboard, and account-gated student plan builder.
Improved mobile landing-page menu tap reliability after scrolling.
Fixed mobile menu modal layering so the nav does not stay above opened menu content.
Fixed Create free account buttons so the account popover stays open.
Split account entry into clearer Create account and Log in modes.
Fixed the mobile login/create account popover so it stays within the viewport.
Changed the signed-in account menu into a profile hub with settings, billing, saved plan, and log out actions.
Updated landing and sample dashboard calls to action so signed-in parents see a direct path back to their family plan.
Added a signed-in start panel on the landing page so returning parents can immediately continue their family plan.
Made the command-center banner understand signed-in parents instead of showing create-account language.
Cleaned up the signed-in start panel and account menu so the next action stays clear without dominating the page.
Added an in-app Account Hub for editing parent profile details, opening saved plans, and signing out from the command center.
Kept guided-form tooltips inline with labels and added a sticky save strip for saving while moving through the profile.
Added multi-transcript intake by grade with a grade-level GPA breakdown before applying reviewed details.
Added a guided College Matchmaker for families who know the kind of school they want but not specific names yet.
Added a clearer signed-in Plan Home with an advisor brief, recommended next move, and plan management in one place.
Expanded college fit questions to include travel, distance from home, academic feel, social fit, career goals, and must-haves.
Improved mobile header and app-menu alignment so signed-in navigation works better on phones.
Made real family plans start blank instead of defaulting to sample student data.
Added inline saved-plan management on Plan Home so families can load or delete saved plans where they are working.
Smoothed parent intake and must-have preference controls so guided setup is easier to scan.
Moved Guided Path ahead of advisor and fit details so families see where they are before choosing the next action.
Replaced the persistent guided bar with a motion pointer on the actual next step that disappears after it is clicked.
Added Student Season Pass previews for expanded watch list, full reports, comparison, history, and signed-in plan continuity.
v1.5.x Saved family plan
Signed-in families can save a family plan and return to it across sessions when cloud save is active.
Account, save, and report language now explains whether a plan is saved to an account or only in the browser.
v1.4.x Demo readiness and trust signals
Added a guided readiness checklist for sample plans, watch lists, cost signals, and family reports.
Clarified what comes from official data, family inputs, modeled estimates, and details families should verify.
v1.3.x Daily family command center
Added Daily Check-In, watch-list stages, clearer tooltips, and color cues for admit, cost, merit, verification, and planning signals.
Improved account and navigation copy so the app feels more customer-ready.
College planning clarity for families
Turn your student's college list into a clear family plan.
College Compass helps parents see which schools look realistic, which costs need attention, what merit estimates might matter, and what to verify next before the family commits.
Signed inWelcome back.
Continue the guided plan, open the sample dashboard, or load a saved family plan.
Admit-range estimateEstimated 4-year costMerit signal to verifyWorking watch list
What parents get
One place for the list, the risks, the cost picture, and the next move.
Start by seeing a sample dashboard. When you are ready to test your own student plan, create a free account and College Compass walks you through the student basics before showing personalized results.
1
Family Plan Risk Snapshot
Surfaces the biggest planning risk: cost uncertainty, reach-heavy list, deadlines, merit assumptions, or family disagreement.
2
School ranking with reasons
Ranks schools by admit range, fit, affordability, merit signal, and risk balance, then explains why each school ranks there.
3
Cost and merit reality
Shows estimated annual net cost, four-year exposure, and merit dollars to verify before the family gets attached.
4
Source and verification labels
Separates official data, family-entered details, planning estimates, and items that still need school-page verification.
5
Working watch list
Keeps schools in one parent-readable list with next stages like verify cost, reach review, enrichment needed, or keep watching.
6
Family-ready report
Creates a shareable summary for spouse, student, or counselor conversations: why this school, what could go wrong, what to verify, and what to do next.
How it works
Quick answer first. Details when the family wants them.
1
Start with the worry
Cost, admit odds, deadlines, list balance, scholarships, or family disagreement.
2
See the plan
Get the risk snapshot, best current match, cost read, and first next action.
3
Open the receipts
Use Why this, source labels, cost details, verification tasks, and report preview only when needed.
4
Keep it moving
Track watch-list changes, daily actions, and what the family should verify next.
Why it is different
A parent-first plan, not another static college list.
College Compass is built to help families understand confidence, cost reality, source trust, and the next practical move as the plan changes.
Free search sites
From browsing to decisions
Search is the starting point. College Compass turns schools into a family watch list with budget fit, source labels, and next-best actions.
School portals
Parent-readable context
It complements counselor and district tools by translating profile details, deadlines, and school context into plain-English tradeoffs.
Chancing tools
Confidence-labeled guidance
Admissions reads are modeled estimates, not guarantees. The recommendation blends admit risk, fit, affordability, merit, and evidence quality.
Private counselors
A working command center
Families get an organized plan and copyable report they can use at home, with a counselor, or before deciding whether more help is needed.
Product proof points
Every recommendation shows what is known, estimated, and worth checking.
College Compass brings together guided intake, high-school context, College Scorecard-backed search, a family watch list, cost reality, confidence/source labels, freshness notes, next actions, and a copyable family report.
Guided student intakeHigh-school contextCollege data currently loadedFamily watch listCost Reality panelConfidence/source labelsWhen this was last checkedNext-best actionsCopyable family report
Plans
Start free, upgrade for the student's application season.
