SALT LAKE CITY, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Accelerator at WGU Labs, an affiliate of online, nonprofit Western Governors University (WGU), today announced an investment in and strategic partnership with Concourse Global. Concourse is an innovative college admissions platform that promises to make higher education more accessible to historically underserved students.
Through its unique model, Concourse has flipped the script on admissions. On Concourse, students don’t apply to universities; universities apply for students. This enables universities to reach students who may not have been exposed to all of the college options available to them or who are unaware of the extent of financial support that is available.
Under the partnership, the Accelerator at WGU Labs—which partners with early-stage education technology companies that show potential for long-term social impact—will work closely with Concourse to scale its university admissions platform and to advance its strategic marketing efforts.
WGU Labs’ executive director Jason Levin, explained, “Labs invested in Concourse to disrupt the college application and admissions process, making college more accessible to everyone.”
Concourse creates higher education opportunities for first-generation, low-income and historically underrepresented students in the U.S. who often lack generational experience to draw upon and for whom college applications and private college counselors are prohibitively costly.
“The complexity of university admissions creates stress, anxiety and inequity for students. We built Concourse to level the playing field and create a more student-centric, straightforward, humane admissions process," said Joe Morrison, CEO of Concourse. "By partnering with WGU Labs, we’re excited to scale our platform and bring this new admission paradigm to millions more students within the U.S. and internationally.”
Concourse has already demonstrated the life-changing impact of its reinvented admissions process through a pilot program launched in fall 2021. Joining forces with enrollment services company EAB, Concourse offered its platform to high school students in the Chicago area. This joint initiative, named Greenlight Match, produced impressive outcomes. More than 700 students participated in the pilot, receiving an average of three admission offers each from 10 participating universities, including a staggering $135 million in scholarship offers.
"Concourse and the Greenlight Match pilot program were a game-changer for many of our students," said Jason Carter, director at a nonprofit organization making college admission and success possible for low-income students in the United States. "Many of our students have not been exposed to the various college options that are available to them as well as the opportunities for financial support at these institutions. Greenlight Match provided this opportunity to our students by bringing colleges to them."
An inquiry form at www.concourse.global/wgulabs is available for universities, high schools or college counselors interested in learning more about Concourse and the Greenlight Match program.
Concourse represents the 16th partnership for the Accelerator at WGU Labs since its inception in 2019. To learn more about the Accelerator and its partners, visit https://wgulabs.org/accelerator/.
About WGU Labs
WGU Labs is a nonprofit affiliate of WGU. The Accelerator at WGU Labs provides research, market development and product enhancement services to early-stage education businesses. Through these services as well as financial investments, the Accelerator advances the scale and impact of education companies that share its mission to increase student access, lower student costs and improve student outcomes. Learn more about WGU Labs and the Accelerator at www.wgulabs.org/accelerator.
About Concourse Global
Concourse is an online platform where universities apply for students, flipping the script on traditional admissions. The company’s mission is to increase access to higher education by making admissions simpler, student-centric and more equitable. Concourse’s radical reinvention of the process creates more opportunities for students, reduces counselor workload and gives universities powerful software tools to diversify and target enrollments. Learn more at www.concourse.global.
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