Kitchen tables everywhere are turning into four-year command centers. Why? College planning has moved from a once-a-year sprint to a multi-year marathon, and parents have become co-managers by necessity.
Education tech built for families is finally catching up. And Appily is leading the way.
“Today’s college planning process feels incredibly intense,” observes Emily Niedermaier, managing director of marketing at Appily. “Fortunately, new tools give parents the confidence to guide their students through the process.”
Parents Are Now Co-managers During the College Admission Process
The college admissions process is more complex and emotionally charged than it used to be. EAB’s College Search Trends 2025 report shows that students are applying to more colleges and beginning their search earlier, drawing out the essay writing and decision-making across nearly the entire high school experience.
Money and mental health dominate the conversation. In EAB’s 2024 Parent Survey, parents named college costs, scholarships, and debt as their top three concerns, with 60% ranking cost as the number-one worry.
Meanwhile, students are feeling the weight. Appily’s national mental health survey of nearly 6,000 high schoolers finds that 85% feel anxious at least a few days a week, and almost 60% feel that way most days. Among them, 43% say college planning increases their anxiety. Further, 28% of students who are uncertain about enrolling cite mental health as a primary reason. Put simply, parents need to step in to protect their kids’ well-being and keep cost questions from derailing the plan.
“It’s a lot to deal with for a long period of time,” says Niedermaier. “And because the information is in dozens of places, even organized families can end up missing vital information and deadlines.”
Appily’s Organizational Toolkit Provides the Ultimate College Application Help for Busy Parents When Applying for College
Appily respects the schedules of busy parents. A planning dashboard keeps all the college application help process for parents deadlines and documents visible, so there’s no more hunting through emails and paper piles. Families can quickly explore schools by a wide range of criteria and view their options side-by-side.
Each resource on Appily is designed to demystify the process, answer common questions, and offer practical, expert-backed advice that helps families support their student with confidence.
Best of all? Appily delivers trusted guidance that fits a busy family’s week. The information comes in the form of bite-sized tips and checklists.
How Appily’s Personalized Scholarship Finder Saves Families Hundreds of Hours with Financial Aid Tools and Scholarships for Students
According to the 2024 Parent Survey mentioned above, 58% of parents say simply understanding how much college will actually cost is a major concern. That uncertainty drives families into endless scholarship hunts.
Appily consolidates that scramble. With one login, students see scholarships that fit their interests and academic profiles. Requirements and due dates are organized in a single place. The result is a calmer, more sustainable process.
The Quest for Acceptance Letters: Why Data-driven Tools Are Parents’ Top Choice over Private Consultants During the College Search
Parents want clarity they can trust and a system that reduces the stress in the process. Appily’s data-driven tools deliver both.
With Appily, parents tap into the same expertise that powers EAB’s work with colleges and universities. Behind the platform is a team of expert counselors, admissions officers, and enrollment leaders who translate the data into straightforward and usable guidance. Instead of one person’s anecdotal advice, families get free evidence-based recommendations.
How Appily Is Building One-on-one Trust with Families During the College Search
Trust comes from credible data and a product that actually responds to what families need. Appily is powered by EAB’s research. The College Search Trends 2025 report draws on application, inquiry, and enrollment data to map where student interest is growing, which colleges are gaining or losing market share, and how far students are willing to travel. The 2024 Parent Survey includes responses from 1,620 parents and caregivers across income levels and regions. And Appily’s mental health survey adds nearly 6,000 student voices on anxiety and stressors.
These insights show up in the product. Because families put the highest value on cost and scholarships, Appily emphasizes early scholarship discovery and clear cost information. Since students and parents care about well-being and belonging, Appily spotlights mental health supports and campus life. And because parents want early, direct communication, Appily helps institutions share information before families resort to guesswork. The result is a student-centered platform that is free to use, free of paywalls, and designed to reduce friction.
“Parents stepping into the co-manager role no longer need to shoulder the work alone,” Niedermaier concludes. “We have the tools to help. Parents don’t need to be experts to guide their students. They just need a trustworthy map.”
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