Learn CollegeCountdown.
Step by step.

Open your Dashboard

Sign in to CollegeCountdown and navigate to the Overview tab on your dashboard.

Tap 'Link Account'

Scroll to the 'Savings Accounts' section and click the 'Link Account' button to open the Plaid connection modal.

Search for your institution

Type your 529 plan provider's name (e.g. Fidelity, Vanguard, CollegeAdvantage) in the search field.

Sign in to your 529 provider

Enter your credentials for your 529 provider. CollegeCountdown never stores these — Plaid handles the secure connection.

Select the 529 account

Choose the specific 529 account from the list. CollegeCountdown will automatically tag it as a 529 plan.

See your balance

Once linked, your balance, projected growth, and funding gap appear instantly on your dashboard. Balances refresh automatically.

Go to Teen View tab

From your dashboard, click the 'Teen View' tab in the left sidebar or bottom navigation.

Enter your teen's details

Add your teen's first name and choose whether to invite via email or SMS text message.

Send the invite

Click 'Send Invite'. Your teen will receive a personalised link. The link is unique to them and expires after 48 hours.

Teen creates their account

Your teen clicks the link, creates a password, and verifies their phone number. No credit card required.

Teen sees their dashboard

Once signed in, your teen sees their countdown to graduation, scholarship matches, college list, and milestones — all in their own view.

Stay in sync

Both parent and teen dashboards update in real time. When you add a scholarship or school, your teen sees it too.

Complete your teen's profile

Go to Settings and fill in your teen's grade level, GPA, state, intended major, and extracurriculars. If you need to calculate your GPA first, tap the Tools tile on the teen home screen and use the built-in GPA Calculator. The more detail, the better the matches.

Open the Scholarships tab

Click 'Scholarships' in your dashboard navigation to open the scholarship discovery view.

Browse your personalised matches

Scholarships are matched to your teen's profile — state-based, merit, major-specific, employer-linked, and national opportunities all appear here.

Save scholarships to your pipeline

Click 'Save' on any scholarship to add it to your pipeline. Use the status tags (Researching, Applied, Waiting, Awarded) to track progress.

Generate an appeal letter

If your teen receives a financial aid offer that falls short, click 'Write Appeal Letter' to generate a personalised, AI-drafted letter in seconds.

Track awards

Mark scholarships as Awarded and CollegeCountdown will factor the amount into your funding gap calculation automatically.

Log your first score

Go to the Scores tab in the mobile app and tap '+ Log Score'. Enter your SAT or ACT score by section. This creates your baseline and activates personalised coaching.

Open the AI Test Prep Coach

In the Teen tab, tap the 'Coaching' sub-tab. The AI Readiness Assessment shows your current vs. target score gap, suggests which test to focus on (SAT or ACT), and generates a personalised study strategy.

Set a target score

In the Coaching sub-tab, tap 'Set Target Score'. Choose an SAT or ACT target aligned with the schools on your list — the AI coach references this target in every recommendation.

Take Mini Practice Tests

In the Teen tab, tap the 'Practice' sub-tab. Scroll to 'Mini Practice Tests', filter by ACT or SAT, and pick a section (English, Math, Reading, Science, or R&W). AI-generated questions load instantly — no external app needed.

Review your answers

After submitting a practice test, every question is shown with your answer, the correct answer highlighted, and your scaled score (ACT 1–36 or SAT section score). Save the score to your profile to track improvement over time.

Use free practice resources

The Practice sub-tab also links to Khan Academy SAT Prep, ACT Academy, and College Board score reports — all free. Use these alongside mini tests for deep subject practice.

Convert between SAT and ACT scores

Not sure which score is better? Tap the Tools tile on the teen home screen, then open 'SAT ↔ ACT Converter'. Enter any SAT score to see its ACT equivalent (or vice versa) using the official College Board concordance table.

Track progress in My Journey

Go to the Journey tab → Progress to see your Test Prep track score as part of your overall College Readiness Index. Consistent daily practice and saved test scores both contribute to your score.

Open the Teen tab

Tap the 'Teen' tab in the mobile app's bottom navigation. If your teen hasn't been invited yet, send an invite first. Once linked, all sub-tabs reflect your teen's live data.

