Enrollment Year Portfolios

Consider this if: You’re looking for an all-in-one solution to manage your savings over the long term without extra work on your part.

Our Enrollment Year Portfolios make things simple for you. You simply select the portfolio that matches the year your child will enter college, and the asset allocation will rebalance over the years to become more conservative as the enrollment year approaches. It's a great way to minimize risk as you get closer and closer to using your account to pay for qualified education expenses.

Step 1: Select your enrollment year

Your first step is to determine the expected date you will need to use the savings. Typically, families assume their student will need their education savings at age 18. Once you’ve estimated that date, select the enrollment year portfolio that represents the date closest to your estimated date of enrollment. For example, if your future student was born in 2021 and you anticipate that they will begin college at 18 years old, they may need their college savings in the year 2039 (2021 + 18). This means you would select the 2038/2039 Enrollment Year Portfolio.

Step 2: Select your investment management approach

The asset allocations in the Enrollment Year Portfolio gradually become more conservative over time through a quarterly rebalancing process. You may choose a passive or active strategy for the underlying funds when choosing an Enrollment Year Portfolio.

Passive management

Consider this if:

You prefer to invest primarily in portfolios that are indexed.

  • Passive management is a low-cost investment strategy that attempts to match, rather than outperform, a particular stock or bond market index, also known as indexing.

Active blend management

Consider this if:

You prefer to invest in a mixture of actively managed and indexed portfolios.

  • This strategy seeks a favorable long-term return by mainly investing in equity and debt securities in either aggressive or moderate risk blends.

Step 3: Learn more about investment portfolios

Investment Name When will the savings be needed?
Moderate 2042/2043 Enrollment Portfolio 18+ Years
Moderate 2040/2041 Enrollment Portfolio 16-17 Years
Moderate 2038/2039 Enrollment Portfolio 14-15 Years
Moderate 2036/2037 Enrollment Portfolio 12-13 Years
Moderate 2034/2035 Enrollment Portfolio 10-11 Years
Moderate 2032/2033 Enrollment Portfolio 8-9 Years
Moderate 2030/2031 Enrollment Portfolio 6-7 Years
Moderate 2028/2029 Enrollment Portfolio 4-5 Years
Moderate 2026/2027 Enrollment Portfolio 2-3 Years
Moderate Enrolled Portfolio Now
Investment Name When will the savings be needed?
Aggressive Active Blend 2042/2043 Enrollment Portfolio 18+ Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2040/2041 Enrollment Portfolio 16-17 Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2038/2039 Enrollment Portfolio 14-15 Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2036/2037 Enrollment Portfolio 12-13 Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2034/2035 Enrollment Portfolio 10-11 Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2032/2033 Enrollment Portfolio 8-9 Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2030/2031 Enrollment Portfolio 6-7 Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2028/2029 Enrollment Portfolio 4-5 Years
Aggressive Active Blend 2026/2027 Enrollment Portfolio 2-3 Years
Aggressive Active Blend Enrolled Portfolio Now
Investment Name When will the savings be needed?
Moderate Active Blend 2042/2043 Enrollment Portfolio 18+ Years
Moderate Active Blend 2040/2041 Enrollment Portfolio 16-17 Years
Moderate Active Blend 2038/2039 Enrollment Portfolio 14-15 Years
Moderate Active Blend 2036/2037 Enrollment Portfolio 12-13 Years
Moderate Active Blend 2034/2035 Enrollment Portfolio 10-11 Years
Moderate Active Blend 2032/2033 Enrollment Portfolio 8-9 Years
Moderate Active Blend 2030/2031 Enrollment Portfolio 6-7 Years
Moderate Active Blend 2028/2029 Enrollment Portfolio 4-5 Years
Moderate Active Blend 2026/2027 Enrollment Portfolio 2-3 Years
Moderate Active Blend Enrolled Portfolio Now

The investment portfolios are subject to the risks of the underlying funds, including the loss of principal.

Step 4: Start their education savings now!

Open an Account

Enrollment Year Portfolio Glidepath

How does it work?

For each Enrollment Year Portfolio, the allocation or mix of equities, bonds and capital preservation adjusts automatically to become more conservative as the enrollment year approaches. The example in this glidepath is the Aggressive Passive Enrollment Year Portfolios. For information on allocations for individual portfolios, please reference the portfolio pages.

  • Equity
  • Fixed Income
  • Capital Preservation
View Graph Data Details

Things to consider

Your education savings goals

Families can also take advantage of the versatility of Enrollment Year Portfolios to save for all types of qualified higher education expenses, including college/university, community college, technical college, professional and graduate schools, and after college.* Simply adjust the expected year of enrollment in your calculation to select your new Enrollment Year Portfolio.

Your risk tolerance

What level of risk are you comfortable with? You can find out by answering our risk tolerance questions. If you are a conservative investor, you may wish to choose an earlier enrollment year portfolio regardless of the year your future student begins 4-year college/university, community college or technical school. More aggressive investors can select a later date. Investors aligning with their risk tolerance or seeking particular investment objectives can view asset allocation across enrollment year dates above to help guide their decision.

More to explore

  • Compare investment portfolios

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  • Popular resources

    Use our Bright Start 529 resources to find investment options that fit your savings goals and support your child’s path to a higher education.

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