Common App receives $900,000 grant from Capital One Foundation
By Emma Steele
July 15, 2020
Arlington, VA- Common App, the non-profit membership organization dedicated to access, equity, and integrity in the college admissions process, announced today that it has been awarded a $900,000 grant from the Capital One Foundation. The grant will allow Common App, AdmitHub, and College Advising Corps to continue their texting campaign to 173,000 low-income and first-generation students. Since April, AdmitHub's conversational AI platform and College Advising Corps advisers have provided critical support to students as they navigate a higher education landscape that has become increasingly uncertain in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Available for free, the campaign provides students with real-time guidance and reminders throughout the enrollment process, as well as access to one-on-one coaching through the College Advising Corps. 173,000 Common App applicants have been receiving two to three messages each week that provide tips and advice to stay on track for reaching their college goals. Since April, 8.6 million messages have been sent from the bot, with an active engagement rate of 36.8%.
With the generous support of the Capital One Foundation, the partners will continue serving students until January 2021. A continuous intervention through the calendar year will combat summer melt, encourage successful matriculation, and promote persistence through the first semester of college. The grant also ensures that Common App can engage researchers to study the impact of the intervention and evaluate the efficacy of these efforts.
"Even in the best of times, the complexity of the enrollment process can lock out the students who stand to gain the most from higher education," said Eric Waldo, Vice President for Access & Equity at Common App and Executive Director of Michelle Obama's Reach Higher Initiative. “We are grateful to the Capital One Foundation for the opportunity to continue to leverage technology and meaningful counseling to tear down those barriers -- and ensure that in the midst of this crisis, our most vulnerable students have the resources they need to attend and succeed in college."
“We believe in supporting an inclusive society that works for everyone, and are committed to investing in programs that help students on the path to earn a living wage and create a sustainable financial future. For many, that path includes college and post-secondary education,” said Andy Navarrete, Executive Vice President of External Affairs at Capital One. “We see power in leveraging technology, AI and mentorship to help students overcome the unique challenges first generation students often face -- recently compounded by the pandemic that has had an enormous impact on education -- and are proud to expand access to this program that has previously shown significantly positive outcomes, supported by reputable research.”
"Even in the best of times, the complexity of the enrollment process can lock out the students who stand to gain the most from higher education."
“A growing body of research indicates that emerging technologies, like AI, can have a transformative impact on enrollment and success in higher education,” said Drew Magliozzi, co-founder and CEO of AdmitHub. “This effort is about connecting students with information and support in real time -- so that they and their institutions can chart pathways to persistence and completion during a time of uncertainty and turmoil across the country.”
“College Advising Corps is honored and excited to be partnering with Common App, AdmitHub, and Capital One to ensure students hear the critical words- ‘we believe in you,”’ shared Founder and CEO, Nicole Hurd. “In a time of disruption, students need to know that the opportunities they have earned are still available to them. We believe this combination of technology, human connection, and near peer mentoring will help students make smart choices and invest in their futures.”
This texting campaign is part of a broad series of commitments from Common App and Reach Higher to continue expanding access and equity through these unprecedented times. These commitments include:
- COVID-19 Question on 2020-2021 Common App
- Dear Class of 2020 Fund
- Beating the Odds Video Series featuring the Grammy Museum
To learn more, join AdmitHub and CommonApp for a webinar on August 6th. Register here.
About Common App
Common App is a not-for-profit member organization committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year, more than one million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, apply to college through the Common App’s online application. In January 2019, the Common App united with Reach Higher, the college access and success campaign started by former First Lady Michelle Obama during her time at the White House. Its core programming, including Better Make Room, UpNext, College Signing Day, Beating the Odds, school counselor support, and current grants continues as part of the Common App’s work with its member institutions, school counselors, and students. Founded in 1975, Common App serves over 900 member colleges and universities worldwide.
To learn more, visit commonapp.org, and follow @CommonApp and #CommonApp on social media.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation is headquartered McLean, Virginia. Its subsidiaries, Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. We apply the same principles of innovation, collaboration and empowerment in our commitment to our communities across the country that we do in our business. We recognize that helping to build strong and healthy communities – good places to work, good places to do business and good places to raise families – benefits us all and we are proud to support this and other community initiatives. https://www.capitalone.com/about/
About AdmitHub
AdmitHub is focused on student impact. Established in 2014, AdmitHub pioneered conversational AI in higher ed and has reached 2 million students through its mobile messaging platform. AdmitHub blends AI chatbot technology with industry expertise and research-backed conversational strategy to guide students on a personalized path to and through college. College staff can now stay one step ahead and support students at scale with an AI-powered assistant at their fingertips 24/7. Learn more and request a demo at AdmitHub.com.
About College Advising Corps
College Advising Corps (CAC) works to increase the number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students entering and completing higher education. The organization partners with colleges and universities across the nation to build a network of recent college graduates who become “near-peer” advisers serving in underserved high schools.
College Advising Corps believes postsecondary education is the surest path to economic mobility. In a single decade, College Advising Corps helped more than 300,000 low-income, first-generation college, and underrepresented students enroll. By extending its proven, cost-effective, scalable model across the nation, College Advising Corps will increase that total to one million students by 2025.