Programs & Services
College Beyond (formerly College Bridge New Orleans) is the connective tissue between students, families, high schools, and higher education. We leverage the power of relationships to guide students through the academic, social, and financial transition from high school success to college persistence.
for COLLEGES
Coaching & Retention Program
College Beyond partners with post-secondary institutions to provide fee-for-service college success coaching to new freshmen:
- We help raise retention rates through personalized coaching that supports students to set goals, connect to resources and influencers, and follow through on action plans
- We provide schools with semi-annual feedback on student experiences and leading indicator data
- Participating students also gain access to our micro-grant emergency fund on a case-by-case basis
for HIGH SCHOOLS
Counselor Program & Alumni Database
College success starts with college access. College Beyond contracts with high schools to train and coach college counselors and to provide schools with feedback on alumni post-secondary experiences and persistence rates. We provide high school partners:
- Access to our persistence database and semi-annual alumni survey data
- Use of a mass-texting platform
- Student access to our annual summer college enrollment text campaign & drop-in center
- Counselor & staff professional development through our college access training series
The series includes monthly workshops that help practitioners design and refine high-quality college access systems and supports. Between workshops, participants meet one-on-one with a coach to work through the nuts and bolts of on-site implementation. A sample of workshop topics includes:
- College fit, match, and selection
- College application preparation and essay writing
- FAFSA completion
- Scholarship applications
- Building a college-going culture
- Persistence strategies
- Non-cognitive skill development
for STUDENTS & FAMILIES
Coaching for Success
College Beyond’s text-message campaign and drop-in center help recent high school graduates from our partner high schools to secure financial aid, enroll, and register for classes in the summer between high school and college. Through our college partners, our coaches work directly with new college students and families to set freshman year goals and learn the ropes of college success.
Our services are completely free to partner students and their families.
Our Partners
In partnership toward our mission, we work with high schools, colleges, and non-profits across New Orleans.
In 2017-2018, our partners include:
Results
From 2012-2016, College Beyond (formerly College Bridge New Orleans) was incubated at New Orleans College Preparatory Academies (NOCP).
College Beyond was founded by the Directors of Alumni Support and College Counseling in the NOCP schools network. As a result of that work, College Beyond students have been beating the odds:
- 98% avg. FAFSA completion, v. 59% city, 56% state
- 78% avg. college enrollment rate, v. ~47% city (RSD-NO), 59% state
- 66% avg. year 1 to year 2 college persistence rate, v. ~32% city, 72% state
For more information, please see our 2015-2016 Impact Report.