Free search helps families browse colleges. College Compass Plus turns the search into a cost-aware plan for one student, one application cycle, from list-building through final decision.
Free search toolsGood for discovery, college browsing, deadlines, and baseline facts.Student Season PassAdds guided intake, planning guidance, confidence labels, saved changes, and a family report for one student's application cycle.Private counselingCan be valuable for hands-on strategy; College Compass helps families prepare and stay organized.
Plus launch tier$99
Student Season Pass · one student, one application cycle
Free starter experience for basic exploration
No monthly subscription for the launch season
Working family watch list with changed-since-last-visit cues
Admit-range, affordability, fit, and merit planning signals
Source confidence, freshness notes, and copyable report
Launch packaging
Clear enough for a parent to choose in one sitting.
College Compass keeps the first buying decision simple: start free, then upgrade one student's active application cycle when the family wants a fuller working plan.
Free Starter$0
3 schools, a report preview, and confidence-labeled planning signals.
Student Season Pass$99
Full watch list, full family report, comparison, history, and saved season plan for one student.
Family PassFuture
For siblings, junior-to-senior planning, and expanded family report history once paid accounts are active.
College Compass
Alex's college plan
A parent-readable admit-range, fit, and cost plan for the family.
Official data College Scorecard/IPEDS baselinesFamily-entered Profile, budget, preferencesModeled estimate Admit, fit, merit, net costNeeds verification Aid, deadlines, program rules
Guided path
Start with the family story, then let the command center work.
The app collects the student profile in plain English, turns it into a ranked college plan, then updates admit-range, cost, merit, and deadline guidance as inputs or source data change.
College Compass will turn the student's preferences, academics, and budget into a plain-English plan.
Why this mattersNo decision read yet.Risk to watchAdd preferences to surface fit and cost risk.Next moveStart the fit walkthrough.
Guided Plan Builder
Walk the family through the plan.
College Compass will ask for the next useful detail, then turn it into a ranked school reveal.
Step 1 of 70%
Sample Dashboard
See what College Compass can do before entering your student's details.
This sample uses static demonstration data. Create a free account when you are ready to test a real family plan.
Account Hub
Parent profile and saved plan access.
Not signed in
Create or sign in to a parent account to manage profile details. Login email changes require verification.
College Fit Walkthrough
Start with what the student wants in a college.
Choose the college feel first. College Compass will suggest schools that fit the preference pattern, then academics and budget sharpen the list.
Start here
Choose a few preferences to see suggested schools.
Plan Management
Choose the plan you are working on.
Current plan
More plan options
Saved plans can be used for different region, academic, budget, or school-list scenarios.
Plan progress
Build a usable family college plan.
Not started
Estimates are parent planning signals. Verify school-specific aid, deadlines, program rules, and application details with each college before making decisions.
Plan Readiness
Know what is ready and what still needs work.
Preparing
Season Pass
$99 Student Season Pass.
One student
Free Starter: 3 schools + report preview. Student Season Pass: full watch list, full family report, comparison, history, and saved season plan.
Expanded watch listReport historyCompare and narrowDaily check-in historySigned-in cloud save when available
Start free. Unlock the season when the plan becomes useful.
The Free Starter shows the first fit, cost, and source-confidence signals. Plus keeps the full student plan working through final decision.
Daily Check-In
Keep the college list moving from maybe to final choice.
Family rhythm
1Review what changed
See profile, cost, watch-list, and last-checked signals that deserve attention.
2Tune the school list
Add, remove, or compare schools as fit, affordability, and confidence become clearer.
3Check cost reality
Keep annual comfort budget, merit signals to verify, and four-year exposure visible together.
4Pick the next action
Turn uncertainty into one practical family move: verify, compare, save, or narrow.
Parent Decision Intake
Start with the worry, then build the plan.
College Compass reads the family’s biggest uncertainty first, reflects the risk back, and points the next action toward the dashboard.
Student Intake Center
Student details, uploads, and parent review in one place.
Use uploads only when you are ready to include those details in the family plan. In this preview, uploads show the review workflow; verify details before recommendations change.
Profile readiness 0%
Complete the guided profile to improve recommendations.
Not saved yet
Review uploaded details
Upload documents to preview reviewed profile details.
Uploads currently support the parent confirmation workflow. Review any extracted details before recommendations update.
Guided Wizard
Tell us what matters, one step at a time.
Updates based on your answers
Command Center
Schools to watch
College Matchmaker
Describe the school type, then let College Compass suggest options.
Useful when the student knows the feel they want but not exact college names yet.
Fit discovery
Choose a few preferences to see suggested schools.
School Search
Search colleges and build the family watch list.
Start with the college data currently loaded. Each result shows what is official, estimated, or needs verification.
Family Watch List
Schools the family wants tracked.
0 watched
Data Coverage
School Ranking
Simple ranking first. Open any school for why it ranks here, what could go wrong, and what to verify next.
Planning guidance
School Deep Dive
Select a school
Click any recommendation to see the cost, merit, and admissions picture update here.
Selected school
Est. 4-year cost projection $0
What shaped this recommendation 0
Cost breakdown $0 / yr
Advisor reasoning Parent takeaway
Select a school to see a recommendation summary.
Source labels Sources loading
Deadline loading
Family report Preparing report
Complete the profile to generate a parent-ready advisor summary.
Preview family report
Complete the profile to preview the family report.