PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To create a solution to the complex, time-consuming, and sometimes costly admissions process, SAGE Scholars has launched FastTrak®, an innovative program where colleges apply to students.
FastTrak revolutionizes the college admissions process by allowing colleges and universities to seek out high school seniors and offer them a Preliminary Admission decision before the student applies.
“There is an emerging trend in higher education to simplify, streamline and make the college admissions process more time and cost-efficient and less frustrating for students, families, and for the colleges,” said Dr. James B. Johnston, president of SAGE Scholars and a former director of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
“FastTrak’s innovative preliminary admissions indicator, prior to actually applying, gives both students and colleges an expedited way to match their interests, abilities, and goals with our national network of 450 private colleges and universities,” he added.
This concept of connecting students with colleges is a breakthrough for those students who want a more personalized higher educational experience.
Here’s how it works. The over seven million families with high school students in SAGE Scholars nationwide Tuition Rewards program, at no cost, build a FastTrak profile consisting of:
- Current Student Email Address
- Self-reported GPA
- Sophomore / Junior Grades
- Favorite SAGE Scholars Colleges & Universities
- Majors of Interest (Engineering, Liberal Arts, Health Science, Business, etc.)
- Sports and/or Activities
Colleges then access the SAGE Scholars student FastTrak profiles, also at no cost, to find and eventually match the students whose interests, abilities, and goals align with their school. When a school finds a match, they respond with a FastTrak Preliminary Admission decision, indicating fit.
With this information, students who meet a college’s requirements will have an exclusive pathway to discuss financial aid, career and major interests, campus life, and all their other concerns with the campus community. The mutual goal: to ease the stress of the admissions process and find the best match to maximize students’ university experience.
Dr. Colleen Perry Keith, president of Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, Delaware, says the “preliminary admission decision removes the fear of rejection, a barrier in the college application process, and encourages the high school student to pursue it.”
Dr. Keith, who heads the 137-year-old, 1,300-student college, ranked by US News & World Report as outstanding in helping the under-represented and under-resourced students achieve upward mobility, says Goldey-Beacom college saw an immediate “spike in applications” when the school announced it would adopt FastTrak.
About SAGE Scholars
Philadelphia-based SAGE Scholars is the nation’s oldest and largest private college preparation and funding organization. Its goal is to bridge the gap between students who want an affordable private college education with colleges that will guarantee tuition discounts for member families—at no cost to the student, family, or college. Through its Tuition Rewards® program, offered by employers, health insurers, financial institutions, and non-profits, it offers a maximum discount of up to one year’s tuition, spread equally over four years of full-time undergraduate education.
