College and Career Planning

Planning Your Path to College and Beyond

Understanding your options for pursuing your dream job or affording your dream school can seem overwhelming. At CommunityAmerica, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to set and achieve their goals, and our College and Career Planning resources are here to help you do just that. From tools to help you calculate the costs of college and compare schools to videos and checklists to help you get ready for applications and admissions, you'll find everything you need to prepare for educational success right here. And if you have any questions along the way, get in touch with our dedicated College Planner, Karly Scholl, for individualized guidance for your future plans.

Where would you like to get started?

Build a Plan

Understand Financial Aid

Pay for College

Schedule an Appointment

Your Trusted Partner in College Planning

As a College Planner, Karly Scholl is here to guide you through the most important stages of planning for life after high school, including career exploration, choosing an educational program and establishing realistic financial expectations around funding your education. No matter where you are on your financial or educational journey, Karly can help you form a personalized plan for success.

Meet With Karly

Building Your Plan

Student Checklists

Get set up for success.

Elementary school may seem early when it comes to college planning, but getting started as early as possible is actually ideal. Establishing routines and identifying extracurricular activities that align with student’s interests create opportunities to build a successful path through middle school, high school and beyond.

Download checklist:

Elementary/Middle School

High School

College

Activities Resume

Track your progress.

Every activity counts when setting goals for pursuing higher education. An activities resume helps you keep track of volunteering, clubs, sports and summer jobs. The earlier a student starts thinking of ways to build their extracurricular activities, the better their resume will look when applying to competitive college programs and scholarships.

Download worksheet:

High School Activities Resume

Understanding Financial Aid

High School student talking with a CommunityAmerica College & Career Planner.

FAFSA: What to Know

Generally, the first step in obtaining financial aid is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

FAFSA allows students to apply for federal grants, work-study and loans to pay for secondary education. Colleges use your FAFSA to determine your federal aid eligibility, and many states and colleges use FAFSA to award their own aid.

The application has been updated for the 2024 – 2025 school year. From deadlines to requirements, here's what you need to know.

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Paying for College

The True Cost of College

Estimate your expenses.

The “true cost” of a college education is largely based on your location and household income. Other factors such as grades, ACT and SAT scores can also greatly affect your financial aid package. Try our award-winning tool to find your true cost of college and compare schools.

Cost & Compare Calculator

Flexible Funding For Higher Education

As a not-for-profit organization, CommunityAmerica is committed to being a responsible lender. That’s why we encourage members to exhaust all free and federal funding first. When scholarships, grants and federal aid aren’t enough, we offer competitive and convenient student loan options to fill the gap.

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Grandfather, young father, and toddler happily playing basketball.

Wealth Management

Start saving for your child's future today.

Wealth Management by CommunityAmerica is here to help with investment accounts designed specifically for saving for college, such as College Savings 529 Plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESA). Our Wealth Advisors can help you navigate these options to create a plan that best fits your family’s financial situation.

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Educational and career services offered through CommunityAmerica are intended to aid in achieving post-secondary educational and career goals. Education and Career Planners do not guarantee outcomes, including admission to or financial aid for post-secondary training nor warrant the validity of information provided by third parties or post-secondary institutions.

Securities and advisory services offered through Copper Financial Network, LLC (“Copper Financial”), a broker-dealer and SEC registered investment adviser. Member FINRA/SIPC. Copper Financial is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CommunityAmerica Credit Union (“CommunityAmerica”) and makes non-deposit investment products and services available to its members. Representatives are registered with Copper Financial. CommunityAmerica and CommunityAmerica Wealth Management are not broker-dealers or investment advisers. For important disclosures from Copper Financial please visit here.

Copper Financial registered representatives associated with this website may discuss and/or transact business only with residents of the states in which they are properly registered or licensed.

Link to the Copper Financial Customer Relationship Summary.

Investment and insurance products offered through Copper Financial:

Are Not Deposits

Are Not NCUA or otherwise Federally Insured

Are Not Obligations of or Guaranteed by the Credit Union

May Lose Value