RaiseMe™: College Exploration
What is
RaiseMe
for Transfer Students?
When you’re on RaiseMe, you can earn scholarships incrementally for your academic and extracurricular progress during your time at two-year community college institutions. As you prepare to transition to a four-year institution, RaiseMe will help you save time and money in discovering right-fit universities and colleges, while introducing new-found affordability and transparency into the transfer and financial aid processes at four-year institutions.
College Exploration
Introduction
The problem with scholarships is that you’re only impacted after the application decision has been made.
Two-Year Degree Pathway
Apply
Scholarship Offer
Accept
Discover Universities
Discover and “follow” colleges on RaiseMe that are the best fit and match for transfer based on cost, location, major and more.
Add Achievements to Your Portfolio
Add your courses and grades, activities, work experience and more to your portfolio as you progress through community college.
Earn Scholarships from Universities
Instantly earn transfer scholarships from your favorite universities as you add achievements to your portfolio.
You can sign up as soon as you start at COA by visiting RaiseMe for Community College Students. You can research any college in the country.
Step One
Create an account by visiting RaiseMe, click on the “I’m a Community College Student” and follow the instructions.
Step Two
Search for the colleges that you’re interested in and “follow” them.
Step Three
Add your achievements from community college to your portfolio as you work toward completing your associate degree.
Step Four
See how much you’ve earned in micro-scholarships for every achievement you add. Watch your earnings pile up before the submission deadline for your intended transfer date.
Step Five
Apply to colleges. If and when you’re accepted to a college partner, you’ll see your submitted earnings amount (at minimum) in your award letter.
Planning Your Transfer Strategy
- Avoid taking classes you many not need, saving you time and money
- Meet admissions criteria and application deadlines
- Pick a school that is a fit for your program, work and family obligations, and tuition expectations
- Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on time, with the correct information
- Request documents, such as transcripts or letters of recommendation, with plenty of time to spare
- Submit information needed for scholarships on time, so you get all of your earnings
Nationally, only half of community college students who plan to transfer report meeting with their academic advisor, meaning they aren’t receiving all the support they may need.
Check in with your advisor every semester
Be aware of admissions deadlines and when scholarship materials are due
Don’t change your schedule without consulting an advisor
Picking your institution early will help you and your advisor plan your pathway together. You can use RaiseMe to help answer these questions:
Is the location right for me?
What academic programs do they have?
Will my credits transfer? Check with your advisor.
What are tuition and fees?
What is the cost of housing?
When do they accept new students and when do I apply?
Think about your personal responsibilities and who you are as a student, then consider the following when narrowing down a college:
How can I balance my work responsibilities with this college? Do I need online or evening classes because of my work schedule?
How will I get there? Do I have reliable transportation? Can public transportation get me there?
What kinds of supports do they have? For example, tutoring, veteran’s services or assistance for English language learners?
Community College Transfer Path
- Meet advisor: Meet with your advisor every semester
- Research colleges: Research colleges and transfer agreements
- Transfer pathway courses: Plan each semester and take courses that match the transfer agreement
- Visit schools: Check in with advisors at the four-year schools
- Apply on time: You may need to apply as early as November
- Complete associate degree: Completing your associate degree may up your earnings potential
Use your RaiseMe account to research two schools and answer the questions below:
- Where is the school located?
- How many students attend the college?
- What are their three top programs?
- What is the cost of tuition?
- On average, how much money in Pell and state grants are students receiving?
- How about merit scholarships?
- If you were going to attend in the fall, when is the admissions application due?
- If the school awards scholarships on RaiseMe, what is the minimum grade-point average (GPA) you need to receive your scholarship dollars?
What do you know now that you didn’t know before?
- What surprised you the most when researching the colleges?
- What additional information do you think you need to ask for if you were going to consider on of these schools?
- Do you think your credits will transfer? Why or why not? Where can you find this information?
- Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor before the end of the semester and take your research with you
- Think about how your GPA might impact if you were admitted to the schools you researched
- Think about your timeline and how you can graduate in the least amount of time
- Make an appointment at the schools you researched and bring a copy of your transcript with you
- Log all of your grades and achievements into RaiseMe to make sure you’re accessing all the financial support you can