Everybody starts somewhere.

And life after high school is your first step to what comes next. 

Get Started

When everyone's future looks different and there are so many options to choose from—it's getting started that matters.

That’s where we come in. BigFuture is a free online planning guide that helps all students take the right first step after high school.  

You can check out careers you're interested in. You can find colleges based on what's important to you. You can discover ways to pay for college.   

When you’re ready to get started, BigFuture offers the information you need to make the right decision for you. Because when life feels uncertain, your future doesn’t have to.   

Let’s begin exploring.    Your future, your way .

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Start Planning What's Next

Plan for College

Plan

Pay for College

Pay

Explore Careers

Explore

BigFuture Vision

We empower all students to take the right first step after high school.

BigFuture Mission

BigFuture will ensure every student has free resources to plan for life after high school.

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What can you do with BigFuture?

You can check out careers you’re interested in. You can find colleges based on what’s important to you. You can discover ways to pay for college.

BigFuture How To

Plan for College

College Search

Students can search and filter over 3,000 college profiles with rich content about campus life and admissions provided by the colleges themselves

Find Colleges

Student Search Service™

On average, students contacted by colleges through this service receive 29% more college admission offers.

Connect with Colleges

Pay for College

Scholarship Search

Students explore and match with over $1.5 billion in scholarships each year. By entering their information, students will be matched with scholarships that they're eligible for based on the program requirements.

Explore Scholarships

BigFuture Scholarships

Juniors and seniors who complete steps on their dashboard earn entries for monthly scholarship drawings that award nearly $3 million each year.

Earn Entries

Financial Aid Resources

We offer guides and an Expected Family Contribution Calculator to help families understand college costs, student loans, the FAFSA®, and more.

Learn More

Explore Careers

Career Search

Students connect their interests and skills to over 1,000 career profiles across a variety of education levels. They can view job requirements, projected salaries, and growth potential.

Start your Career Search

Career Quiz

Career Quiz is a valid and reliable interest survey that connects what students like to possible careers. The quiz can be completed in under 15 minutes and generates a list of 30 occupations that students can explore further on Career Search.

Take the Quiz

“As a low-income, first-generation college student, BigFuture ensured that I had the information I needed to be successful throughout the entire process. Without it, I may not have found, or gotten into, my top choice school.”

Shylyne, Class of 2022, Mansfield R-IV High School, MO

“[BigFuture] has really inspired me to look into new scholarships and showed me that it is possible to get a lot of financial aid if you look in the right places. I have started to plan ahead for my future and this was an encouraging experience!”

Neysi, Class of 2022, Battle Mountain High School, CO

“I think that this is an amazing program that helps to provide opportunities for kids like me who are low-income and worrying about how they’ll be able to pay for furthering their education. [BigFuture] is very helpful and also easy to navigate, which makes the process of going to college less stressful.”

Cori, Class of 2022, Lamar High School, TX