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BigFuture vs PhDportal

BigFuture

bigfuture.collegeboard.org

PhDportal

phdportal.com

Side by side

FigureBigFuturePhDportal
Price fromFreeFree
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Open source——
WebYesYes
iOSYes—
AndroidYes—
Plans published11
Spec score · College Search Platforms8.2 (#4)7.8 (#12)
PurposeBigFuture helps students explore careers, plan for college, and pay for college after high school.PhDportal helps students discover and compare English-taught PhD programmes from universities worldwide.
ScholarshipsStudents can qualify for $40,000 and $500 BigFuture Scholarships by completing six planning steps, with no essay or minimum GPA or test score requirement.PhDportal lists scholarships and says many programme pages include funding details such as funded positions, assistantships, stipends, tuition waivers, and scholarships.
SupportBigFuture School users can contact support at (866) 630-9305 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.Students can contact PhDportal about using the site, finding programmes or scholarships, or reporting outdated information at [email protected].

Plans

BigFuture

  • FreeFree

BigFuture pricing →

PhDportal

  • FreeFree

PhDportal pricing →

In their own words

BigFuture

BigFuture is a free resource for students exploring careers, planning for college, and considering how to pay for education after high school. Its Career Quiz suggests 30 personalized career options, and more than 1,000 profiles describe salary, education, and job outlook. Students can specify preferences such as location, cost, and majors to get a personalized college list, then filter searches by criteria including campus life and save schools. Tools cover college costs and financial aid, with scholarship resources as well. Students can qualify for $40,000 and $500 BigFuture Scholarships by completing six planning steps; there is no essay or minimum GPA or test score requirement. Students may also opt in to Student Search Service, which connects them with more than 1,200 colleges and scholarship programs. BigFuture is available on Android, iOS, and the web. The separate free BigFuture School app offers SAT Suite score access and personalized college and career guidance to eligible students; access requires age 13 or older, a participating U.S. school, and an eligible in-school test or AP course, and exclusions may apply.

Visit bigfuture.collegeboard.org

PhDportal

PhDportal is a free web service for finding and comparing English-taught PhD programmes at universities worldwide. Its catalogue lists more than 19,000 programmes from over 900 universities. Search filters cover subject, country, tuition fees, duration, study format, language requirements and university rankings. Users can save programmes to a shortlist for comparison, then connect directly with universities when applying. The service also supports scholarship searches and provides university pages with rankings, reviews, student life, admission requirements and tuition fees. Registered users can receive study matches, update preferences and keep a wishlist. Programme information comes from official university websites; some universities update listings directly, while PhDportal's data team curates and verifies others. Most programme pages are checked at least once a year, and tuition fees, deadlines and study dates are checked for unusual changes or inconsistencies. Students are advised to verify final details with the university before applying. PhDportal is part of Studyportals, whose operator is Studyportals B.V., headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

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