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College Possible
Founded2000
FounderJim McCorkell
Location
  • Saint Paul, MN
Area served
Chicago

Minnesota
Milwaukee
Omaha
Portland

Philadelphia
MethodUtilize AmeriCorps volunteers to provide low-income students with ACT preparation, admission and financial aid counseling, and guidance in the transition to and through college.
Volunteers
approximately 260 AmeriCorps members and 115 Leadership Team members
Websitehttp://www.CollegePossible.org

College Possible (formerly "Admission Possible") is a nonprofit AmeriCorps organization making college admission and success possible for low-income students in the United States through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. Its model uses recent college graduates serving an AmeriCorps term of service as near-peer mentors for students lacking the social resources to successfully enroll in and graduate from college.[1] Headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the organization serves students in all 50 states with offices located in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area, Chicago, Milwaukee, Omaha, Portland, and Philadelphia.

History

College Possible was chartered as a nonprofit in September 2000, beginning operations in two Twin Cities public high schools the next spring. By the 2008-09 school year, the organization was serving students in seventeen high school schools across Minneapolis-Saint Paul and launched a second site in Milwaukee.[2] In the 2016-17 school year, College Possible serves more than 20,000 students at hundreds of high schools, colleges and universities across the country. In the spring of 2015, College Possible launched a sixth site in Chicago, Illinois.

Programming

A New York Times article from November 2005 quotes CEO Jim McCorkell as saying: "My starting idea was what if we replicated Kaplan for poor kids."[3] To be eligible for College Possible's free services, students must come from low-income families and have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.[4] High school students accepted into the program participate in after-school sessions over their junior and senior years, with time divided between test preparation, college applications, financial aid applications and preparing to transition to college.[5] The program also has a service component, including an annual service event on Make a Difference Day.[6]

College students receive guidance in finding and accessing campus resources, renewing the FAFSA, locating internships, maintaining a healthy balance between homework and social obligations, as well as when transferring schools.[7]

Evaluation

College Possible is a 501(c)3 organization that has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for financial management and a three-star rating for accountability and transparency.[8]

A 2011 Harvard study determined that Admission Possible more than doubles the chances a low-income student will enroll in a four-year institution.[9] A later 2013 Harvard study found College Possible to have a significant positive impact on four-year college enrollment, though it had no statistically significant effect on ACT scores.[10]

Wilder Research, an arm of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, performed an evaluation of Admission Possible in 2006, substantiating its claim that 91% of the organization's students enrolled in college, and that it compared favorably to similar programs.[11]

The Charities Review Council deems that it "meets all standards".[12]

Recognition

McCorkell was named an Ashoka Fellow, a recognition for social entrepreneurship, in 2006.[13] The organization has been recognized with awards from the Financial Times and Citi,[14] the National Association for College Admission Counseling,[15] College Board,[16] and the National College Access Network.[17]

In June 2009, President Barack Obama mentioned the organization in a speech on social entrepreneurship saying: "Admission Possible operates in just two states now. So imagine if it were 10 or 20 or 50."[18]

In February 2014, College Possible was invited to be part of a White House summit on college opportunity.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-12-15. Retrieved 2011-11-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Admission Possible history Archived 2010-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 10.28.10
  3. ^ Test Prep Help for Those Too Poor to Afford Kaplan, New York Times, November 16, 2005, accessed 10.28.10
  4. ^ A stairway to higher education, Star Tribune, Minneapolis, April 7, 2009, accessed 11.02.10
  5. ^ Admission Possible shows the way for college aspirants, Star Tribune, Minneapolis, May 24, 2010, accessed 11.02.10
  6. ^ Students scare up 10,000 pound donation for foodshelf Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, InsightNews.com, Minneapolis, November 5, 2009, accessed 11.02.10
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2011-11-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=11838
  9. ^ "Comparative Historical Analysis Admission Possible 2007-2009 Harvard Kennedy School June 2011"[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/29/study-tracks-impact-counseling-low-income-students#sthash.UvPYCYmZ.dpbs
  11. ^ Admission Possible evaluation results, Laura McLain (2006), Wilder Research
  12. ^ Admission Possible profile on Charities Review Council website
  13. ^ Jim McCorkell’s profile Archived 2011-04-29 at the Wayback Machine on the Ashoka website
  14. ^ Award announcement from the Financial Times
  15. ^ A list of Human Relations Award recipients on the NACAC website, retrieved 10.26.2010
  16. ^ 2010 Innovation Award Winners on the College Board website, retrieved 10.26.2010
  17. ^ NCAN Announces 2009 College Access Awards of Excellence, NCAN news release, 09.30.2010
  18. ^ AmeriCorps and a Nod from Obama Give College-Access Group a Lift, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, October 15, 2009, accessed 11.02.10
  19. ^ http://www.collegepossible.org/news/from-white-house-summit-college-possible-announces-philadelphia-launch/
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