What’s New on Cappex

We tip our cap to these winners of Cappex March-deadline scholarships.

Congratulations to all four winners!

Even with Endowments Shrinking, Colleges Come Through

Highland Park, IL, April 15, 2009 – A new study about how students and their families pay for college shows that merit scholarships offered to undergraduates by colleges have increased 50 percent since 2004.

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is conducted every four years by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

“This is a very sharp increase in available merit aid scholarships,” said Chris Long, president of MeritAid.com, a Web site focused on merit scholarships. “Merit aid has been steadily increasing since the 1990s, but a 50 percent increase during this most recent period is substantial.”

Merit scholarships can typically help reduce the cost of college tuition from 25 percent to 50 percent and sometimes up to full tuition. The average merit scholarship of $5,360 is up 30 percent over the previous study.

“The increase in available merit aid is outstanding news for college students in a tough economy, and we are glad to provide a Web portal such as MeritAid.com to help students identify merit scholarships that fit them,” Long said. “There are now over 78,000 merit scholarship programs available from more than 1,800 colleges, and MeritAid.com is dedicated to giving students and parents easy access to information about them.”

College-bound students are flocking to the free online matching service to find their college matches. 

Highland Park, IL, March 17, 2009 – A month after its second anniversary, Cappex.com has reached a significant milestone of 1 million student signups and has grown into a one-stop shop for college search and merit scholarships. 

“Each year, more college-bound students use online services such as Cappex.com to identify colleges that would be a good fit, and they also want scholarships that they have real chances of achieving,” says Chris Long, president of Cappex.com. “Cappex makes it easy and fun for students to get college and scholarship information.” 

More than 1,200 colleges connect with students on Cappex.com, and they meet students half way. Students fill out free profiles, and colleges pursue students based on how their profiles fit the college. College matching is based on far more than grades and test scores; majors, accomplishments in sports and arts, and students’ college preferences play a major role as well. 

“Cappex cuts through the clutter,” Long says. “Students let colleges know who they are, and colleges tell students why they are a good match.”  Cappex also helps students predict their chances of getting in with the “What Are My Chances” Calculator. The unique tool instantly lets students know their chances of being accepted to thousands of colleges and universities. Students can even see how they stack up with other applicants in real time with Cappex Scattergram Graphs. 

“When it comes to college search, one question that causes students stress is, ‘Will I get In?’” Long says. “This tool relieves that stress by helping students understand how well they fit a college’s historical admissions profile.” 

In addition to college matching, through sister site MeritAid.com students can search $11 billion in scholarships from colleges across the country and find their merit scholarship matches. Students typically have good odds of earning merit scholarships, and merit scholarships usually are renewed for each year of study. The average merit scholarship award is $5,000. 

About Cappex.com 

Cappex.com, “Where colleges apply to you,” is a free service that matches students and colleges. With more than 1 million registered students and 12 million matches made, the website makes it easy and fun for students and colleges to find each other. On Cappex.com, students can also discover merit scholarships from more than 1,700 colleges. 

MeritAid.com, one of the websites in the Cappex family, is the first-ever comprehensive resource dedicated to helping students and parents discover merit aid scholarship opportunities nationwide.  MeritAid.com includes $11 billion in merit scholarships offered by thousands of colleges across the U.S., matching student profiles with specific merit scholarships. 

Here is some good economic news for Cappex students: Our 2008 year-end college scholarship winners.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

The video crew from the Associated Press recently visited the Cappex and MeritAid.com offices speak with President Chris Long.

MeritAid.com created quite the buzz the last few weeks. A survey of MeritAid.com high school seniors revealed what they have to say about how the economic climate is affecting their college search. Many students are concerned about paying for college, but there is hope. MeritAid.com lists more than 77,000 scholarships from more than 1,700 colleges across the country. Merit scholarships can have a huge impact on the cost of attending college.

