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.

 

 
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On Equity and Access in College Admissions

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