Announcing 18 New Members for 2020-21 Academic Year
Eligibility Based on Dedication to Increasing College Access for Low-Income and Underserved Students
September 14, 2020
The Coalition for College, a diverse group of public and private colleges and universities across the U.S. working to improve college access, welcomes 18 new members for the 2020-21 academic year. They join a distinguished membership of more than 150 institutions with a demonstrated commitment to supporting low-income, under-resourced and first-generation students.
“The power of the Coalition is in our ability to work across member institutions to provide helpful tools and advice to students about making smart college choices,” says Stacey Kostell, CEO of the Coalition. “That work is more important than ever at a time when the equity gap is growing and students need help staying on track during the pandemic. We’re thrilled to count our new members as partners in this work and look forward to reaching more students together in the coming year.”
New members for the 2020-21 application season are:
Alfred University
Arcadia University
Birmingham Southern College
Chatham University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Illinois College
Loyola University Chicago
New England Conservatory of Music
Otterbein University
Robert Morris University
Saint Mary's College of California
St. Edward's University
Texas Christian University
Texas Tech University
University of Lynchburg
University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Webster University
Western Washington University
Coalition membership is by invitation only to institutions that 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.
For all students, whether applying to a member school or any other college, the Coalition offers students a set of free, online college-planning tools, called MyCoalition, which helps them learn about, prepare for, and apply to college. 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 and interactive collaboration space. An easy-to-use application, which is accepted by member schools, is also available through MyCoalition. This year’s application includes an optional checkbox-style question that allows students to choose the statements that describe how COVID-19 has affected their ability to engage in schoolwork.
See a list of all Coalition member schools.