College Selection Guides and Financial Aid

• American Universities
  http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universities.html
  Lists university names with links to their home pages. Provides links to similar sites for international, Canadian, and community college listings.

• Braintrack University Index
  http://www.braintrack.com/
  Over 7,900 links to higher educational institutions in 192 countries.

• College & University Home Pages
  http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/cdemello/univ.html
  Alphabetical and geographical listings of colleges and university home pages throughout the world.

• U.S. Universities, by State
  http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/
  Listings of U.S. college and university home pages by state. Includes only 4-year institutions.

• MatchCollege.com
  http://www.matchcollege.com/
  Provides information for over 6,000 Colleges and Universities in the United States. The information provided includes school name, address, phone, web site, degree program offering, degree type, and student count/breakdown. Statistical information on the state and national level is also provided.

• CollegeSource Online
  http://www.collegesource.org
  Search and view current college catalogs from both public and private two-year, four-year, and graduate schools, from more than 4,200 institutions. Users may also search for college profiles and catalogs based on majors/degrees, tuition, geographic location (country, state, proximity to a certain city), enrollment, and affiliations.

• CollegeBoard.com
  http://www.collegeboard.com
  Offers quick access to colleges by name or keyword search. Through the "College MatchMaker," colleges can also be searched according to type of school, location, campus life, activities and sports, admission, cost and financial aid, and application deadlines. Searches and colleges recently viewed can be saved to a personalized listing by registering for a free collegeboard.com account.

• College Navigator
  http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
  From the U.S. Department of Education, College Navigator offers information on colleges in an easy-to-use format. It provides information on nearly 7,000 postsecondary institutions in the United States -- programs offered, retention and graduation rates, prices, aid available, degrees awarded, campus safety, and accreditation. Searches can be conducted by programs offered, degrees offered, institution type, price, selectivity, distance from home, school size, institutional mission (historically black colleges and universities, single-sex), extended learning opportunities for adults (weekend and evening degree programs), and intercollegiate athletics programs offered. The website makes it possible to compare up to four institutions in one view, and maintain a list of favorite institutions from different searches.

• College Blue Book
  This multi-volume set includes volumes with narrative descriptions, tabular data, degrees offered, distance and vocational education programs, scholarships, fellowships and grants.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LA 226.C6856

• College Blue Book. Distance Learning Programs.
  Includes details on what is distance education, selecting a program, taking standardized tests, and applying and paying for courses. Also provides in-depth descriptions of institutions, a helpful glossary, index of programs by subject, and geographical listing of programs. Covers programs in the U.S. and its territories and Canada.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LC5805 .D573

• College Board Book of Majors
  A guide to undergraduate majors, it describes nearly 200 of the most popular majors in depth: how they are taught at different institutions, what courses students can expect to take, careers they may lead to, etc. Descriptions were complied from contributions of professors teaching in the field.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) L901 .I525

• Hobson's CollegeView®
  http://www.collegeview.com/
  Hobson's "College Search" offers profiles of more than 3,800 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The search feature is very easy to navigate and multiple criteria selections can be searched at once, including more than one major or area of study. School profiles include links to key facts, an information request form, printable application, and campus tour (if available).

• International Handbook of Universities
  Published every two years. Provides detailed data on over 9.000 university institutions worldwide, their structure, courses of study, degrees and diplomas, etc.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LB 2310 .I5

• Peterson's Education Portal
  http://www.petersons.com/
  Offers numerous links and resources for prospective undergraduates, graduates, and adult learners. Search for schools and programs (both on campus, online, and distance learning), prepare for standaradized tests, discover financial aid/loan resources, and learn tips for writing personal statements and essays.

• Four Year Colleges
  Includes information on every accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the U.S. and Canada—more than 2,100 institutions. It also includes detailed two-page descriptions written by admissions personnel for nearly 1,000 colleges.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) L901 .A554

• Two Year Colleges
  Details on every two-year college in the U.S., including academic programs, financial aid, and application deadlines.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) L901 .A555

• Postsecondary Educational Institutions and Programs Accredited by Accrediting Agencies and State Approval Agencies Recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education
  http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/
  A searchable database of approximately 6,900 postsecondary educational institutions and programs, each of which is accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a “reliable authority as to the quality of postsecondary education.” The database does not include a number of institutions and programs that elect not to seek accreditation but nevertheless may provide a quality postsecondary education.

• Tennessee Career Information Delivery System
  http://www.tcids.utk.edu/
  TCIDS provides a thorough guide to career exploration. Users can take a job questionnaire, search the database of potential careers, and search for an appropriate school by career choice.

• Peterson's Annual Guides/Graduate Study
  Details on graduate programs in the U.S., organized by field of study. Includes degree requirements, enrollment data, faculty research, deadlines and expenses.

• Directory of Graduate Programs
  Location: Main Library, Reference (1 East) LB2371 .G72

• Graduate School Guide
  http://www.graduateguide.com
  An annual, comprehensive guide to Doctoral, Master's and Professional Degree programs. Find colleges based on major or location (by state) and find tuition and contact information for each institution. A listing of graduate testing dates is also available in this publication.

• GradSchools.com
  http://www.gradschools.com/search.html
  A searchable comprehensive directory of graduate programs worldwide including program descriptions.

• Graduate Medical Education Directory
  Lists all accredited and board-approved programs, specialties and subspecialties.
  • Location(s): Closed Reference (1 East) R712.A1 D52

• Which MBA? A Critical Guide to the World's Best MBAs
  Guide to MBA and other executive education programs. Includes comparative data and extensive information on the decision-making process.
  • Location(s): Main Library HF1111 .B53 2001

• Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools
  http://magic.msu.edu/record=b3801607~S33a
  In addition to providing key information about 196 law schools, this official guide offers insight about choosing a law career, preparing for law school, taking the LSAT, finding a job, and career placement.

