College Advising Corps recently announced its partnership with the University of Washington. The University of Washington program will join College Advising Corps in its efforts to increase opportunities for students by making education beyond high school more accessible and equitable.

“Working together we can reduce barriers and increase opportunity by empowering Washington’s high school students with the guidance and information they need to apply for college,” said Ekaterina Struett, interim CEO of College Advising Corps.

The lowest submission rate in five years, as of June only 44% of Washington high school seniors had applied for financial aid for college. According to experts, students—especially those in underserved schools—are not equipped to navigate the complicated college application process, including filling out forms such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

College Advising Corps partners with universities nationwide to place recent college graduates serving as near-peer advisers in underserved high schools. Approximately 10 college advisers serving with the University of Washington will be placed in 13 high schools in Skagit, Yakima, Klickitat, and Grant counties. Among other activities, advisers will provide one-on-one admissions and financial aid guidance, help students complete and submit admissions and financial aid applications, work to engage families in support of their students’ college-going process and collaborate with school faculty to promote the college-going culture at the high school.

College Advising Corps is currently recruiting recent (within the past two years) college graduates to serve a two-year term as full-time college advisers. Health insurance is provided.

“The Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity at the University of Washington-Seattle is thrilled to partner with College Advising Corp,” said Patricia Loera, Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMAD) associate vice president, College Access. “We are committed to supporting high school students in our partner schools and their families as they explore post-secondary and career opportunities after high school. OMAD has witnessed the power of using near-to-peer advisers with high school students.  We hope to recruit advisers that come from the same or similar communities as our partner schools serve.”

For more information on College Advising Corps and its mission to empower students to increase access and equity in education, visit collegeadvisingcorps.org. For more information on becoming a college adviser, please visit https://tinyurl.com/4r9jw4us.