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
West Virginia
West Virginia Info Depot is sponsored by the Library Section of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History (formerly the West Virginia Library Commission) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Valuable to library staff as well as users, this site aggregates various college and career preparation resources such as test prep, job search & career readiness, and skill certifications. WVInfo is available to all West Virginians; access to some resources requires a library care. https://wvinfodepot.org/
College for West Virginia (CFWV) has a wealth of resources for prospective students. The website offers a career assessment tool, information on the Regents Bachelor of Arts Program (RBA), information on state-specific financial aid resources including the Promise Scholarship, and access to a free college counseling via text message. Most resources are available without logging in. https://www.cfwv.com/
General Resources (all states)
CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder is an online database with over 9,500 scholarships for certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees. Career information is also available including employment statistics and wage data. No login is required to view the scholarship and career summaries. https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx
Community College Finder is a resource for locating community colleges. Hosted by the American Association of Community Colleges, this site is useful if you know a geographical area where you would like to attend community college but are not entirely sure what programs are available. View enrollment numbers, institutional profiles, student demographics, and staff contacts. No login required. https://www.aacc.nche.edu/college-finder/
LearningExpress Library is a test prep resource from EBSCO designed to help users earn a high school equivalency, prepare for college, join the military, change careers, and more. This resource includes practice tests, interactive tutorials, e-books, articles, and flashcards to prepare for occupational or college entrance exams. Available through libraries, LearningExpress Library requires a subscription for users to access this content.
Common App is non-profit organization. The website enables students to apply to over 1,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. The Common App is free to use for students, counselors, and families; however, applicants must pay the applicable institutional application fee. Information about application fee waivers is available on the website. To submit admissions applications, users must create an account on the Common App site. https://www.commonapp.org
Federal Student Aid is the all-encompassing site for finding out about and applying for federal financial aid. Federal financial aid can include loans and grants. The FAFSA website provides information on deadlines, how to apply for federal financial aid, and the public service loan forgiveness program. A login is required to complete the FAFSA, however users do not need to be affiliated with a library or school system to create an account. https://studentaid.gov
College Navigator is a free database hosted by the NCES to help users search for colleges based on location, type of degree, institution type, tuition amount, test scores, housing, and more. Users can create a list of schools and do a side-by-side comparison of the results to discern which institutions are aligned with their needs and circumstances. This resource also links to the College Affordability and Transparency Center. https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) is a clearinghouse of resources containing information on national organizations working with college students who have disabilities, crisis resources, and legal and financial support. Users can filter topics by audience, including adult learners, veterans, and parents and families. An account is not required to access resources. https://nccsd.ici.umn.edu/
College Promise is a non-profit organization that connects students to programs that fund higher education for the first two or more years. College Promise has local and state programs across 48 states. Login not required to access information. https://www.collegepromise.org/
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.