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FAQs About BigFuture School and Connections

What is BigFuture School?

BigFuture School is a free mobile app that helps students explore colleges and careers and take steps toward planning for life after high school with personalized guidance and tools. It has been available to students 13 and older in participating U.S. schools that take an in-school SAT Suite of Assessments, and now also available students that enroll in AP courses (starting in the 2026-27 school year). It is available to students 13 and older in participating U.S. schools that take an in-school SAT Suite of Assessments or enroll in eligible AP courses (starting in the 2026-27 school year). (Note, it is not available in NY as part of their AP course participation; there may be other exclusions.)

 

What is Connections?

Connections is a free, optional program available via BigFuture School. Students can opt in to discover nonprofit colleges, scholarship providers, and government agencies administering educational programs that may be a good fit and are looking for students like them. 

Connections offers multiple ways for AP students to discover college and scholarship opportunities: 

  1. They can discover matches based on their interests. “Matches” show colleges that align with at least one student preference and an institution that indicated an interest in students like them. Students in Connections can update their preferences to access this matching feature using College Quiz.     
  2. They can also receive messages from College Board on behalf of nonprofit organizations and based on which AP courses they are enrolled in and information collected through My AP Profile. 

 

How does this benefit schools and AP programs?

BigFuture School helps AP students connect skills they may be developing in AP courses with career and college options. It brings college and career exploration to students earlier in high school. Alongside Connections, BigFuture School helps students understand how the types of skills they may develop in AP courses might align with future college and career opportunities. This free app supports students with personalized, AP-relevant insights, such as potential majors and career pathways, based on the skills students are potentially developing.

 

Who can access BigFuture School through AP?

Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, AP students have the opportunity to access BigFuture School and Connections. To gain access, the student would provide a mobile number in My AP, which is then used to securely download the BigFuture School app.

Eligible students must:

  • Be 13 or older 
  • Attend a participating U.S. school 
  • Be enrolled in an eligible AP course 
  • Be at a school that enables access through the AP Registration and Ordering

 

What is the AP coordinator’s role?

AP coordinators can opt their school into BigFuture School and Connections during the set-up process in AP Registration and Ordering for the academic year, wherever legally permitted. BigFuture School and Connections are not offered to students as part of their AP course participation in New York or outside of the United States at this time. There may be other exclusions.


How do schools enable access for their AP students?

This school-level opt-in is required for students to be provided with the option to access BigFuture School and Connections. There will be three options for a school to choose from: offer BigFuture School and Connections, offer only BigFuture School, or do not offer either BigFuture School or Connections. If the coordinator does not opt in to BigFuture School, students will not see the option to provide a mobile number to access the app during their AP course registration process nor will the app or Connections be available later in My AP. If the coordinator chooses to opt in to BigFuture School but not Connections, the students may choose to access the BigFuture app but will not be able to participate in Connections. 

Details about completing the set-up steps in AP Registration and Ordering, including how to complete the BigFuture and Connections opt-in screen, will be in the 2026-27 AP Coordinator's Manual, Part 1, which will be available on Aug. 3.

 

How can students access the BigFuture School app, if available? 

After a school opts in, eligible students can provide their mobile number in My AP when providing registration information, which they do the first time they enter a join code for a class section to securely download the app. By providing a mobile number, students agree to receive limited text messages: to download the app and to receive a secure code to access the app. The mobile number is used to authenticate students’ information in the app and is not used for any other reason. Students must provide a U.S. or domestic mobile number to participate. 

Participation is optional. If they do not provide a mobile number during their registration or their school enables eligibility to the app after registration has taken place, the option to access the app is always available in a student’s My AP Profile. 

 

How do students access Connections, if available?

Once a student has provided a mobile number to access BigFuture School, they will receive a text to securely download the BigFuture School app. As part of their onboarding process in the app, they will see a screen asking if they would like to opt in to Connections. A student can choose to opt in or out of Connections at any time in their app settings. The school decides to enable students’ ability to access Connections, and then ultimately the student decides if they want to participate.

 

Will AP Exam scores be in BigFuture School?

No. BigFuture School focuses on exploration and planning for students taking AP courses. AP Exam scores are not available in BigFuture School. If an AP student is also an in-school SAT Suite of assessment test taker and they chose to access the app as part of the SAT Suite, BigFuture School provides a score report for in-school PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT School Day. AP students will continue to access scores through the current AP online score report process.

 

Does BigFuture School replace AP Classroom?

No. BigFuture School complements AP by providing eligible students taking AP course(s) with college and career exploration tools and resources at no charge. It does not replace existing AP tools or resources. AP Classroom is an online platform with flexible resources for every AP course for both teachers and students. BigFuture School is a separate mobile app, for college and career readiness exploration.

 

What kind of guidance will students receive in BigFuture School?

AP students will have access to free college and career planning resources. This includes personalized insights based on what they may be learning from AP coursework, connecting the skills they might be developing in each course to potential programs and pathways.

Students can receive personalized exploration guidance connected to:

  • Types of skills developed in AP courses in which they enroll
  • College majors 
  • Careers 
  • Postsecondary planning milestones based on grade level and time of year

 

Is participation required?

No. Schools decide whether to offer access, and students then decide whether to participate. If a school does provide access, students can choose to download the BigFuture School app and separately choose whether to opt into Connections to receive information about colleges and scholarship programs.

 

How is student privacy protected?

BigFuture School and Connections were built with privacy at the core. 

For the BigFuture School app, mobile numbers are used only for authentication in BigFuture School and texts to download and access the app. For Connections, no personally identifiable information is shared with institutions. If a student is interested in a college or program, the student chooses if and when to share their information directly with a college or program.

Students manage their app and Connections experiences. Students can: Opt in or out of Connections at any time, turn push notifications on or off, save or remove messages, mute institutions they aren’t interested in, and/or sign out of the app whenever they choose.

 

Can a student opt out of Connections if they change their mind? 

Yes. Students can opt out of Connections at any time in the app or by contacting College Board’s Customer Service at (866) 630-9305.

 

If an AP student already has access to BigFuture School from taking a PSAT or SAT School Day, do they need to provide their mobile number again in My AP?

To have the AP-related experience, yes. Students are encouraged to provide their mobile number again through My AP even if they are already using BigFuture School. Doing so securely connects the list of AP courses they are currently participating in with their existing SAT Suite data, allowing everything to appear together in one BigFuture School experience.