Action Center for Education Services and Scholarships (ACCESS)
http://www.accessboston.org/
Organization Function: Out of School Day/College-Prep/College Support
Fellows Placed In: Boston
About Action Center for Education Services and Scholarships (ACCESS)
ACCESS works to ensure that all young people have the financial information and resources necessary to find an affordable path to - and through - a postsecondary education. To accomplish this mission, ACCESS provides free financial aid advice and advocacy to all the students of Boston and Springfield to help them overcome the financial barriers to higher education. ACCESS's programs work with students and their families from middle school to high school through college graduation, ensuring that finances never get in the way of potential. Through partnerships with high schools, community organizations and local universities, ACCESS has helped more than 50,000 students achieve their dream of higher education, giving them a better foundation for a successful and productive future.
Mission
ACCESS works to ensure that all young people have the financial information and resources necessary to find an affordable path to - and through - a postsecondary education.
Impact
In 2008-2009, ACCESS provided one-on-one financial aid advising to more than 2,300 seniors across 37 high schools serving predominantly low-income students in Boston. Each student met with an ACCESS Financial Aid Advisor an average of four times during the year. As a result, the students received more than $45 million in financial aid. For every $1 invested in its advising program, ACCESS leveraged $61 in financial aid for its students. Students who receive financial aid advising services from ACCESS have maintained a 75% college graduation rate ' more than twice that of Boston Public Schools.
Fellows
Rohini Thukral, MPP, 2009 Fellow
