What Is the Student Search Service?

Understanding the Student Search Service

Students who opt in to Student Search Service agree to provide participating colleges, universities, and nonprofit funding programs with access to their basic information, such as name, age, graduation year, and email address. The decision to opt in or not has no bearing on standardized test results.

In addition to basic biographical information, learners can also provide additional information to help more relevant schools and programs find them. Details like high school GPA, completed high school courses, educational interests, and school preferences may lead to more specific offers from colleges and universities.

For the school and program participants, the Student Search Service gives access to millions of college-bound students. Institutional participants also have access to the student's standardized test results from the College Boards, which helps them know if students qualify for their programs. After paying a license fee, those colleges and programs can send communications and promotional materials to students. However, they cannot access that information or send materials if a student opts out.

The exchange between students, schools, and programs helps streamline the school search and student recruitment process for both sides. Student participants save time researching possible schools and scholarships, and schools and scholarship programs can find more application candidates.

How Does Student Search Service Work?

Learners can opt in for the Student Search Service while signing up online or when taking the SAT, the Preliminary SAT (PSAT), the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or the PSAT 10. They can also update their profiles and information on the College Board website, where they can create and edit a list of institutions that interest them.

Once students have enrolled in the service, the College Board adds their information to a mailing list that schools and programs can access if they pay the license fees. From there, institutions can contact students directly. Participants can opt out and remove their information from the College Board's mailing list at any time.

Is Student Search Service Worth It?

The Student Search Service can offer a great deal of value to some students and no value to others. The process of opting in and providing information can take time, and the amount of emails participants receive can be burdensome, but they can also pay off.

Those debating whether to opt in or not should consider whether they need additional school options. Students who have a school in mind and have already done extensive scholarship research may not benefit much from the service. However, learners who cannot access school recruiters or college fairs or are more flexible in their schooling plans may find the service useful.

Student Search Service: How Do I Opt Out?

The College Board takes information privacy and security seriously, as seen in its privacy settings. The organization only collects information on participants over the age of 13 and only shares the information listed as part of the Student Search Service, and then only shares it with participating institutions — not corporate entities.

The student search service opt-out process is relatively simple, and there are a few ways to do it. Participants can follow the opt-out instructions on the College Board's website, call the provided phone number, or email the customer service address. Participants can also opt out of any third-party advertising they agreed to receive by following the unsubscribe instructions on each communication.