Program Overview
Advising Plus
Welcome to CollegePoint Advising Plus! This program includes:
- A free, personal college advisor just for you
- An opportunity to earn up to $1,000 just for completing important college and financial aid tasks
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
In order to earn up to $1,000, you must:
- Complete each requirement by the deadline (see below).
- Engage with your advisor once per month* from September 1st, 2021 through May 31, 2022.
*Engagement: You are allowed to miss a total of one month of engaging with your advisor and still remain eligible for future milestones. We understand that life happens, but please communicate in advance with your advisor as much as possible and be present at your scheduled meetings. If you miss more than one month of engaging with your advisor, you will not be able to earn additional dollars. For example, if you meet with your advisor monthly through January but then miss February and March, you are not eligible to receive remaining awards even if you reconnect in April.
Requirements and Deadlines
Milestone 1: Complete an Introductory Call
Amount: $50
Deadline: 10/1/21
Complete an introductory call with your advisor within 30 days of enrollment and at the latest by 10/1.
Milestone 2: Apply to 4 CollegePoint Schools
Up to $400
Deadline: 12/3/21
Apply to 4 well-matched CollegePoint schools to earn $100/college application. At least two should be from your starter college list. Send a screenshot of your application submissions to your advisor.
Milestone 3: Share 2 Acceptance and Financial Aid Award Letters with your Advisor
Amount: $50
Deadline: 4/15/22
Review acceptance letters and financial aid offers with your advisor. Send copies or screenshots of at least 2 admissions letters and award packages to your advisor.
Milestone 4: Share Proof of College Enrollment with your Advisor
Amount: $500
Deadline: 5/31/22
Share your enrollment and let your advisor know about college costs you need help with, like a first year orientation fee or housing deposit. Send proof of enrollment to your advisor.
Advisor Meetings
During your monthly meetings, advisors will support you in completing different tasks related to your college journey. While each advisor’s approach may vary, a typical sequence of topics looks like this:
Junior year
- March – Goal Setting
- April – College Research
- May – Summer Programs
- June – Preparing Applications
- July – Senior Year Game Plan
Senior Year
- August – Balanced College List
- September – College Application Components Logistics
- October – Financial Aid and Scholarships
- November – Finalizing Applications and Essay Revisions
- December – Winter Check-In
- January – Transition Prep
- February – Financial Aid and Award Letters
- March – Spring Check-In
- April – College Decisions
- May – Enrollment Logistics and Transition Plan
Please note that students must engage with their advisor at least once per month from September 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022 in order to be eligible for each milestone.
FAQ
If you received communication from CollegePoint and your advisor about Advising Plus, you’re in!
You can earn a one-time award of up to $400 by applying to four CollegePoint Schools, two of which must come from your Starter College List. You will earn $100 per college application that meets the above requirements. See below for a detailed breakdown of how you can earn $100 to $400 and continue reading for an explanation of the lists.
- Apply to 4 CollegePoint Schools (at least 2 of which must be from your Starter College List of colleges): earn $400 at $100 per application
- Apply to 3 CollegePoint Schools: Earn $300
- Apply to 2 CollegePoint Schools: Earn $200
- Apply to 1 CollePoint School: Earn $100
Students who are not US citizens may apply to any four schools from the CollegePoint Schools list and earn the full $400.
Your advisor will help you to track dollars you’ve earned as you go through the program. If you’re unsure of how much you have earned or whether you have missed a month of engagement, be sure to contact them.
You can start taking action on the tasks necessary to meet the milestones requirements right away! Your organization will have more details about the disbursement timeline.
Awards will be distributed by your advising organization. Talk to your advisor about how and when you can expect to receive awards.
Your Starter College List includes four colleges that may be a good match for you based on:
- Where you live,
- Your family’s income, and
- Where past CollegePoint students were accepted and enrolled.
These schools have high graduation rates, making them some of the top colleges nationwide.
The CollegePoint team will send you your Starter College List. If your list does not match your state, be sure to let your advisor know.
CollegePoint Schools are the colleges and universities in the United States with the highest graduation rates. There are a total of 334 great, affordable schools on this list, plus an additional 71 honors colleges at public institutions, that we encourage you to explore with your advisor.
You should still apply to at least 3 other schools through regular decision even if you do apply Early Decision to another school.
Since Early Action applications are non-binding, Early Action applications to schools on your starter college list or from the CollegePoint Schools list count as one of four of the applications that qualify for CollegePoint Application Awards.
Yes, you can apply to any schools on or off the CollegePoint Schools list
If you are a finalist and you match at a school on your starter college list or the CollegePoint Schools list, you will earn the full $400 in CollegePoint Application Awards.
If you are a finalist but you do not match, you must move at least 4 applications to schools on your starter college list or the CollegePoint Schools to regular decision in order for them to qualify for the CollegePoint Application Awards. In order to earn the full $400, you must still have at least two schools from your starter college list.
You will verify that you submitted your applications by sending screenshots of confirmation emails, the common app dashboard or application portals with your CollegePoint advisor or advising organization. Your advisor or organization will review the exact process for how to do this with you.
The screenshot must include all of the following:
- Your name (this can be represented by any of the options below)
- Option 1: full name
- Option 2: first name and email
- Option 3: a verified email address that you use regular
- Date of application submission
- Institution name
The deadline to submit screenshots of applications for verification of Milestone 2 is Friday, December 3rd, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST.
The deadline to submit screenshots of at least two admissions and financial aid award letters for verification of Milestone 3 is Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 11:59 PM EST. The screenshots should at least include your first and last name.
*If you were admitted Early Decision or matched with a Questbridge school they can choose to only need to submit one admission and financial aid award letter for verification after speaking with their advisor.
Whenever possible, students should submit information that confirms they have applied to an honors college. However, if extenuating circumstances make it impossible for students to submit confirmation of this prior to December 3rd (i.e. the application process is invite-only after being admitted to the school), advisors should have an intentional conversation with students about the student supplying the proof of application to the honors college when it becomes available, and mark the application towards students earning $100 on the understanding that the student will complete the application as soon as they are able. Advisors should encourage students to apply to another school on their Starter College List or the CollegePoint Schools List if possible.
Students can earn dollars for each milestone that is a) completed by the respective milestone deadlines, and b) for which verification is submitted, with an opportunity to earn up to a total of $1000.
Please reach out to your CollegePoint advisor for any additional questions. If you’re unsure of who your advisor is, please reach out to the CollegePoint team at contact@collegepoint.info.
Partners