MeritAid.com was recently featured in:

• The Washington Post
• The Associated Press
• The New York Times
• The Wall Street Journal
• San Francisco Chronicle
• Raleigh News & Observer

Economic Crisis Now Blamed for Drastically Changing College Preferences, New Study Says

Many Students Delaying Higher Ed Due to Lack of Funds

Highland Park, IL, October 13, 2008 – A new study of over 2,500 prospective college students nationwide indicates that the economic downturn is dramatically affecting enrollment with many having to delay academic plans or set their sights on less prestigious colleges.

The study was conducted by MeritAid.com, a new, free Internet service that provides data on over 2,000 colleges and over $11 billion in merit scholarships nationwide.  The students surveyed revealed some emerging trends resulting from skyrocketing tuition costs combined with the plummeting economy.

Among the findings of the MeritAid.com study:

• 16% of surveyed students said they are now putting their college searches on hold because they don’t think their families will be able to pay for college

• 57% said they are now considering a less prestigious college due to affordability

• 85% said they have increased time spent searching for scholarship money or merit aid programs to help pay for tuition, and just over half said they were depending on financial aid

• 48% said they are more concerned than ever about being able to afford any college at all

• 64% are very concerned about finding a job after college

• Some students said they were choosing a school close to home to save on fuel and housing costs, or changed their focus from a four-year college to a two-year college for financial reasons

“Financial fit has always been a major component of college fit. Now, financial fit is taking on even greater significance,” remarked Chris Long, COO and President of MeritAid.com. “Even if you are changing your college plans because of current conditions, know that there is a college out there that is right for you and that can fit into your budget.”

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AS COLLEGE TUITION COSTS SOAR, REVOLUTIONARY WEB SITE FOR FINDING MERIT  SCHOLARSHIPS LAUNCHES

MeritAid.com Provides Students & Parents Easy Access to Billions of Dollars in Merit Aid from Colleges Across the U.S.

Highland Park, IL, September 22, 2008 – MeritAid.com (www.meritaid.com), the first web site to provide a central and comprehensive resource for matching students to merit scholarships from colleges, has officially launched.  At no cost to the user, MeritAid.com is the only web site dedicated to giving parents and students access to information about the $11 billion available in merit aid from more than 1,800 colleges across the country.

The launch of this web site couldn’t be timelier with college tuition costs continuing to escalate – up 8% every year – as many Americans are struggling  during these uncertain economic times.  Merit scholarships can typically help reduce the cost of college tuition and fees from 25% to 50% and sometimes up to full tuition.

“By logging onto MeritAid.com, both college-bound students and their parents can access an enormous amount of scholarship information, saving countless hours of time calling or researching each college individually,” remarked Leon Heller, CEO of MeritAid.com.  “We provide an organized and effective tool to help make one of the most important decisions in a person’s life.”

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I know you’ve been waiting patiently to find out who will take home the Cappex Best College Match Scholarship. We won’t keep you any longer, the winner of the $1,000 college scholarship is:

Alison N., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

Alison is a lacrosse player and National Honor Society officer, but what really stood out was her essay. What makes a college a good match for Alison is a college with balance. She wants a school with sports and volunteer opportunities, tough academics and Greek life. Helping students find their college match is what Cappex is all about, so good luck with your search and congratulations, Alison! Thanks to everyone who applied.

We are set to announce the last four winners of our April-deadline college scholarships. Many thanks go to all of the talented applicants that made decision making so difficult. Also, thanks to all the patient folks who waited for us to post all the names.

Here they are:

Justin S. of Lawton, Okla., is the winner of the $2,000 Cappex Design Scholarship.

Breanne L. of Sanford, N.C., is the winner of the $1,000 Cappex Design Scholarship.

Josiah H. of Honolulu, Hawaii., is the winner of the $1,000 Cappex Video Game Design Scholarship.

Marjorie B. of Palmdale, Calif., is the winner of the $1,000 Cappex Criminal Justice Scholarship.

Congratulations to all the winners and good luck in your college careers!