The Riley Guide: Before You Search

Consider More Training & Education

General Resources || College / University Guides || College Rankings
Vocational / Technical Schools || Seminars & Short Courses
Distance Education & E-Learning || Financial Aid || Standardized Tests
Planning & Preparing for College & Grad School || Study Guides

It's not unusual to need more training or education in order to advance in your career or just retain your current level of competitiveness in today's job market. You may also need training to switch to a new career area, even one that's not too distant from your current field. Here are places to look for education, training, and funding information.

We also have information on Internships, Apprenticeships, & Volunteering

General Resources

US News.com: Education

...their annual rankings of colleges plus the guide to graduate schools, links to community colleges, financial aid sources, and more.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: Jobs, Careers, and Education

The librarians in the Job and Career Education Center in this library have created a terrific tool for finding information on educational institutions plus financial aid! Check out their listing of print resources, databases, and Internet resources that offer information for anyone seeking assistance with the costs of higher education.

NCES Global Education Locator

... search for schools, colleges, and public libraries. Enter a location, select the kind of institution you seek, and go. This tool does not allow you to search for a program by program type, only for institutions within a specific area. To find specific programs, use IPEDS COOL, listed under the College & University Guides.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

College & University Guides

AllCollegeCourses.com

...search for a college or university by location, field of interest, or degree type.

CareerAdvantage.org

"Adult Education and Career Schools Directory." Select a field that interests you then review the list of online, US, Canadian, and International schools offering programs. You can easily request more info from any program listed.

CollegeNET

... lets you browse institutions by various criteria including geography, tuition, and enrollment. Financial Aid and scholarship information can also be found here.

CollegeProfiles.com

...brief sketches of a smaller list of colleges and universities than you might find in other online sources, but this list is free. Includes standard information on each school, but also lists programs and schools by theme (Catholic, black colleges, women's, 2-year, orchestra and band programs). You can also review lists of honors programs, Canadian colleges and universities, and more. What it gives you is very nice and well presented. I just wish more institutions were included.

College Navigator

College Navigator is your direct link to over 9,000 colleges and universities in the United States. If you are thinking about a large university, a small liberal arts college, a specialized college, a community college, a career or technical college or a trade school, you can find them all here. Users may search by geographic region, by state, by city, by type of institution, or by instructional programs, either alone or in combination. COOL is a product of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Online Colleges Search

...search about 500 schools offering the courses you need for certifications or degrees. Some offer online courses, some don't, but you can get an idea of who offers what in your local area or where you can take that class online if it isn't locally available.

Peterson's Education Center

Peterson's is the well-known publisher of guides to colleges, etc. Now they are taking this information online. A great resource for information on undergraduate and graduate programs, summer work, continuing education, and vocational/technical programs. Some sections on this site require paid subscription. Check with your local library to see if they have access before you buy.

Schools in the USA

...nice searchable site with information on colleges across the US. You can quickly search by field of study, by state, or by annual tuition, with the results showing you the name of the colleges that match your search, some basic info on the school, and a link to the school's website (if available). You can also target one specific state if you want to stick a bit closer to home (or get as far away as possible). While I wasn't too impressed with the Career Search, I did like the Planning area with it's link to resources designed to help you prepare for college or for a career. I also liked the Finance area, not only for the scholarship search but also for the Budget Builder, a nice tool designed to help students figure out how much money it takes to to survive while in college. Overall a very good site for the college bound and their parents.

UNESCO - Studying Abroad

This is an international guide to higher-education study opportunities and scholarships offered by higher education institutions and international organizations in 129 countries. It includes over 2000 entries on courses and scholarships in different higher-education academic and professional disciplines. Information includes addresses (including Internet sites), admission requirements, application deadlines, financial aid, fees and living expenses in each country and other relevant information. Entries are presented in English, French or Spanish according to the language of the country concerned. Offered by the United Nations Educations, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

U.S. Universities & Community Colleges

...maintained by University of Texas, Austin, Web Central. Check the lists by name or state.

