This free college-planning publication provides students and families with important information and tools to guide their pursuit of postsecondary education. Opportunities guides are available in English and Spanish. The state-specific booklets are the same as the national booklets with the addition of state-specific information on colleges, financial aid and resources.

This is an annual resource and is updated and printed each year.

For more information about this and related resources, visit https://www.ecmc.org/studentseducators/student-resources/opportunities-guide-and-workbook

Deciding on attending college is a big decision. What college should I attend? Can I afford college? Can I succeed without college? Use this KQED collection to help inform your decision on whether college is the right path.

This activity allows the students to discuss the burden of student loans and financing post-secondary education. An additional aspect to this activity is the mental health aspect regarding heavy debt loads for post-secondary. The discussion could include a debate on student loans, who is responsible and can a student "walk away" from this debt? Should the government pay for post-secondary education for everyone? If yes, would you be willing to pay more taxes for free post-secondary education?

Students often finance their post-secondary education, which can be very expensive over many years. How does a student pay this debt back if they are unable to finish their program, especially in expensive programs such as medicine or law?

Students will be able to
- Explain the role the FAFSA plays in the financial aid process
- Understand the importance of submitting the FAFSA
- Apply for the FAFSA
- Identify misconceptions and challenges students have that prevent them from submitting the FAFSA
- Read a Student Aid Report (SAR) and understand the role of their Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Students will research different colleges they would potentially be interested in and then complete a college comparison worksheet.

Over the course of this five lesson unit, students will explore how their preferences, interests, needs, and strengths (PINS) connect to a future career. Lessons can be taught as stand alone or as a comprehensive unit. 

In this mini-unit, students begin by creating a career plan and an education plan. After learning financial aid vocabulary concepts, students will play an online game called “Payback” to apply knowledge learned about paying for college. The activity concludes with students creating a personal resume and taking notes on job interview tips.

This curriculum, written for graduate social work students and child welfare workers, is designed to improve the quality of care and services provided to children in out-of-home care. It highlights the importance of providing child welfare services that are responsive to the needs of children who must prepare for emancipation and the responsibilities of adult life. While more research efforts are aimed at tracking youth emancipating from the foster care system, little is known about those who are currently enrolled in post-secondary education. Further, research on youth exiting the foster care system tends to highlight negative outcomes. Little is known of former foster youth who go on to lead healthy and productive lives and what the contributing factors were that enabled them to succeed. Understanding their pathways to college and identifying the factors related to educational achievement can help inform program and service delivery to youth currently in the foster care system. (186 pages)Merdinger, J. M., Hines, A. M., Lemon, K., Wyatt, P., & Tweed, M. (2002).

Overview: Students will be able to
- Identify the quantitative and qualitative benefits of going to college
- Explain the importance of researching expected starting salaries when choosing a college and major
- Understand common costs associated with college
- Explain the difference between sticker price and net price
- Have a conversation with their parents or guardians about paying for college

Students will be able to
Understand the rising national trends in student debt
Compare federal and private loans and explain what it means to take out each type of loan
Identify various strategies they can use to be a responsible borrower
Analyze three student profiles to determine the best course of action to take for their student loans