Collegiate Funding Solutions

What Collegiate Funding Solutions does

Collegiate Funding Solutions (CFS), founded in 1999 and headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, is a B2B software company that sells college planning software and services to financial advisors, broker-dealers, RIAs, wealth managers, and financial organizations. The platform is built around a proprietary knowledge base of 300+ actionable college planning and funding strategies and a database covering 1,600+ schools and 8,000+ scholarship programs, generating customized reports from detailed family financial data collected through a secure intake form. The software supports advisor workflows across college selection, financial aid optimization, merit scholarship identification, and cost projection.

The company's revenue model is subscription-based, with three core tiers: EZ College Planning ($599/year), Standard/Signature ($899/year), and Premium ($1,399/year), plus API/widget licensing ($399 setup plus $79-$99/month), marketing programs ($699-$1,199/year), and add-ons such as the College Ed Xpress newsletter ($375/year) and Cash Flow Model ($199/year). Go-to-market combines direct field sales to advisors, channel partnerships with major broker-dealers (LPL Financial, Cetera, Northwestern Mutual, Charles Schwab Advisor Center, Cambridge Investment Research, Securian, Founders Financial, Stratos Wealth Partners, United Planners, PenFed), and technology integrations with MoneyGuidePro and PreciseFP for embedded deployment. The company is privately held, founded by Jim R. Sickorez, with 11-50 employees, and has operated for over 25 years serving thousands of advisor clients.

Name

Collegiate Funding Solutions

Legal name

Collegiate Funding Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://collegiatefundingsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Collegiate Funding Solutions is a B2B SaaS company that sells subscription-based college planning software, data, and marketing tools to financial advisors, broker-dealers, and RIAs. Its platform combines a 300+ strategy knowledge base with a 1,600-school database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisor Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Aid, Scholarships & FAFSA/CSS Profile Support (EDANAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Aid Administration & Packaging (EDALAJAA)

Keywords

• College planning software
• Financial advisor tools
• Education funding solutions
• White-label widgets
• Financial aid optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Subscription Licensing: Annual subscription fees for access to college-planning software with tiered pricing based on feature set. Subscriptions include software access, training, marketing materials, and subject-matter expert support. Three tiers: Premium ($1,399/year), Standard ($899/year), and EZ College Planning ($599/year).
2. Widget and API Licensing: Setup fees and monthly recurring charges for API widgets that financial advisors embed in their websites. Standard widget: $399 setup + $79/month; Branded site with widget: $399 setup + $99/month.
3. Marketing Program Subscriptions: Annual subscription fees for client acquisition programs including educational presentations and white-labeled webpages. Pricing varies: $699/year for existing CFS clients, $1,199/year for non-subscribers.
4. Add-on Products and Services: Additional revenue from add-ons including Cash Flow Model ($199/year), College Planning 101 PPT ($299 one-time), College Ed Xpress Newsletter ($375/year), and additional consulting services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Collegiate Funding Solutions (CFS) develops and licenses proprietary college-planning software and white-label client acquisition resources to financial advisors and financial organizations. Its flagship offering is a subscription-based platform with a knowledge base of 300+ actionable college planning and funding strategies that generates customized reports from detailed family financial data, complemented by subject-matter expert support, API widgets, and marketing programs.

Product overview

Collegiate Funding Solutions offers a suite of college-planning software and services primarily for financial advisors and financial organizations. The core offering consists of three subscription tiers: Premium ($1,399/year, includes flagship software plus branded website), Standard/Signature ($899/year, flagship college-planning software), and EZ College Planning ($599/year, introductory-level platform). These subscription products form the foundation, with add-on modules including the College Search and Query Tool, College Planning Widget, College Cost Calculator, Scholarship Estimator Report, Schools-at-a-Glance Report, Cash Flow Model, and College Planning 101 presentation. Supporting service programs include the Client Acquisition Program, Intergenerational AUM Preservation Program (Silver Bullet), and Client-Attraction Program. Additional offerings include the College Ed Xpress E-Newsletter, Financial Aid Services (via Financial Aid Now partnership), Your College List service, and FAFSAssist form filing service. The company also provides an API and widget for institutional integrations. CFS positions itself as B2B, selling to financial advisors, broker-dealers, and financial organizations rather than directly to consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EZ College Planning: Introductory-level college-planning subscription software for financial advisors
• Silver Bullet
• College Ed Xpress
• College Cost Navigator
• FAFSAssist
• Your College List

