College admissions platform Concourse has been acquired by education research, technology, and marketing and enrolment solutions provider EAB for an undisclosed fee.
The platform seeks to simplify the engagement between prospective students and colleges by ‘flipping the script’ on traditional application processes.
“Applying for schools and scholarships can be overwhelming for many students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college or applying to US schools from overseas,” EAB president, Marketing and Enrollment Solutions, Chris Marett said in a statement.
“The Concourse platform makes it easy for students to engage with interested colleges and receive multiple enrolment and financial aid offers within a few days of creating a profile.
“Concourse also solves a major problem for colleges and universities, enabling them to diversify their student bodies by competing for these highly sought-after students.”
Concourse CEO Joe Morrison reiterated that the traditional college application and admissions model “works well for many but not all students”.
The platform allows students to build profiles with their school counsellors and the technology then matches the profile with relevant institutions. The institutions then make “competitive” admission and scholarship offers to students.
“What’s exciting about this partnership is the strong mission alignment,” Morrison told The PIE, who will stay on at EAB to lead the Concourse team.
“With EAB’s relationships, resources, and support, we plan to accelerate our work bringing higher education opportunities to students everywhere in the world,” he explained.
EAB and Concourse previously collaborated on the Greenlight Match initiative in 2021 for first-generation students and applicants from low-income families to create free profiles.
“With our Greenlight Match program for underserved students and our Global Match program for international students, students receive multiple offers and information about college costs early in the college application process, which boosts their confidence and helps them plan their finances,” Morrison added.
The pilot generated some 2,000 admission offers and over $135 million in scholarship and financial aid offers to more than 650 local students in the Chicago area.
In 2021, the platform also partnered with Amala Education in a bid to boost access to higher education for refugees and displaced peoples.
A year after its launch, Concourse had already on boarded some 150 high schools in 40 countries, later beginning an agreement with the Council of International Schools.
“[The platform] helps students and parents learn more about universities that they may not have previous considered,” CIS executive director Jane Larsson told The PIE News at the time.
“We can help many more students attend college every year”
EAB has now announced that the Greenlight Match for US students will be expanded to include six more metropolitan areas: Atlanta; Dallas; Houston; Minneapolis/St. Paul; New York City; and Philadelphia, with the aim of helping more than 13,000 aspiring college students in the next year.
“EAB has deep relationships with thousands of colleges and more than 1,500 community-based organisations,” Marett added.
“By combining Concourse’s bold vision and groundbreaking technology with EAB’s extensive network and knowledge of the education sector, we can help many more students attend college every year.”