Review the Coaching sub-tab

Tap 'Coaching' to see the AI Test Prep Coach summary: your teen's current SAT/ACT scores, their target score, and the AI's personalised strategy. You can see at a glance if your teen is on track or falling behind their target.

Check score history in the Scores tab

The Scores tab (bottom nav) shows every logged SAT and ACT score with date, section breakdown, and trend over time. Both parent and teen can log scores here.

Monitor the College Readiness Index

In the Teen tab, tap 'Journey' (or use the dedicated Journey tab). The Progress sub-tab shows a 4-track readiness index: Academic, Test Prep, Application, and Financial — each scored out of 25. This gives a quick overall health check.

Manage extracurricular activities

Tap the 'Activities' sub-tab in the Teen tab. Add clubs, sports, volunteering, leadership roles, and awards. These feed directly into scholarship matching and the Application track of the Readiness Index.

Set goals and challenges

Go to the Parent tab → Goals. Create a new goal tied to a test prep milestone (e.g. 'Score 1300+ on May SAT') with a reward. Your teen is notified via push and the goal appears in their My Journey Goals view.

Use the AI Financial Coach for context

Tap the Parent tab → Financial. The AI coach can answer questions like 'How much does test prep tutoring affect our funding gap?' — giving you the financial context alongside the academic picture.

Find the SECURE 2.0 card

On your Overview dashboard, scroll to the 'SECURE 2.0 Roth Tracker' card. This tracks the $35,000 lifetime rollover benefit.

Set your 529 open date

Enter the date your 529 plan was opened. The 529 must be open for at least 15 years before rollovers are allowed. CollegeCountdown will tell you exactly when you become eligible.

Link your 529 (optional)

If you link your 529 via Plaid, the tracker automatically pulls your current balance and calculates how much is available to roll over.

Log a rollover

Once eligible, click 'Log a Rollover'. Enter the amount and tax year. CollegeCountdown enforces both the $35K lifetime cap and the annual Roth IRA contribution limit (~$7,000).

Track remaining capacity

The lifetime cap progress bar shows how much of the $35,000 you've used and how much remains across all rollovers.

Stay compliant

CollegeCountdown tracks rollovers against annual limits automatically. Always consult a tax advisor before executing rollovers — the SECURE 2.0 §126 rules apply.

Open Gift Hub

Click 'Gift Hub' in your dashboard navigation to open the gifting centre.

Copy your unique gift link

Your personalised gift link is shown at the top of the Gift Hub. Click 'Copy Link' to copy it to your clipboard.

Share it

Send the link via text, email, or share it in a birthday card. Anyone who receives it can contribute any amount directly to your 529.

Contributions appear automatically

When a gift is made, it reflects in your linked 529 balance (updated at next Plaid sync) and in your Gift Hub contribution history.

Thank contributors

The Gift Hub shows each contributor's name and amount. Use this to send personal thank-you notes.

Use at birthdays & holidays

The gift link is permanent — share it every year for birthdays, the holidays, or any occasion when family might prefer to give something meaningful.

Go to the Sign In page

Visit collegecountdown.app/login on your device.

Tap 'Sign in with Apple'

Click the black 'Sign in with Apple' button below the email/password form.

Authenticate with Apple

You'll be redirected to Apple's sign-in page. Use Face ID, Touch ID, or your Apple ID password to authenticate.

Choose email sharing

Apple will ask whether to share your real email or use a private relay address. Either works with CollegeCountdown.

Automatic redirect

After approving, you'll be redirected back to your CollegeCountdown dashboard automatically. No OTP required for Apple Sign-In.

Future sign-ins

On future visits, clicking 'Sign in with Apple' authenticates you instantly — no typing required.

Go to Practice in the Teen tab

In the mobile app, tap the Teen tab and then the 'Practice' sub-tab.

Find Mini Practice Tests

Scroll below the AI Coach card to the 'Mini Practice Tests' section. Use the ACT / SAT filter buttons to narrow by test type.

Choose a section

Tap any section card — ACT English (10 Qs), ACT Math (10 Qs), ACT Reading (8 Qs), ACT Science (8 Qs), SAT Reading & Writing (10 Qs), or SAT Math (10 Qs). Questions are AI-generated and fresh each session.

Answer the questions

Tap A, B, C, or D for each question. A progress bar shows how far along you are. Navigate with the Previous / Next buttons.

