Monday, April 30, 2012

A Full Ride

Image getting a free ride to one of the Ivies, such as Yale, Princeton, Penn, or Brown. Or how about attending a world-renown school like MIT, Columbia, or University of Chicago? These top-notched universities are among the 31 partnered schools participating in the QuestBridge program. Click to view the complete list of QuestBridge partnered schools below:


Over $2 billion dollars in full financial aid offers have been awarded to QuestBridge scholars since 1994. This sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Believe it! My daughter is attending the #4 ranked dream school by parents according to the Princeton Review http://www.princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.aspx. It wasn't hard for my daughter to turn down the University of Michigan because of the student loans. Instead, through QuestBridge, Notre Dame offered a generous financial aid package that covered her entire tuition and more!  

Top colleges are seeking talented low-income students to apply to their schools to diversify their campuses, not only in race, religion, and interests, but also from different social economics backgrounds. Many talented low-income students are unaware of the opportunities that exist for them to attend a four-year university. In most cases, the costs to attend a QuestBridge partner school are less than attending a local community college. Below are some startling statistics from QuestBridge:

  • 84% of America’s qualified low-income students do not even apply to one top college and
  • 44% do not attend a four-year college at all.
QuestBridge's Mission:
  • QuestBridge aims to create a singular place where exceptionally talented low-income students can navigate educational and life opportunities.
  • QuestBridge recruits, develops, and supports motivated low-income students – beginning in high school through college to their first job – to be successful at America's best colleges, graduate schools, and companies.
QuestBridge offers students a chance to apply to eight partnered colleges for FREE! That’s a huge savings when an application fee for a top college can range from $65 for Notre Dame to $90 for Stanford. There was one high school student in my daughter’s class that spent over $2,000 applying to different colleges! The QuestBridge application allows students to tell their personal stories, including hardships and achievements, to the college admissions officials.

My daughter’s completed online application with multiple questions and essays was over 23 pages long. The required teachers’ recommendations, college counselor’s report, grade transcripts, SAT and ACT test scores, and financial aid forms were submitted separately. In addition to QuestBridge's application requirements, each college had its own specific supplements, which included more essays and questions. Applying to the QuestBridge National College Match is one of my daughter’s biggest accomplishments.

Next week, I’ll dive into the QuestBridge application process details. Be sure to check out the video below by a QuestBridge National College Match Recipient for more information including what qualifies as a low-income. 

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