Kuder Navigator® is offering a whole new way to make smarter decisions about college with a new College Match tool that enables college-bound students to view side-by-side comparisons of estimated financial aid packages, based on each student’s academic performance and family financial situation, along with campus match scores and their likelihood of being admitted.
Kuder collaborated with the Iowa City-based College Raptor to develop the functionality for the tool, which enables Navigator users to find the schools that best fit their academic and career goals, find the institutions that are most affordable, reduce student debt, and create a plan for maximizing their chances of getting in and receiving the most financial aid.
The College Match tool draws on technology from College Raptor to estimate the net price of college using publicly available data provided by colleges that receive federal student aid, information published on the colleges’ websites, the student’s grades and ACT/SAT scores, and FAFSA equations that estimate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Schools use the EFC to determine a family’s federal student aid eligibility and financial aid award.
Students can use the College Match tool in Navigator to find colleges that warrant further consideration in just a few simple steps:
1. The student enters some basic academic, financial, and demographic data.
2. The College Match tool displays a list of schools that best fit the student’s profile, along with their estimated cost for each college and its academic fit rank based on the student’s test scores, grades, and interests.
3. Students can view detailed information about the schools, including academic majors and programs offered, details on applications and admissions, personalized costs and financial aid estimates, and other details about the college.
“College-bound students will appreciate the College Match tool because not only does it align them with schools, it also gives them excellent insights into their estimated individual net cost and acceptance chances,” said Rich Gates, chief product officer for Kuder. “We chose to partner with College Raptor because of their outstanding technology when it comes to providing students with personalized college recommendations,” he said.
“Parents all want to know the approximate ‘fully loaded’ or true cost for their child to attend college,” said Kuder President and CEO Phil Harrington. “We’re thrilled to be able to integrate a College Match tool as an available option in Navigator to further support students’ college planning,” he said.
“Our mission at College Raptor is to help students and families make informed decisions during the college selection process,” said Bill Staib, founder and CEO of College Raptor. “We’re excited to partner with Kuder, the leader in career and college planning. Together we will be able to reach even more students and families to bring transparency to the actual cost of college, which can lead to higher graduation rates and less student debt.”
For more information or to add Kuder’s college access tools like College Match to a Navigator license, contact info@kuder.com.
To learn more about College Raptor, visit www.collegeraptor.com or contact partners@collegeraptor.com.