Between Ed and I, we have raised seven kids. Not every path looked the same — some headed straight to college, some took a different route — but every one involved planning, decisions, and information scattered across too many places. Over 24 years, we have seen it all.
We built CollegeHound because we lived the problem. College planning information ends up everywhere — and by the time it matters most, half of it is lost.
Now we are ready to open CollegeHound to the families who will help us make it better. Not as beta testers. As founding members.
Why a Founding Class
We could have launched quietly and hoped people found us. Instead, we want to build CollegeHound with families, not just for them.
The founding class is a group of 600 families who get full access to CollegeHound Plus — free through May 1, 2027 — and in return, help us understand what works, what is missing, and what matters most when the stakes are real.
This is not a focus group. It is not a survey. It is families using CollegeHound the way it was designed to be used — as the one place where everything about the college journey lives together.
What Founding Class Members Get
Every founding class family gets CollegeHound Plus free through May 1, 2027. That includes:
- AI College Coach — expert guidance at a fraction of the cost of a private consultant
- Activities Log — capture achievements in real-time so nothing is forgotten by application season
- Deadline and Requirements Watchdog — never miss a deadline or a requirement
- Financial Aid Decoder — understand what award letters actually mean
- Scholarship Finder — fresh matches delivered weekly
- Weekly Admissions Briefing — stay current without drowning in information
Plus everything in the free Binder: grades, activities, awards, testing, college lists, essays, documents, deadlines, and a shared parent-student workspace.
Why 600 Families
We are accepting 200 freshmen, 200 sophomores, and 200 juniors. Three grades, each with their own timeline and their own set of needs.
We kept the number intentional. Six hundred families is large enough to see real patterns — how a freshman family uses CollegeHound differently than a junior family, what features matter at each stage, where the gaps are. But it is small enough that we can actually listen and respond.
When a founding class family tells us something is confusing or missing, we can fix it before thousands of families hit the same wall.
Why May 1, 2027
May 1, 2027 is National College Decision Day — the deadline for most students to commit to a college. It is the natural finish line for the college planning journey.
For current juniors, that is the day they will have made their decision. For sophomores, it puts them right at the start of their own application season. For freshmen, it gives them nearly two full years to build their binder before the pressure starts.
Every grade gets meaningful time with CollegeHound Plus at the moment it matters most for their stage.
What "The Binder Is Free Forever" Means
The Binder is the core of CollegeHound. It is where families organize grades, activities, awards, test scores, college lists, essays, documents, and deadlines — all in one shared workspace that students and parents can both access.
The Binder is free forever. Not free for a trial period. Not free with limits. Free forever, for every family, every grade. That does not change whether you join the founding class or sign up three years from now.
CollegeHound Plus adds AI-powered coaching and automation on top of the Binder. That is the premium layer — and that is what founding class members get free through May 1, 2027.
Who This Is For
The founding class is for families with a student currently in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade who want to get organized before the pressure hits.
You do not need to be an expert in college admissions. You do not need to have a plan yet. You just need to be the kind of family that would rather start early than scramble later.
If your student has activities they are proud of, grades they are working hard for, and a future that matters to your family — CollegeHound is the place to keep all of that together.
Where It Started
Before we opened the founding class nationally, we made a commitment closer to home. Every rising senior in the town of Apex — Apex Friendship, Apex HS, and Felton Grove — gets full access to CollegeHound Plus free through graduation.
Our youngest is part of that class. So are his friends and classmates. We wanted to make sure the community that raised our family was the first to benefit from what we built.
The founding class is how we take that same commitment national — 600 more families who believe getting organized early is worth it.
What We Are Asking in Return
Use it. That is the main thing.
Log your student's activities. Add schools to your college list. Let the AI Coach help you figure out what to focus on next. And when something does not work the way you expected — tell us.
Founding class families are not just early users. They are the families whose experience shapes what CollegeHound becomes for everyone who comes after them.
How to Claim Your Spot
There are 200 spots per grade — 600 total. First come, first served.
To claim your spot, visit collegehound.com/get-started/founding-class, select your student's grade, and enter your email. No credit card. No commitment beyond trying it.
We will email you the moment your account is ready.
The Binder is free forever. The founding class is how we build what comes next — together.