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Should I use BigFuture | College Board?

Plan for life after high school. Compare colleges. Explore career possibilities. Learn about financial aid and scholarships. - bigfuture.collegeboard.org

Depends. US high school students should use it — it's free and covers college comparison, careers, and aid. Evidence is thin and privacy advocates question student-data practices, so privacy-conscious families should limit what they share.

Confidence

Low. Based on 5 usable public sources; no independent user reviews found.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo user feedback found in sources
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

BigFuture

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • US high schoolers planning college
  • PSAT/SAT takers wanting the companion app
  • Families comparing college costs and aid

Not for

  • Businesses shopping for software — this is a student site
  • Privacy-strict families wary of student-data monetization
  • International students; the app is US-only
  • Anyone wanting verified user reviews before committing

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

A College Board workshop case study reportedly listed 'Buy Names –> Analyze' and 'Purchase Flow' for student data.

medium

Free product, but privacy advocates allege data is shared commercially; expect college marketing after registering.

medium

No security page content found; data-handling transparency is limited.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free planning for college comparison, careers, scholarships, and financial aid
  • Free mobile app for US students 13 and over taking College Board exams

Cons

  • Advocacy groups publicly question College Board's student data monetization
  • Security page returned no findings — no public security documentation
  • App restricted to US students taking designated College Board exams

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 5 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x2security x1news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 5

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Completely free; no paid tiers found
  • Ease of use. No user feedback found in sources
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Colleges, careers, scholarships, aid, mobile app
  • Support quality. No support evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 2/5. No security page; data practices questioned
  • $0 Price All planning tools free
  • Yes Free tier Website plus BigFuture School mobile app
  • 13+ App minimum age US PSAT/SAT School Day takers

Pricing

BigFuture

$0

  • College comparison and career exploration
  • Scholarship and financial aid guidance
  • BigFuture School mobile app (US, 13+)

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

No independent user reviews surfaced in the sources reviewed; commentary found was privacy advocacy, not user feedback.

Alternatives

Compare BigFuture | College Board with each alternative.

Full analysis

Based on 5 usable public sources; no independent user reviews found.

Free, useful college planner for US students — but privacy advocates flag student-data monetization. Proceed informed.

Methodology

Based on 5 usable public sources; no independent user reviews found.

Sources

  1. Home – BigFuture | College Boardbigfuture.collegeboard.org
    official
  2. BigFuture® School - Apps on Google Playplay.google.com
    official
  3. BigFuture Security pagebigfuture.collegeboard.org
    security
  4. Parents question College Board's use of student datastudentprivacymatters.org
    news
  5. Parent Coalition for Student Privacy archivesstudentprivacymatters.org
    news

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