College Affordability Academy: College and Corporate Staff Training
About
The College Affordability Academy® training is for anyone involved in the recruitment and enrollment process to be able to provide prospective and current students and their families with unbiased information on subjects like:
- student debt and college financing options;
- students' expected earnings upon graduation;
- how to find third-party ratings and evaluations of colleges and universities;
- how campus employment, study abroad, and internships contribute to lifetime employability.
At Robert Morris University, the College Affordability Academy® has changed how we serve prospective students and their families, but it has also impacted our staff across campus. From admissions counselors to student affairs advisors and financial aid professionals, we serve students with an emphasis on how to make their college experience not only transformative, but affordable.
The College Affordability Academy® goes beyond information sharing to application of the knowledge and tools taught in the modules. As the modules are completed, participants work in interdisciplinary groups develop capstone projects that help translate what is learned in the Academy to prospective students and their families. At Robert Morris, capstone projects were reviewed by a panel of outside experts from organizations including the College Board, PNC, Henderson Brothers, and Ruffalo Noel-Levitz. Previously completed capstone projects may be viewed by accessing rmu.edu/affordability.
Get the Modules
Our goal is to increase financial awareness and decrease debt for all college students.
You can bring this training to your organization free of charge. We provide the modules. You customize and conduct the training.
Here are the next steps:
- Review our User Guide.
- Sign our License Agreement and return to Kristine Schaffer at schaffer@rmu.edu.
- Receive the link to and complete our Intake Survey online. This information helps us understand the impact of the College Affordability Academy® beyond our own experience. The findings will be shared in total, not institutionally specific.
- When the License Agreement and Intake Survey are complete, we will send the modules.
Get the Book
The College Affordability Academy®: A Blueprint for Counseling Families is for anyone involved in the college recruitment and enrollment process. The book may be used as a stand-alone volume or to accompany the College Affordability Academy® training modules.
The book includes a foreword written by RMU President Chris Howard and a conclusion written by former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
“This book is not just a tremendous service for those who advise families on paying for college (and ultimately for the families themselves), but also for those of us who advocate for affordability and access to higher education,” wrote Duncan.