The Promise
Things we will never do.
Most college-help sites take money from somebody. Colleges pay for placement. Loan companies pay for clicks. Counselors pay for referrals. The user is rarely the customer.
That's the whole reason this site exists — to be the one place a normal family can go where the incentives are actually pointed at them. So here's the public contract: seven things we will never do, dated, signed, and held to.
01
We will never accept money from a college to recommend it.
Not one dollar, ever. If you see a school on KidToCollege, it's because the data or our editorial judgment put it there — never because they paid for placement, ranking, or visibility.
02
We will never sell your data.
Not to recruiters, marketers, lead aggregators, or anyone else. When you sign up, your information is for YOUR use of KidToCollege — not for someone else's outreach campaign.
03
We will never take affiliate commissions on private student loans.
Federal loans first, always. If you need to consider a private loan, we'll explain the math honestly and link you out — and we won't be paid for the click. This is the line we've drawn the hardest.
04
We will never recommend a paid product when a free one exists, without telling you.
If Khan Academy does it for free, we'll say so on the same page where we mention the paid option. Where a free or better alternative exists, we link to it.
05
We will never accept money from a college consultant or admissions guarantee service.
If we recommend a counselor, it's because they're IECA-credentialed or otherwise vetted by us — not because they paid us. The same applies to any “guaranteed admit” or “essay edit for $5,000” service.
06
We will never hide our affiliate links.
When we ever start using them — and we don't yet — every affiliate link will be marked, and every page that contains one will say so at the top. No surprises, no buried disclosures.
07
We will never put a paywall on the things that matter.
The AI counselor, the net-price calculator, the scholarship finder, the application advice, the appeal letter coach — free, forever. No tier system. No premium plan. The site is free, and the core tools are free.
And if we ever break one?
We will say so publicly. Explain why. And let you hold us to it. This page is the contract.
Dated and signed: May 20, 2026. Last updated: May 20, 2026.
Kester Hodgson, a Texas dad, on behalf of KidToCollege.
Want to know what we DO take money for (eventually)? Read the full plan →