Colorado Launches Web Site Offering One-Stop Shopping For College
Burlington Record
Burlington, CO
March 14, 2002
Colorado higher education officials unveiled a new service that brings together various aspects of selecting, applying for and financing college in one convenient web site (www.ColoradoMentor.org).
ColoradoMentor.org offers one-stop shopping for 30 public and private colleges and universities in Colorado.
It is a free service provided by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, the Colorado Student Loan Program and the Colorado Student Obligation Bond Authority.
"Too many of Colorado's teens are dropping out of high school and not enough are going on to college," said Tim Foster, executive director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.
"Colorado as a whole will benefit as we make college more accessible through ColoradoMentor.org."
"ColoradoMentor.org is a perfect example of how technology can make tasks more convenient and efficient in both the public and the private sector," added Jeanne Adkins, director of the Colorado Student Loan Program.
"Applying to college shouldn't be an endurance test."
ColoradoMentor.org offers a wide array of services from helping students and their parents prepare for college to selecting and applying to specific institutions.
ColoradoMentor.org services include:
- Online applications, which allow users to enter information once and use it to apply to various schools.
This service is easy to use and free except for a school's standard application processing fee.
- An online consumer guide, providing extensive comparative data on public colleges and universities to help students decide which school they'd like to attend.
- A financial aid calculator, which allows users to learn about available support, estimate their potential aid eligibility and then automatically link to an online federal financial aid application.
- A debt calculator to help students decide how much debt they can afford by looking at salaries in their chosen careers.
- A student planner, which helps students starting in 9th grade make sure their high school courses are meeting the requirements of Colorado public and private colleges and universities.
- A service that allows students to release their academic profile to higher education institutions for recruitment purposes.
- Information about college investment programs so parents can start planning early.
- Contact information for all participating colleges.
- Information to help users select a career and decide what education is necessary.
ColoradoMentor.org is designed for use by anyone who is considering college or university, whether they currently are in high school, transferring from one higher education institution to another or returning to school.
ColoradoMentor.org was designed and produced for the State of Colorado by Xap Corporation, which has developed 17 other Mentor sites in 14 states around the country.
ColoradoMentor.org is funded solely through non-tax resources through the Colorado Student Loan Program with support from the Colorado Student Obligation Bond Authority.
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education is the state policy and coordinating board for Colorado's higher education system.
The Colorado Student Loan Program's mission is to provide students access and choice in postsecondary education.
The Colorado Student Obligation Bond Authority is the only not-for-profit Colorado lender exclusively offering student loans.
