READFIELD, MAINE (May 07, 2015) — The Maine College Access Network (MaineCAN) has partnered with technology company, College Raptor, to offer an advanced platform to improve the way families throughout the state find and compare college options.
“College Raptor will provide a powerful tool for students and families to discover their college options,” said Kate Leveille at MaineCAN. “Their platform helps create transparency and cut through the confusion on college costs and admission. It’s the kind of product that can make a dramatic difference in students’ lives.”
MaineCAN partners with school staff, college advisors, and community-based organizations to provide guidance and best practices in promoting college-going within the state. College Raptor’s college matching and planning platform will be made available for free to all students in Maine through MaineCAN.
The tool uses a combination of publicly-available, proprietary and crowd-sourced data to estimate grants and scholarships that a student will receive from any 4-year college in the country. The Net Price–what students will pay after discounting for gift aid–can often be difficult for students to find, understand, and compare, which leaves many students relying on “sticker” price as the only way to compare costs.
“In many cases, students discover that colleges which appear to cost $45,000, $50,000, or $60,000 may actually offer them the best price when all is said and done. These schools might end up costing more like $10,000 or $12,000 for many students,” explained William Staib, founder and CEO of College Raptor. “We want to tear down that price barrier, to help students see which colleges offer them the best academic, cultural and financial fit earlier in the process. Through our partnership with MaineCAN, we want to help every student in the state make informed decisions, find their best-fit college, be successful, and then graduate with less student loan debt. That’s our vision for this partnership.”
News Release Media Contact:
Kate Leveille, Project Coordinator
207-653-8589 or [email protected]
