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Welcome to the evolution of college.

We are building a type of new institution that brings college to youth where they already are — and then ensures they are supported until they earn a radically affordable degree nobody can ever take away. Will you join us?

Every year, more than 6,000 Philadelphia youth intend to start college…

25%

never show up on day one

70%

who do enroll never graduate

80K

Philly adults have debt but no degree

During the height of the pandemic, we took a leap with Southern New Hampshire University & built a new way to go to college: full-time virtual enrollment w/ SNHU + in-person support with College Together.

Many doubted that youth could succeed in our model & that families would choose us over traditional options. Since then, we have:

✅ celebrated our first 76 graduates (& counting)

✅ ensured 95% of them finished on-time & with $0 of debt

With a tiny, tight-knit staff & just 1,600 square feet of space, we have already proven that college can be innovative, effective, and efficient again.

Now, we are ready to take the next leap. Our ambition from the beginning has been to create Philadelphia’s most trusted college destination.‍

By 2031, we will be a top 3…

🔑

College Option for Philly Youth

Engine of 1st Gen Philly Graduates

🎓

To meet this ambition, this campaign will supercharge both ends of the CT model: ensuring students can successfully establish themselves within college (Phase 1) & make it through to graduation with a degree (Phase 2).

C A M P A I G N P R I O R I T Y # 1

Establish 1,000 Embedded College Seats

C A M P A I G N P R I O R I T Y # 2

Carry Every Learner to Graduation

C A M P A I G N P R I O R I T Y # 3

Open a Home Where All Students Belong

Establish 1,000 Embedded College Seats

C A M P A I G N P R I O R I T Y # 1

For generations, colleges have asked youth to come to them. We have realized that young people are already everywhere. They are gathered, every day, inside schools and programs that know them by name and already believe in them.

Rather than convincing youth to come to another open-access institution, we want to bring college to them — inside the schools and programs they already trust. We will redefine college from an expensive new place one travels to alone into a supportive experience that begins where you already belong. To do this, help us:

⭐ Embed CT’s college model within trusted nonprofit and school partners to create 1,000 college seats by 2030

⭐ Launch the Get Ahead Scholarship so more Philly high schoolers can start college early

⭐ Prove a novel way to get students to arrive successfully at & start college

Carry Every Learner to Graduation

C A M P A I G N P R I O R I T Y # 2

No matter how a student enters CT — whether they are getting ahead as a high schooler or jointly earning a certificate and college credits with a nonprofit partner — our commitment to them is not just to help them arrive at college, but to ultimately celebrate graduation after it. After every student completes Phase 1, Phase 2 of CT means reaching for the finish line.

And because most Phase 2 students will experience Phase 1 with a nonprofit or school partner that we have embedded with (and that cannot hold them forever), a strong CT support system, resources, and infrastructure are critical for ultimate student success. To ensure our students can continue to defy history and get there, we need support to:

⭐ Grow our coaching team so every learner has 1-on-1 support & a real human in their corner — for academics, career, and life

⭐ Multiply what a CTer can combine with a degree: more credentials, experiences, and pathways so they can go even further than expected

⭐ Care for students as human beings and expand basic needs support, so nobody goes without transportation, healthcare, food, or other necessities

When we started, the pandemic and growing online schooling options raised the question of whether we even needed physical space. Today, it is clear that the students who spend more time physically together with us do better. And in this age of advancing technologies, humans need humans more than ever.

With just 1,600 square feet right now, we have created a cozy boutique space that feels like home. Imagine what we can do with an expanded campus. We aspire to: