Coalition for College Announces 16 New Members for 2019-20 Application Season
October 18, 2019
The Coalition for College, a diverse group of public and private colleges and universities across the U.S. working to improve the college application process and promote access to higher education, welcomes 16 new members for the 2019-20 college application season. They join a distinguished membership of more than 150 institutions with a demonstrated commitment to supporting low-income, under-resourced and first-generation students.
New members for the 2019-20 application season are:
Austin College
Barnard College
Champlain College
Christopher Newport University
Cornell College
Drexel University
Furman University
Lehigh University
Maryville University of Saint Louis
Mississippi State University
Southwestern University
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Texas State University
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
University of New England
University of Texas, Dallas
“Our members share our goal to make college accessible and affordable for all students and to help them find success in college and beyond, and by expanding our membership we are closer to making that goal a reality,” said Annie Reznik, executive director of the Coalition. “We are thrilled to collaborate with these colleges and universities to offer students proven support on their path to college—and significant opportunities for successful graduation.”
In order to be eligible for membership in the Coalition, institutions must meet rigorous standards in at least two of three areas of emphasis—access, affordability, and success. For example, institutions must enroll at least 20 percent under-represented and low-income students; graduate students with low-to-no debt, while either meeting students’ full demonstrated financial need, offering low-cost in-state tuition, or providing responsible financial aid packages; and/or have a graduation rate of 70 percent or higher or, for low-income and under-represented students, a graduation rate equal to or greater than the school's overall graduation rate.
By partnering with schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to these three criteria and by streamlining the application process, the Coalition for College strives to set students up for success. The Coalition offers students a set of free, online college planning tools, called MyCoalition, which helps them learn about, prepare for, and apply to colleges. It is designed to engage students in the college application process as early as ninth grade and is comprised of a convenient digital storage locker, interactive collaboration space, and easy-to-use application, which is accepted at all member schools.