Press Kit
About College Advising Corps
Established in 2005 by Nicole Farmer Hurd, Ph.D., founder and CEO, College Advising Corps works to increase the number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented high school students who enter and complete higher education.
Our near-peer model pairs advisers with students close in age and with similar backgrounds. In 2020, College Advising Corps deployed more than 820 advisers from 31 partner universities to 240,000 students in 782 high schools. More than 100 advisers were former advisees. Sixty-three percent were Pell-eligible in college and 55% were first-generation college graduates. Eight in 10 advisers were people of color.
We believe that every student deserves the opportunity to enter and complete postsecondary education.
Why
We have an opportunity crisis in our country. Did you know that for every one guidance counselor there are more than 450 students vying for time with that counselor? Most students spend less than 20 minutes per year with a guidance counselor.
College-educated parents of students from middle-class or wealthy backgrounds are often able to help their teens navigate the complex college admissions and financial aid process. However, low-income and underrepresented students whose parents or guardians have never been to college too often fall through the cracks, losing opportunity for upward economic mobility.
We will more than double our impact across our first 10 years and enroll one million students from low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented background by 2025.
National Impact
College Advising Corps advisers bridge the gap. Studies show that students who meet with an adviser are 30% more likely to apply to at least one college, are 26% more likely to apply for a scholarship, and are 27% more likely to submit the FAFSA. Our approach produces exceptional economic returns. During the 2018-2019 academic school year, advisers helped students secure more than $2 billion in institutional aid and scholarship dollars.
Local impact
We have numerous statistics highlighting our local impact in the 17 states in which we work (California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia). Contact us for the latest local statistics, data, and individual stories.
How We Can Help You
The following are ways in which we work with the media:
- Journalists writing a profile on the work of College Advising Corps or covering its latest news
- Journalists writing a local story on how advisers are impacting different communities
- Journalists looking for commentary on higher education access from our Founder and CEO, Dr. Nicole Hurd
Media Contact
Karen E. Butler
Email: kbutler@advisingcorps.org
Phone: 860.997.4487