Yahoo - Colleges and Universities

...organized by country but also linking to several indexes.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

College & University Rankings

When you read a ranking, be sure to note what criteria was used and how it was applied in determining the ratings assigned to each institution.

College and University Rankings

...a collection of links and references to print materials ranking colleges and universities around the world. Read their information on the controversy of ranking services before you start reading the rankings. This service is provided by the Education and Social Science Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Americas Best Colleges, USNews.com

Information and resources for those planning ahead to college, and the latest rankings of colleges from what is probably the best known source. There is a limited amount of information available for free (only a small portion of the collected data for each college, only a short list of the colleges listed in some categories) with most of the valuable data reserved for persons willing to pay for the full guide. Don't skip categories with stars. You will get something under each, but not the full deal. However, if you are seriously researching colleges, the online subscription is worth the minimal fee, but check with your school and public library to see if they have a subscription before you pay.

America's Best Graduate Schools, USNews.com

..Lots of good information for those going beyond the BS or BA. The annual Graduate School Rankings are available, covering new reviews of programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine, and the sciences. (Info on more programs are available, but not all are reviewed each year.) The site also offers personalization tools, graduate school directory pages, and detailed information on the ranking process. Persons willing to pay a small fee can get access to even more college data, personalization tools, and articles until the next edition comes out, but check with your college library to see if they have a subscription you can use before you do so.

The Princeton Review Annual Best College Rankings

Princeton Review also reviews and ranks colleges, but their list is not usually as long nor as comprehensive at that found at US News. However, they look at a different set of criteria in their work, giving you a different way to look at the schools (more from the student's point of view, I'd say.) Full access to this report is free once you have registered, and they don't ask for too much during the registration process.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Vocational & Technical Schools

RWM Vocational School Database

...a database of private postsecondary vocational schools in all fifty states offering Bachelor's and Master's Degrees, Online Degrees, and Technical and Management Degrees. Except for the Distance Education programs, the site is organized by state then training occupation, and all schools listed are state licensed or accredited. The Distance Education list is a short list of institutions meeting the stated requirements of the site. The information provided for each school is either an address and telephone number or a link to its website, either allowing you to easily contact the school to request a catalog and further information. Each state’s page also includes a link to resources for that state from the U.S. Department of Education.

Technical Schools Guide

...search for technical courses and degree programs by zip code, degree program, online schools, or by state. You can also browse their full list.

You should also check IPEDS COOL, listed with the college guides.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Seminars & Short Courses

SIS: Seminar Information Service

Another place to find listings of seminars, but with a great twist. Select the subject area in which you are interested, and it not only lists the course topics but also the date and location of the next seminar! Select the date and location that interests you, click the "Details" button, and get all the info on location, cost, and course outline. You can enroll right online using a credit card, purchase order, or your company's info (including the name of who approved it.) Very nice.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Distance Education & E-Learning

You no longer need to live near Berkeley, CA, in order to take classes at UC Berkeley! Distance Education is rising in popularity and availability and can include anything from single courses on on topic you need now up to accredited programs offering degrees from high school through college.

Distance Education and Training Council

... DETC (formerly the National Home Study Council) is a non profit educational association located in Washington, D.C. It serves as a clearinghouse of information about the distance study/correspondence field and sponsors a nationally recognized accrediting agency called the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. Through their website you can find accredited high school and college degree programs, a single directory of all institutions who have received accreditation from this group, and a nice list of study subjects available from the many programs.

MarylandOnline

...one-stop entry to all the colleges offering distance education programs in the state of Maryland.

The General Resources and the college guides will have more information. The RWM Vocational School Database also lists distance education programs.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Financial Aid, Loans, & Scholarships

Some of these resources also include information on preparing for college, including the kinds of exams you might need to take.

FSA for Students: Federal Student Aid from the U.S. Department of Education

The Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs are the largest source of student aid in the United States, providing nearly 70% of all student financial aid. This site provides users with access to and information about the products and services needed throughout the financial aid process. There is information targeted to parents, counselors, returning (adult) students, and international students as well as students in college and graduate school. Under “Funding” you’ll find links to information on state aid, tax credits, the Department’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and The Student Guide. Updated each award year, the Student Guide is a comprehensive resource on student financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education and includes information about the programs and how to apply for them. The entire FSA site is available in English and Spanish.

FinAid

...the single largest, most comprehensive guide to financial aid sources and information online. It links everywhere, it guides you through advice, articles, and warnings, and is endorsed by The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). If you go to only one financial aid source online, make it this one.

USNews.com: Education: Paying for College/a>

...get help with your financial aid application, check their picks for top financial aid sites online, use their Tools to figure out costs and payments you can afford, and other great stuff.

Financial Aid & Scholarship Search Tools

...this list from the NIH Virtual Career Center includes the usual major sources of information on financial aid, but then adds a long list of scholarship sources, many of which offer awards for education beyond the bachelor's degree.You can also link from here to their pages on Grants and Fellowships, some of which offer awards starting at the undergraduate level.

ScholarshipHelp.org

Nice site with information and advice on finding and applying for scholarships. Unlike others, this is more focused on the idea of finding and applying and less on the massive lists of resources you might review. Includes a nice list of resources along with warnings on how to spot the scams.

SallieMae

... SallieMae provides funds for educational loans, primarily federally guaranteed student loans originated under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Through their website, SallieMae allows you to access information to help you plan for college, apply for a loan, manage your loan payments, and even search for a job. There is information for parents as well as students. SallieMae’s family of services also includes College Answer, a site to help you plan for college, and TrueCareers, a major online job bank.

SimpleTuition

...this free service helps you to find and compare student loan options for undergrads, grads, and parents. Normally I would not list such a service, but I like the articles in their Student Loan Resource Center, especially "How Does Financial Aid Work?" and "Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Student Loan Borrower."

Internal Revenue Service

Ugh! Who wants to think about the IRS when you are worried about about training and education? You do! The money you spend on training and education may be tax deductible.

• The Hope Credit is available for persons in the first 2 years of postsecondary education.
• The Lifetime Learning Credit is allowed for anyone taking one or more courses and is available to persons beyond the first two years of postsecondary education.

Get your hands on IRS Publication 970: Tax Benefits for Higher Education, as well as Tax Topic 605: Education Credits and Form 8863: Education Credits (Hope and Lifetime Learning Credits). If the courses you are taking are not offered by an institution that is eligible for the Lifetime Learning Credit, then you'll want to look into deducting your costs as Employee Business Expenses. In this case, look for IRS Publication 508: Tax Benefits for Work-Related Education and Tax Topic 513: Educational expenses. All of these forms and publications can be found on the IRS web site, and I encourage you to search the IRS website using the words "education credit" to see what else you might learn.

Check the college resources for more information on financial aid.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Standardized Tests

Test Prep Review

...free practice exams for many of the standardized entrance tests required for undergraduate and graduate programs. They also offer links to many resources for you to "fill in the gaps" in your knowledge.

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Planning & Preparing for College

College is Possible

...a resource guide for parents, students, and education professionals from the American Council on Education. This site walks a user through preparing for college, choosing a college, and paying for college with good information and links to other resources. There is also a section dedicated to adults who have decided to return to college or are now deciding to attend for the first time.

Grad School Tips

...covers selecting a school, financing your education, sample interviews, sample essays, and info on the admission tests

Top of Page | Site Navigation Links

Study Guides

Study Guides and Strategies

...if you are returning to school after a long absence, you might be more comfortable if you review the study / test-taking / writing process necessary to succeed. This web site was created by and is maintained by Joe Landsberger as an educational public service. This study skills resource includes such topics as "Cramming," "True-False tests," and "Overcoming Test Anxiety." Links to even more similar sources are provided. Many of the resources and documents here are available in numerous languages other than English.

what

job title, keywords

where

city, state, zip

jobs by

Jobs, Career Resources, & Articles from The Wall Street Journal

• Find a Job
• Post a Job
• Virtual Career Fair

RealEstateJournal -- advice on buying or renting a new home, apartment, or office.