How the Coalition for College Can Help You

You may have heard about the Coalition application when learning about different types of applications that can be used to apply to schools. The Coalition for College does offer an application that allows you to apply to many schools easily and efficiently. But did you know that the Coalition for College is more than an application?

What is the Coalition for College?

The Coalition for College is also a college access organization, with membership from more than 150 colleges and universities across the country, including private schools like Williams, Davidson and Reed and public schools like Clemson and University of Michigan. Not just any school can be a member: the Coalition has eligibility guidelines. Member schools must meet certain guidelines around access, affordability and success.

All Coalition schools have a track record of graduating students on time with low or no debt, including students who hold identities that are under-represented in higher education. Schools must demonstrate their commitment to access, affordability, and success by having (among other things) at least 10 percent of enrolled students be under-represented or Pell eligible, a loan-default rate of 10 percent or less, and a graduation rate of 60 percent or higher.

College Confidential users can now easily identify Coalition schools by looking for the Coalition icon on the school profiles in College Search.

Why do the Coalition member guidelines matter?

These guidelines ensure that any school offering the Coalition application has a proven commitment to college access, affordability and student success. That means that Coalition schools are a great starting point when building your college list.

Colleges and universities join the Coalition to work together to provide students with the necessary support to make it to college. Everyone can use some support with the college admissions process, especially students who don’t have a trusted mentor or dedicated college counselor to help them through the process. The Coalition supports students from all socioeconomic backgrounds by providing free online college-planning tools; scholarships that encourage students to get an early start on exploring college; and events that bring expertise of its membership directly to students to help them better understand the college admissions and financial aid processes.

For example, wondering what to include on your activities list on your college application? Watch this Coalition application workshop event from summer 2021 on activities & awards: