Select College Planning Resources by State
Kentucky
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) is a state agency established to improve students’ access to higher education. KHEAA provides state aid such as the Kentucky Education Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program, the College Access Program (CAP) Grant, the Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG) and other scholarship and grant programs. The free KHEAA site offers many helpful resources on preparing for college. https://www.kheaa.com/web/home.faces
GEAR UP Kentucky (GUK) is a program to help low-income college bound students in Kentucky. GUK offers a Scholar Academy, hosts the Institute for a College-Going Culture, and offers support to parents and institutions working with prospective college students. No account is required to access resources on this website. http://gearupky.org/
The Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL) is a consortium of over 300 Kentucky libraries and institutions, including colleges and universities, public libraries, K-12 schools, and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA). KYVL provides resources for students of all ages including GED prep, access to databases for career and business resources, and academic databases. Library account needed to access some resources on this website. https://kyvl.org/
Tennessee
College for TN is an online resource that provides information and support on college and career preparedness in Tennessee including employment opportunities, financial aid resources, a guide on making the transition from high school to college, and guidance for students with disabilities. The “Find a College” feature allows the user to search a database of colleges and universities which can be filtered by zip code, field of study, tuition cost, size, and housing options. Similarly, there is a “Find a Career” feature. These primary features and resources do not require an account for access. https://www.collegefortn.org/
Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) contains free resources for residents of Tennessee, including homework prep, test prep, and career preparedness tools. TEL is administered by the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Access to academic databases is available for students conducting research. To access some resources, users need to verify residency in TN. https://tntel.info/
Virginia
Find it Virginia provides access to a curated selection of education resources for Virginians of all ages, databases, and career resources including job coaches. Access to some resources requires a Virginia library card from a public or school library in Virginia. JobNow, VetNow, Accel5, and Transparent Language may be particularly useful for college-bound individuals interested in skill-building and professional development. https://finditva.com/
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) provides information on applying and paying for college for middle schoolers to adult learners. The site hosts a degree/certificate search tool in addition to information on military education and benefits, transfer credits, and resources for nontraditional students. Most resources are hosted on the website with some links to external resources. https://www.schev.edu/students
Level Up Virginia (LUV) sponsored by SCHEV is complementary resource for college planning with a focus on supporting historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. Of note are resources for students with disabilities, English language learners, and first-generation students. https://www.levelupvirginia.org/home
College Planning Resources: An Annotated Zine
This annotated zine presents a curated list of college planning resources including those specific to Project CLiA’s study region of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Feel free to print copies for your library, link to the resource from your website, or add the resources to your library’s website. To create a booklet, print pages 1 & 2, 3 & 4, and 5 & 6 double-sided.
Citation: Hands, A., Candela, R., Krull, H., & Roehrig, A. (2025). Project CLiA College Planning Resources: An Annotated Zine. https://ubwp.buffalo.edu/projectclia/resources/. This zine is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
College Literacy & College Fluency Zine
This printable booklet-style zine is designed to help library staff consider the library’s role in reframing students’ higher education experience and story from one of navigational confusion to one of informed engagement and achievement. Let us know how you use the zine in discussions with your library colleagues.