Is KidToCollege actually free?

The core tools are free — no signup wall on the things that matter. We're not affiliated with any college or test-prep company. See the privacy policy for how we handle data.

What does KidToCollege help with?

Building a college list, predicting your admission chances, drafting and editing essays, navigating financial aid and FAFSA, finding scholarships you qualify for, tracking deadlines, and giving you a personalized roadmap. Use any of it that's useful, skip the rest.

How accurate is the admission chances predictor?

It uses each college's reported admission data: GPA range, test score band, acceptance rate. It gives a realistic probability, not a guarantee. Treat it as a planning tool: 'this looks like a safety' or 'this is a reach.'

Who built KidToCollege?

Kester, a parent who moved his family from the UK to Texas and was baffled by the cost of US college. He built the tool he wished he had, and opened it up so every family (students included) has access to the same kind of help wealthier families have always had.

Do I need to create an account?

Most features work without an account. You only need to sign in to save colleges to your list, track checklist progress, or get personalized roadmap and email updates.

Photo: Drahomír Hugo Posteby-Mach / Unsplash

Your free college admissions guide

Your road to college, mapped out.

What a $15,000 counselor does. Free to start. Ten minutes.

One plan. Your colleges, your money, your deadlines.

Start your plan →How it works ↓

Free to use — no account needed until you want to save your work.

Built for students and the parents who support them. Why I built this →

Start here

Pick the door that fits.

Start wherever you are — you can always come back for the rest.

First time here?

Walk me through it, step by step.

Grade, state, what you might want to study, budget, then your matched colleges and scholarships. Free, no account until step 5.

Walk me through it →

Already started?

Pick up where you left off.

Your plan, your colleges, your scholarships, your week-by-week checklist. All in one place.

Open your plan →

Parent here?

Start with the money.

FAFSA strategy, the four buckets of college aid, scholarship displacement, an SAI calculator. The lane most families miss.

Go to Money →

First in your family?

First-gen starter pack.

FAFSA in plain English, what Pell actually is, and the eight questions first-gen students ask us most.

First-gen guide →

Application deadline this week?

Open the calendar.

Add your deadlines — colleges, scholarships, milestones — into one chronological list with countdowns and iCal export.

Open the calendar →

Whoever your kid is — foster, first-gen, DACA, neurodivergent, recruited, transferring — there's a door for you →

Got a one-off question?

How it works

Tell us about yourself

A quick, conversational wizard, not a form. Just the basics.

Get your research report

Built around your kid's list, not a generic match. Their colleges, their majors, their priorities.

Get your playbook

Insider moves, scholarship leads, and what to do right now.

Check off what's left

A grade-by-grade checklist: clubs, leadership, service, summer programs, tests, essays, deadlines.

Start with step 1 →

The Coach

And you don't walk it alone.

The Coach is help for the parts that are hardest to do alone — SAT/ACT prep, essays, aid math, interviews, recommendations. The stuff families usually pay a tutor or private counselor for. Open the bit you need, do five minutes, come back tomorrow.

Essay coach

Find your angle, structure the draft, get feedback. The essay's yours — this unsticks it.

Financial aid walkthrough

FAFSA and the CSS Profile in plain English. How to read an aid offer and what the numbers mean.

Interview prep

Common questions, what's really being asked, mock practice — for alumni and admitted-student calls.

Aid appeal letter

Offer came in low? Templates and the exact ask. Most families never appeal because no one told them they could.

Goals, checklist, essays, test prep, aid, interviews, scholarships — your coach for the whole road. See everything the Coach does →

Photo: Davis Dai / Unsplash

Built for families who can't afford to get this wrong.

2,941

colleges tracked

6,137+

scholarships catalogued (and counting)

100%

free core tools

CLOSING SOON

Six scholarships closing soon

Free to apply. We've checked every one — deadlines, requirements, the trap most kids miss. No signup required.

All scholarships

2 DAYSMay 31

American Indian College Fund

Any Native student at a 2-year or 4-year college. The low GPA floor (2.0 for many awards) means this is genuinely accessible — not just for top students. Also strong for students attending Tribal Colleges (TCUs) where AICF directly funds many awards.

2 DAYSMay 31

Catching the Dream Native American Scholarship

Native students (members or documented descendants of federally-recognized tribes) at any college level — particularly strong for students attending Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) or planning to return to tribal community work.

NEXT 2-3 WEEKSJun 15

Lime Connect Pathways Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

Disabled students (any disability category) pursuing professional-track majors who want to enter Lime's corporate-pipeline ecosystem. Particularly strong fit if you'd be a competitive intern candidate at one of Lime's partner companies.

WITHIN 4 WEEKSJun 25

Tylenol Future Care Scholarship

HS seniors or current college students committed to healthcare careers with some early exposure (hospital volunteering, shadowing, EMT training, etc.).

WITHIN 4 WEEKSAug 5

Posse Foundation Scholarship

Diverse leaders from one of the recruitment cities who'd be a first-gen, low-income, or otherwise-underrepresented student at a top-tier private college.

WITHIN 4 WEEKSAug 15

Sallie Mae Bridging the Dream Scholarship

First-generation college students or kids from low-income families who can articulate the specific barriers they've navigated to get to college. Stories about parents who immigrated, families where no one finished high school, or kids who've worked to support their family are exactly what they're looking for.