• Location: Main Library, Reference (1 East) KF 285 .P7
  Older copies available in the Business Library.

• Insider's Guide to College Admissions
  Another Peterson title. A general overview of the college-going process with chapters on preparing a strong application, finding funding, and understanding the colleges' selection process.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LB2351.2 .H38 1999

• Real Essays for College & Grad School
  A collection of hints and sample essays arranged by the type of school.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LB2351.52.U6 R43 2000

• How to Write a Winning College Application Essay
  The author, who also conducts workshops on writing admissions essays, does not offer easy tricks. This book is a thorough, step-by-step guide to selecting a topic and writing an essay.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LB2351.5 .M37 2000

• U.S. News.com Rankings & Guides
  http://www.usnews.com/usnews/rankguide/rghome.htm
  Provides a variety of the highly popular U.S. News and World Report college rankings,(America's Best Colleges and America's Best Graduate Schools) but also offers many additional free and subscription-based online college guidance resources, including a detailed school directory, containing key statistics on more than 1,800 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada; and a college search feature allowing prospective students to search for schools based upon selected criteria.

• Academic Ranking of World Universities
  http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2007/ranking2007.htm
  The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is published by the Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Although ARWU has ranked research universities in the world by their academic or research performance based on internationally comparable third-party data that everyone could check, there are still many methodological and technical problems. Please read the ranking methodology carefully and use ranking results with caution.

• The Center for Measuring University Performance
  http://mup.asu.edu/
  Determines top American research universities by their rank on nine different measures: Total Research, Federal Research, Endowment Assets, Annual Giving, National Academy Members, Faculty Awards, Doctorates Granted, Postdoctoral Appointees, and Median SAT Scores.

• College and University Rankings
  http://www.library.uiuc.edu/edx/rankings.htm
  Maintained by the Education and Social Science Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this site brings together numerous print and online resources for locating college and university rankings. Also provides very good cautionary information about the usefulness of college rankings.

• Educational Rankings Annual
  Compilation of various specific education related statistical rankings. Not a broad overview of school quality.
  • Location(s): Closed Reference (1 East) LB2331.63 .E34

• Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning
  Provides details on distance learning and nontraditional education, degrees and requirements, alternative methods of earning credit (Internet courses and life-experience learning, etc.), and more. Also includes a listing of accredited schools offering degrees entirely by distance education or short residency programs throughout the world.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LB2381 .B4

• ClassesUSA
  http://www.classesusa.com/
  An easy-to-use, good starting point for those interested in browsing online continuing and distance education programs. It provides access to continuing education classes, online degree programs, graduate and post-graduate degrees, corporate training, professional certifications, and much more.

• College Blue Book. Distance Learning Programs.
  Includes details on what is distance education, selecting a program, taking standardized tests, and applying and paying for courses. Also provides in-depth descriptions of institutions, a helpful glossary, index of programs by subject, and geographical listing of programs. Covers programs in the U.S. and its territories and Canada.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LC5805 .D573

• Distance.GradSchools.com
  http://distance.gradschools.com/
  A comprehensive, searchable directory of online graduate programs in the U.S. and throughout the world.

• Guide to Distance Learning Programs
  In-depth descriptions of more than 4,600 degree and certificate programs at more than 1,100 accredited U.S. and Canadian institutions. Also provides details on the advantages of distance education, financial aid and scholarships available, and a glossary of terms.
  • Location(s): Reference (1 East) LC5805 .P48

• Peterson's Career College Foundation
  http://www.petersons.com/cca/default.asp
  An excellent guide to private and post-secondary schools, institutes, colleges, and universities that offer career-specific educational programs.

• FinAid The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid
  http://www.finaid.org/
  FinAid offers information about all types of financial aid, scholarships, loans, governmental programs. It includes a service called FastWeb that searches for scholarships by individual characteristics, and calculators to give a rough estimate of loan eligibility. This site could save you the cost of a scholarship search service.

• Jon Harrison's Guide to Grant's for Individuals
  http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3subject.htm
  This site, maintained by an MSU librarian, will thrill you. It offers a very thorough list of sources, including books, Web sites and databases. Find scholarships, grants, foreign exchange opportunities and more.

• MSU Scholarships and Financial Aid
  http://www.esp.msu.edu/
  MSU Office of Admissions and Scholarships pulls together information on funding help available from many different offices throughout the University.

• Sallie Mae
  http://www.salliemae.com/
  Sallie Mae is a financial services corporation that specializes in funding education.The company primarily provides federally guaranteed student loans originated under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), and offers comprehensive information and resources to guide students, parents and guidance professionals through the financial aid process. Sallie Mae currently owns or manages student loans for more than 7 million borrowers.

• ScholarshipHelp.Org
  http://www.scholarshiphelp.org/
  With sections on each aspect of the scholarship application process this site takes a personal, one-on-one tone in explaining how college funding works, the types of scholarships available, how to find them and how to apply for them.

• U.S. Department of Education
  http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
  Divided into sections entitled Preparing, Choosing, Applying, Funding, Attending, and Repaying, this site is one stop shopping for college funding. See "The Student Guide" to find information about current federal assistance.

• IIE Passport
  http://www.iiepassport.org/
  The Institute for International Education, a large non-profit exchange agency, offers searches of 5000 study abroad programs to aid students in finding a good match for their interests, schedules and finances. The site also contains information about sponsoring organizations, passports, etc.

• Go Abroad!
  http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/landing.asp?id=838&path=ug.fas.go
  Peterson's site for information on study abroad programs. Browse by name of sponsoring institutions, location, and program or featured program.