The College Board portal is a comprehensive site with special sections for students, parents and counselors. 

Douglas Christiansen, Vanderbilt University's associate provost for enrollment and dean of admissions, discusses the college admissions process with a focus on “the right fit” from the perspectives of both the student and the college in this highly-rated You Tube video.

Excellent article featured in HowStuffWorks describes the workings of the college admissions process. The series also provides interesting insight regarding college selection, likelihood of acceptance and admissions testing.

Comprehensive commercial site providing a wide variety of articles and information on post-secondary educational and career opportunities. Sections include: College Admissions Advice, Financial Aid, Test Prep, Career and Athletics.

The Princeton Review offers college entrance exam test preparation services to help students improve their performance along with a comprehensive website with information and resources for the college bound.

Peterson's provides a very comprehensive college planning and preparation site with focus on college prep, searching and selecting colleges, applications and decision making.

The School Search tool lets you explore Peterson's database of information on nearly 4,000 accredited two-year and four-year colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada.   You can select colleges using a variety of search criteria including: college name, location, tuition, average GPA of incoming freshmen and religious denomination.

MyRoad, a service of The College Board, is available at no charge to all students who have taken the PSAT. MyRoad offers a personality assessment and provides suggested careers and majors compatible with your personality and strengths.

The site provides excellent resources to explore majors, find a college and research careers along with links to scholarship information, sources of loans, financial aid and advice.  Popular features include a validated personality assessment with a detailed report on your personality type along with a list of suggested careers and majors that fit your personality and strengths.

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a service of the U.S. Government, is available without charge or obligation regardless of the student’s interest in joining the armed services. The program is designed for high school students to measure aptitude, skills and interests and provide guidance on exploring potentially suitable careers.

College Fairs, typically free and open to the public, provide students with the opportunity to meet admission representatives from a wide range of colleges and universities and to discuss course offerings, admission and financial aid requirements, college life, etc. The National College Fairs (NCF) program, part of The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) sponsors many college fairs.

College Navigator is a highly-rated comprehensive resource from the U.S. Dept. of Education that allows you to compare and contrast public and private college and university throughout the USA.

You can search for colleges and compare schools using many categories and criteria.

Valuable features:

• Option to build a list of schools using My Favorites for side-by-side comparisons
• Ability to  view school locations with an interactive map.
• Export search results to spreadsheet capability
• Save your session including search options, results, and favorites.

CollegeAnswer, is a leading web destination for the college bound students and their parents.

College Answer has interactive tools for searching for colleges and analyzing the affordability of schools, comparing financial aid awards and search for scholarships.

Sallie Mae®, provider of College Answer, is the nation's leading provider of student loans and administrator of college savings plans.  SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

The U.S. Government maintains this excellent web portal for students and young adults. The site features information and resources focused on a variety of topics including: planning and paying for post-secondary education, community service, careers, study abroad, international students, career development, taxes, voting & democracy, online research & information, study skills, scholarships & grants, consumer information and military service.

Mapping Your Future is a national collaborative, public-service, nonprofit organization providing career, college, financial aid, and financial literacy services. The site is sponsored by student loan guaranty agencies – many of which are nonprofit or state agencies – from around the country. Mapping Your Future is also supported by other organizations including charitable foundations.

College Is Possible (CIP) is the American Council on Education's K–16 youth development program that motivates middle and high school students from under-served communities to seek a college education. The site provide many articles and resources on various topics including: * Paying for College * Student Aid * Preparing for College * Guide for Parents * Courses Students Should Take to Prepare for College * Choosing the Right College * Search for Colleges

YesICan is provided by the White House's Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Click on "Post-Secondary" to find college planning information including step-by-step explanations of types of colleges, testing, finances and the application process. YesICan can can be viewed in Spanish and English.

Colleges That Change Lives, Inc. (CTCL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process.

The organization was founded as a result of the book — Colleges That Change Lives - written by retired New York Times education editor Loren Pope. The site and book focus on the importance of understanding an individual student’s needs and how they “fit” with the mission and identity of an individual college community.

QuestBridge strives to establish a bridge to higher education for the most highly motivated and talented low-income youth in America.  The organization and site is a valuable source for bright, high achieving, low-income students seeking opportunities, and for institutions seeking applicants from that demographic group.  This Wall Street Journal article provides additional details.

Looking for college information books? Amazon is a good source. The following are some popular and well-regarded books to consider:

• Fiske College Guide 2009
• The Best 368 Colleges (Princeton Review)
• Colleges That Change Lives (Loren Pope)
• Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges (Barron's)
• The Insider's Guide to the Colleges (Yale Daily News Staff)
• A Is for Admission (Michele Hernandez)
• Winning the College Admission Game: Strategies for Parents & Students (Peter Van Buskirk)
• Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice (Michele Hernandez)
• The College Hook: Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game (Pam Proctor)
• 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays, Second Edition: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice

Naviance is a leading college planning and advising systems for secondary schools.