For high school juniors
Junior year college planning: find your colleges and plan your visits.
Just getting started? Build your first college list in minutes, then map out campus tours, all in one free account your parents can follow along with.
No account needed for the quiz. Free plan, no credit card.
Step 1
How to build your first college list
Start broad, then narrow it down. A good junior-year list has room for reach, target and safety schools.
Start with what you want, not rankings
The College Fit Quiz asks 8 quick questions about setting, size, vibe and budget. No grades needed, about 3 minutes, no account.
Explore 2,000+ colleges
Filter by location, size and major, and compare admissions, cost and test-score data from official sources.
Save your list and balance it
Save colleges to your list (3 on the free plan, unlimited on Student Plus) and tag each one Dream (reach), Target or Safety.
Step 2
Plan your college visits and road trips
Spring of junior year is prime time for campus tours. Turn your list into a trip that makes sense.
See your list on a map
The College Visit Planner puts your saved colleges on a map so you can spot the ones that are close together.
Route a multi-stop trip
Save two or more colleges and open a multi-stop driving route in Google Maps, or get directions to one campus.
Flying instead?
Jump to flight options to the college’s city, and to the college’s own visit page where we have it.
Keep every tour date
Add a tour date to a saved college. It shows on your calendar, you get an email reminder the day before, and you can mark it visited after.
Go in prepared
Touring tips cover when to visit, questions to ask your guide and a 5-minute post-visit scorecard.
Can’t get there yet?
Take a virtual tour first and save the trip for your finalists.
Junior year checklist
Your junior year college timeline
Check things off as you go. Saved in this browser. 0 of 20 done.
Fall (September to November) Get curious
Winter (December to February) Build your list
Spring (March to May) Visit campuses
Summer before senior year Narrow it down
Moving into senior year? See the Senior Year Timeline. Test dates and deadlines change every year, so confirm them with your school counselor and each college.
Junior year questions, answered
When should a high school junior start the college search?+
Fall of junior year is a good time to start exploring: figure out what you want in a college, take a first look at schools and visit a campus or two nearby. Most students build a long list over the winter, visit in the spring and summer, and narrow it down before senior year starts.
How many colleges should be on a junior’s list?+
Early on, a long list of 10 to 20 colleges gives you room to explore. By the end of junior year or the summer after, most students narrow it to a balanced list of reach, target and safety schools they would be happy to attend.
What is the difference between a reach, target and safety school?+
A reach school is one where admission is a stretch for you. A target is one where your grades and scores are similar to typical admitted students. A safety is one where you are above the typical admitted student and are very likely to get in. Include at least one safety you could afford.
When is the best time to visit colleges?+
Visiting while classes are in session shows you real campus life, so spring of junior year, including spring break, is popular. Summer works well for longer trips, though campuses are quieter. Avoid finals and the college’s own breaks, and register for tours on each college’s admissions site.
How do I plan a college road trip?+
Save the colleges you want to see, look at them on a map and group the ones that are close together. Plan one or two campuses a day, book each official tour, and leave time to walk around and eat on campus. CampusRaven’s College Visit Planner maps your saved colleges and opens a multi-stop route in Google Maps.
Is CampusRaven free for juniors?+
Yes, the College Fit Quiz, college search, the visit planner, touring tips, virtual tours and saving up to 3 colleges are free, with no credit card. Student Plus adds AI matches, a Fit Score on every college and unlimited saves. Paid plans are billed at checkout and renew automatically; cancel anytime.