From smarter virtual counselor to live expert “office hours,” CGN delivers families a 24×7 college and career guidance system—powered by 400+ national experts.

Lexington, MA—July 26, 2025 – College Guidance Network (CGN), the leader in AI-powered college and career planning solutions for families, today announced a major upgrade to its platform for the upcoming 2025 school year. The new features build on CGN’s unique combination of expert-driven content and advanced AI guidance, giving parents and students the expert tools they need to make better decisions in an era of rapidly changing college and career landscapes.

“AI runs fast and we see tangible acceleration in our output,” said Jon Carson, CEO of CGN. “This release represents the best of human expertise married to the speed and personalization only AI can deliver.”
“Expert content is a differentiator in an age of misinformation. The content we have is rocket fuel for a trusted AI solution,” added Michael Kolowich, CGN Chief Product Officer.

CGN’s three product teams span content creation, AI engineering, and tech enablement. Together these three teams have collaborate to create the best-in-class AI guidance system for families that facilitates parent/student collaboration.

12 NEW FEATURES FOR 2025:

  1. Mobile App: 24×7 Access Anywhere: Parents and students can now access CGN’s tools anytime, anywhere, with a new mobile app optimized for busy families.
  2. AI-Powered Success Tools: Career Explorer, Interview Prep Coach, Essay Brainstorming Partner, and College List Builder—all powered by CGN’s advanced AI guidance.
  3. Parent/Teen Collaboration Tools: New features enable families to align on tasks, track progress, and work together on their college and career project plan.
  4. Simplified Dashboard: A redesigned, intuitive dashboard makes it easier for families to navigate, plan, and track progress.
  5. Smarter Eva AI Counselor: Eva keeps getting better from thousands of conversations which complement its training by top experts to deliver even more personalized guidance, tailored to each family’s interests, goals, and context.
  6. Customizable AI Responses: Users can choose between quick, concise answers or more detailed, comprehensive guidance—depending on their preference.
  7. Updated Master Checklist Powers Personalized Project Plans: Expanded and refined to provide families with a personalized, step-by-step Roadmap (what, when plus how and why context from top experts.
  8. More Experts = Hundreds of New Expert Video Clips: Dozens of additional nationally recognized college and career experts provide fresh, practical advice across four domains: college admissions, college affordability, career pathways in age of AI, and parenting teens.
  9. Curated AI Web Search: A safer, smarter search experience—delivering top-ranked, trustworthy results and avoiding misinformation traps.
  10. Live “Office Hours” with Experts: Regularly scheduled interactive sessions on key topics plus open Q&A with Brennan Barnard, CGN’s Director of College Counseling and invited admissions leaders give the inside scoop
  11. Nudge Reminder Alerts: Smart reminders via email, text, or in-app notifications keep parents and students on track with key deadlines and tips from insiders
  12. New “For Parents” Resource Library: Dedicated resources on parent-teen communication, collaboration, social and emotional learning, and best practices for parenting teens in an anxious age.

“This is where we all need to be—providing quality support 24×7 for both parent and student,” said Dorletta Payton, Head of Counseling for Valley View School District in Illinois.

Experts Drive CGN’s Model

CGN’s unique network of more than 400 nationally recognized experts drives the content that trains its AI to deliver the most trusted and accurate responses. This same expert content powers all of CGN’s guidance solutions, ensuring families benefit from the best information available. It’s all in service of CGN’s mission of democratizing expertise: “Experts For Everyone, All In One Place”™.

CGN remains committed to producing content from the nation’s top experts that supports the parent/student paradigm with a turnkey guidance system—helping families get the right information, at the right time, with the right level of personalization. More self sufficient families also mean reduced demands on stretched school counseling systems.

About College Guidance Network
College Guidance Network (CGN) was founded in 2020 to provide families with expert-driven guidance to help make better college and career decisions. By combining personalized AI tools with content from top experts, CGN democratizes access to the kind of support typically reserved for elite private school families and expensive consultants.

Media Contact:
Jon Carson
CEO, College Guidance Network
Email: Jon@collegeguidancenetwork.com

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