Build Your Plan - Scaffold

You need a plan first

Purchase your Scaffold plan on the homepage, then you'll be directed here to fill in your family's details.

Get Your Plan ($50)

Invalid code. Try again.

Step 1 of 7

About your student

Start with the basics. We'll get to the deeper stuff next.

Student's first name

Last name

Age and current grade

School name

School type

School district (optional)

Academic profile

Weighted and/or unweighted GPA, any test scores (SAT, PSAT, AP exams), honors or AP courses, gifted identification, anything relevant.

Academic strengths

What subjects come naturally? Where do they shine?

Academic weaknesses or gaps

Struggles, disinterest, or gaps. It's OK to say "nothing obvious" if that's true.

Step 2 of 7

Who they really are

This is where the plan gets personal. The more specific you are, the better the strategy.

Interests, hobbies, obsessions

What do they do when nobody's grading them? Include things they might not think of as "college-worthy."

Personality and temperament

How would you describe them to a close friend? Not their resume, the real kid.

Anything a teacher has said about them that stuck with you (optional)

A comment from a teacher, coach, or mentor that felt true.

Step 3 of 7

About the parents

Your background matters for the strategy. First-gen status, professional networks, and family structure all shape the plan.

Parent 1

Name

Education

Profession

Parent 2 (if applicable)

Name (optional)

Education (optional)

Profession (optional)

Family Structure

Family structure

Custody arrangement

This affects financial aid forms. Some schools require the non-custodial parent's information.

Which parent will file the FAFSA?

Relationship with co-parent regarding college planning (optional)

Step 4 of 7

Siblings and geography

Siblings affect the financial math. Location shapes the school list.

Siblings (optional)

Names, ages, grades, and anything relevant to the college timeline. If they'll be in college at the same time, that matters for financial aid.

City and state

Area type

Anything about your area that matters (optional)

School competition, community context, opportunities available locally.

How far is your student willing to go for college?

Step 5 of 7

Finances

This is private and it's essential. Financial aid strategy is the most valuable part of the plan, and it can't work without honest numbers.

Approximate household income

Combined annual income, pre-tax.

What can you afford per year for college?

Be honest. There's no wrong answer.

Significant assets

Home equity, 529 plans, retirement accounts, other savings. Schools use this in financial aid formulas. Home equity especially matters for CSS Profile schools.

Any special financial circumstances (optional)

Business ownership, rental income, recent job change, medical expenses, anything that makes your financial picture non-standard.

Step 6 of 7

School preferences

Tell us what you're looking for. We'll build the list, but it helps to know where your head is.

Size preference

Geographic preference

Must-haves (optional)

Specific major, D1 sports, religious community, co-op programs, research opportunities, anything non-negotiable.

Deal-breakers (optional)

Schools already on your radar (optional)

Schools you've talked about, visited, or are curious about. No wrong answers.

Step 7 of 7

Priorities and final thoughts

Last step. Rank what matters most, then tell us anything else.

Drag to rank these (most important at top)

Drag and drop to reorder. #1 is what matters most to your family.

⋮⋮ Minimize total cost of attendance

⋮⋮ Prestige / brand name

⋮⋮ Academic fit (programs, research, major strength)

⋮⋮ Geographic location

⋮⋮ Campus culture / social fit

⋮⋮ Merit scholarship likelihood

⋮⋮ Post-graduation outcomes (career, earnings, grad school)

Anything else that matters to you that isn't on that list? (optional)

Tell us anything else

What keeps you up at night about this? What do you wish someone would just tell you? A story about your kid that captures who they are? The more you share, the more personal the plan.

Email address

We'll send your completed plan to this address.

✎

Building your plan...

Scaffold is generating your personalized college strategy. This takes a few minutes. Don't close this tab.

Starting generation...

✓

Your plan is ready

Scroll down to read your personalized Scaffold plan.