How ACT’s AI Advisor Simplifies College Search & Fit for Your Students
The college search can feel overwhelming for students—thousands of schools, endless web pages, and so many “what-ifs.” Well, ACT just rolled out a free tool that can shortcut a lot of that busywork: the AI Advisor. It’s a step up from the usual chatbot—it learns as you go, adapts to your goals, and stitches together GPA, ACT® score, location preferences, and intended major into a tailored list of reach, target, and safety schools.
How the ACT AI Advisor Works
1. Quick Profile Setup
You’ll enter your core details—GPA, latest ACT® score, preferred region, and intended major—so the AI Advisor has a starting point.
2. Smart Recommendations
Based on your answers, it instantly generates a carousel of “college cards” flagged as reach, target, or safety schools.
3. Interactive Exploration
Click any college card to dive deeper—ask about campus life, programs, traditions, or support services—then narrow your list right in the same interface.
4. Ongoing Refinement
As you answer follow-up questions (e.g., campus size, setting, extracurricular needs, internships, learning supports, etc.), your recommendations adjust in real time to match your evolving preferences.
5. One-Stop Research
Everything you need to build and balance a solid reach/target/safety list lives in a single, intuitive tool that gathers a solid base of information that would otherwise involve visiting each school’s website to search and extract.
My Hands-On Experience with ACT’s AI Advisor
Curious, I tried ACT’s AI Advisor, and I was pretty impressed. I only spent a short amount of time using it, and yet I can easily see how helpful it could be for much deeper dives into each aspect of the college search. Here’s how my experience played out:
1. Profile Building
It began by asking for my GPA and ACT® score, then where I wanted to go to college, and what I was interested in studying.
2. College Carousel Interface
Immediately, a scrolling carousel of college cards appeared above the chat. On each card, I could:
Save it to my list;
Explore more details (majors, campus life, extracurriculars, events, college traditions, etc); or
Skip to the next recommendation.
3. ChanceMe Indicator
At the bottom of each card was a “ChanceMe: reach/target/safety” bar—instantly telling me where each school fit based on my GPA and ACT® score alone.
4. Asking About Campus Life
One of the recommendations I received was for the University of Delaware. I clicked on the college card and asked, “What is college life like at the University of Delaware?” The Advisor gave me a quick, conversational answer with key takeaways, such as:
Gender-inclusive housing and a variety of residence halls
Over 300 student organizations—academic clubs, cultural groups, and more
Greek life involvement (about 30% of students)
Strong community engagement programs and traditions like Homecoming and the UDance marathon
I realize that I could’ve dug up the same info myself on U of D’s site—but in just seconds, the AI Advisor bundled some of the most pertinent information about U of D into one neat summary.
5. Iterative Refinement
Next, it asked: “Do you prefer a large, medium, or small campus environment, and what kind of student community feels right for you?”
I answered, “East Coast, medium, social, but still allows for independence and space.” Instantly, my carousel reshuffled to highlight medium-sized East Coast schools with a social vibe and plenty of room to breathe.
6. Deeper Preference Probing
It followed up again: “Would you prefer an urban, suburban, or rural setting, and what about that environment appeals to you?”
After I selected “suburban,” the AI Advisor fine-tuned my list once more.
7. Exploring Supports & Opportunities
Finally, it asked if I was interested in study-abroad options, co-op/internship programs, or specific learning supports, like writing centers or ADHD coaching. Each answer I provided further refined my mix of reach, target, and safety picks.
Through every step, the ACT AI Advisor was intuitive—collecting my preferences, reasoning through them, simplifying the research process, and continuously refining recommendations. It’s a great tool to use and will definitely help students curate a solid shortlist of schools in a matter of minutes.
Why Tutors & Students Should Use ACT’s AI Advisor
1. Speeds Up List-Building.
Instead of manually hunting for reach/target/safety balance, your students get a list curated for them.
Use our post How to Help Students Narrow Down Their College Search as a framework, then let the AI Advisor handle the data-gathering.
2. Encourages Deeper Reflection.
The follow-up questions prompt students to articulate their preferences—size, setting, supports—so they make more intentional choices.
3. Helps Find the Right “Fit,”
Once they’ve got a list, they can continue to look deeper at each school to really find the right fit for them—academically, environmentally, and socially.
Refer back to The Importance of Good College Fit: How to Make the Right Choice and our Roadmap for the Future: College Selection 101 to help them evaluate college culture, academics, and support services.
4. 100% Free & Always-On
Because it’s on ACT.org, there’s no subscription required—students can explore schools 24/7, and the AI Advisor keeps track of their search results.
ACT’s AI Advisor isn’t a replacement for your expertise—it’s a powerful assistant that helps students with the heavy lifting of college list-building, research, and early fit exploration.
Introduce ACT’s AI Advisor in your next tutoring session, and watch your students go from “I have no idea where to start” to “Here’s my top 10—let’s strategize how to raise my chances at each!”
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