Products and services

• CFS Premium Subscription Comprehensive college-planning subscription for advisors who want to position college planning as a strategic service offering, including access to CFS flagship college-planning software plus a branded (white-label) college-planning website with client attraction resources.
• CFS Standard (Signature) Subscription CFS flagship college-planning software for advisors providing comprehensive college-planning services as an integral component of financial planning, equipping advisors to deliver college financial planning solutions that help clients save on college costs and improve retirement savings outlook.
• EZ College Planning Subscription Introductory-level college-planning platform that fills the gap traditional financial planning software leaves behind, focusing on essential actionable strategies to save on college costs for families with college-bound high school children.
• College Search and Query Tool Exclusive tool providing actionable, data-driven insights on critical factors influencing college selection and out-of-pocket college costs across 1,600+ schools, including queries for graduation rates, financial aid, tuition discounts, merit-based scholarships, and net price analysis.
• College Planning Widget API widget for financial advisor websites that captures leads and generates customized college-planning reports for prospects, available as a Standard Widget added to advisor site or as a CFS-branded site with widget.
• College Cost Calculator Interactive tool allowing families to estimate college costs based on state of residence, years until college, college of choice, and college cost inflation rate.
• College Ed Xpress E-Newsletter Monthly e-newsletter written by the CFS team delivering insider strategies about college admissions and financial aid, available as a turnkey managed service or content-only option for advisors to send to prospects and clients.
• Financial Aid Services (Financial Aid Now) Collaboration with Financial Aid Now offering DIY and white-glove financial aid service options for families with college-bound high school juniors or seniors, including the Merit Max report identifying where 90% of free money is located and ongoing support through texts, emails, videos, and webinars.
• Client Acquisition Program Turnkey marketing program combining instruction and multimedia materials to help advisors capture higher-income 40-55 year old clients with college-bound children, addressing changes in Department of Education regulations affecting financial aid.
• Intergenerational AUM Preservation Program (Silver Bullet) Innovative turnkey program for grandparents eager to help college-bound grandchildren while preserving advisor relationships across generations, including a white-label webpage, educational video, promotional content, and marketing consulting support.
• Client-Attraction Program Program providing a white-labeled educational presentation webpage for advisors to attract middle and upper-income parents of college-bound children, including lead generation through activation codes and email capture.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four-year public university and private college costs ranging from $100,000 to more than $320,000
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• PreciseFPcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership between CFS and PreciseFP delivering college planning value to clients through the EZ College Planning module. The integration equips advisors to help clients save on college costs through combined data collection and planning capabilities.
• LPL FinancialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor broker-dealer network where CFS is approved for use by advisors. LPL Financial advisors can confidently integrate CFS college-planning capabilities into their practice with compliance approval.
• Cetera Financial GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroker-dealer network approved for CFS software usage. Cetera financial professionals can access special discounts and integrate CFS college-planning capabilities into their practice.
• Northwestern MutualcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance and financial services company whose advisors are approved to use CFS college-planning software as part of their practice offerings.
• United PlannerssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent broker-dealer whose advisors can access and integrate CFS college-planning capabilities into their financial planning services.
• MoneyGuideProcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with MoneyGuidePro financial planning software enables advisors to deliver comprehensive college planning as part of their overall financial planning services.
• Charles Schwab Advisor CentersecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchwab's advisor platform features college planning software partnerships, including CFS, to help advisors serve clients with college-bound children.
• Cambridge Investment ResearchsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroker-dealer network whose financial advisors can integrate CFS college-planning capabilities into their practice.
• SecuriansecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance and financial services company with advisor network that can access CFS college-planning software.
• Founders FinancialsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinancial services firm whose advisors can integrate CFS college-planning capabilities into their practice.
• Stratos Wealth PartnerssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWealth management firm whose advisors can access CFS college-planning software and marketing resources.
• PenFedsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPenFed Credit Union partnership enables delivery of college planning resources to members with college-bound children.
• College Bound IncminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollege planning service provider partnership for referrals and integrated service delivery.
• Financial Aid NowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration offering two financial aid service options: DIY service and white-glove version for clients with college-bound high school juniors or seniors. Services include Merit Max report showing where 90% of free money is found (at the colleges themselves), plus support navigating the financial aid process through texts, emails, videos, and webinars.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Saving for College (SavingForCollege.com): Saving for College is a leading consumer information site covering 529 plans, financial aid, and college savings strategies. It is comparable to CFS because it serves the same family demographic with college funding education and tools, though its primary model is media/information rather than B2B advisor software.
• TuitionFit: TuitionFit is a college cost comparison and scholarship-matching platform serving families and the advisors who guide them. It is a direct peer to CFS in providing data-driven college affordability and merit scholarship insights across a multi-institution database.
• MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority): MEFA provides college planning tools, financial aid guidance, and education financing resources to families and advisors in the US. Like CFS, MEFA combines educational content, planning tools, and financial aid expertise to help families manage college costs.
• College Ave Student Loans: College Ave is a student loan provider offering college planning resources, scholarship search tools, and financial aid guidance. While their core product is lending rather than software, their college planning content and tools overlap directly with CFS's family-facing offering.

Broad incumbents

• NerdWallet: NerdWallet is a consumer finance content and comparison platform that covers student loans, scholarships, financial aid, and college planning. It overlaps with CFS's family-facing educational content and could attract consumers who might otherwise engage CFS-via-advisor.
• SmartAsset: SmartAsset is a broad financial decisioning platform covering college costs, financial aid, retirement, taxes, and more. Its college cost and financial aid content competes with CFS's family-facing tools, while its broader platform competes for advisor mindshare in the same workflow.
• MoneyGuidePro: MoneyGuidePro is a leading financial planning software platform serving financial advisors. CFS integrates with MoneyGuidePro today, but MoneyGuidePro's broader planning scope means it could internalize basic college planning features — making it both a partner and a potential competitive threat.

Emerging players

• BrightPlan: BrightPlan is a financial planning platform for financial advisors and RIAs. It includes goal-based planning modules that overlap with CFS's education planning functionality, making it an emerging competitor in the same advisor workflow.
• College Confidential: College Confidential is a consumer college admissions and financial aid community with planning tools and resources. It serves the same parent demographic as CFS and competes for the same consumer attention on college cost and aid topics.
• Scholly (by Sallie): Scholly is a scholarship search and matching platform helping students find merit and need-based awards. It directly overlaps with CFS's scholarship database functionality and serves the same end-user demographic of college-bound families.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Collegiate-Funding-Solutions-1685858974806300
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/collegiate-funding-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Collegiate Funding Solutions