Submit and see your score

Once all questions are answered, tap 'Submit & Score'. Your raw correct count converts to a scaled score: ACT sections use the official 1–36 scale; SAT uses section scoring (200–800).

Review every answer

After submission, every question is shown with your choice highlighted and the correct answer marked in green. Use this to understand exactly where you went wrong.

Save your score

Tap 'Save Score to Profile' to record the result. Saved scores appear in your Test Prep history and count toward the Test Prep track of your College Readiness Index.

Resume a test you didn't finish

If you close the app mid-test, a blue 'Resume' banner appears at the top of the section picker next time you open Practice. Tap it to continue exactly where you left off.

Open the Tools tile

On the teen home screen, scroll to the bottom and tap the '🧮 Tools' tile. This opens the Tools hub where all four calculators live.

GPA Calculator

Tap 'GPA Calculator' to open the multi-scale GPA calculator. Add your courses, choose a grade (A+ through F) from the dropdown, pick the Course Type (Regular, Honors, AP, IB, or Dual), and set your credit hours. Supports US 4.0, weighted 5.0, and international scales (100%, 10-pt CGPA, Australian 7-pt). Tap 'Save GPA to Profile' to store your result.

SAT ↔ ACT Converter

Tap 'SAT ↔ ACT Converter' to convert between the two tests using the official College Board 2024 concordance table. Toggle between SAT→ACT and ACT→SAT modes, type your score, and see the equivalent instantly — with the matching row highlighted in the full table below.

SAT / ACT Score Estimator

Tap 'SAT / ACT Score Estimator' to get a projected score range based on your PSAT, practice section scores, GPA, and weekly study hours. Set a target score and the estimator generates a personalised study roadmap with specific weekly goals. Tap 'Save Target to Profile' to store the target.

OPT Tracker

Tap 'OPT Tracker' to plan F-1 Optional Practical Training windows. Enter your program end date to calculate your standard OPT and STEM OPT extension periods, key application deadlines, and employment start windows — essential for international students.

GPA Calculator shortcut from Profile

You can also open the GPA Calculator directly from your academic profile. Go to your Teen Profile (tap your name on the home screen), then tap '🎓 Use GPA Calculator' below the GPA field. This is especially useful for international students converting grades to a 4.0 scale.

Open My Day

Tap the 'My Day' tab (calendar icon) at the bottom of the teen's screen. It's a dedicated tab separate from the Teen and Journey tabs.

Generate today's plan

If no plan exists yet, tap 'Generate Today's Plan'. The AI builds a schedule based on your logged scores, upcoming test dates, active milestones, and extracurricular profile. Generation takes a few seconds.

Understand your plan

Each item shows a time slot, category (SAT Math 📐, Essay ✍️, Scholarship 🏆, etc.), estimated duration in minutes, and difficulty: Warm Up (green), Core Focus (red), or Challenge (purple).

Work through your tasks

Tap 'Done' on each item as you complete it. Tap 'Skip' to pass on one. Your completion percentage bar updates live at the top of the screen.

Follow resource links

Some tasks include a tappable resource link (e.g. a Khan Academy lesson or College Board practice). Tap it to open the material in your browser.

Regenerate if needed

If today's plan feels mismatched, tap 'Regenerate Plan' inside the theme card. A fresh plan is generated instantly.

Track your streak

Daily completion counts are tracked in the Journey tab → Progress. Consistently completing your My Day plan lifts the Test Prep track score in your College Readiness Index.

Check your college list

Review the colleges on your teen's list. Each school has its own aid deadline — many are between November and February. Missing these means missing aid.

Gather tax documents

FAFSA uses prior-prior year taxes. For 2025–26, you'll need your 2023 federal tax return. Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to link it directly.

Review 529 balance

Your linked 529 balance on CollegeCountdown reflects exactly what you'll need to report on FAFSA as a parent asset (reported at ~5.6% impact on Expected Family Contribution).

Check your FSA ID

Both parent and student need an FSA ID to sign FAFSA. Create one at studentaid.gov at least a few days before you plan to file.

Note all assets

Report savings, investment accounts, and 529 balances. Retirement accounts (401k, IRA) are NOT reported on FAFSA.

File as early as possible

FAFSA opens October 1. Many schools give aid on a first-come, first-served basis. Filing on day one maximises your chance of the best package.