We partner with colleges and universities that share our deep belief in the potential of first-generation students. Together, we’re creating pathways to success that go far beyond admission — building environments where our scholars feel belonging and thrive.
At College Track, we believe the American Dream is for everyone, and a bachelor’s degree remains the single greatest lever for economic, professional, and social mobility in this country. That belief is why we pursue partners in higher education who share our conviction that first-generation students bring exactly the strengths their campuses, and this country’s workforce, need.
Intentional Partnerships
College Track partners with more than 20 colleges and universities with a deep, demonstrated commitment to first-generation student success — from small liberal arts colleges to major research universities to HBCUs. Every partnership is different in size and scope, but each one shares the same throughline: real pathways to matriculation, meaningful financial support, and direct collaboration with cabinet-level administrators to ensure every cohort of scholars succeeds.
Today, College Track scholars and alumni are part of the fabric of campuses nationwide — physicians, artists, architects, entrepreneurs, researchers, city planners, and trailblazers who started with us in the ninth grade.
A Foundation Before Day One
First-generation students often face a real challenge finding their footing on campuses that weren’t built with them in mind. That’s why our high-touch, relationship-centered model builds that foundation years before a scholar sets foot on campus — starting at our sites in 13 communities across the country.
Two of those sites make that commitment tangible through direct university colocation. CSU Spur in Denver was College Track’s first site colocated directly on a university campus, giving Denver-area scholars an affirming space to prepare academically and socio-emotionally for college, explore majors and career paths, and connect with first-generation classmates and college success advisers.
In New Orleans, College Track is similarly embedded on Tulane University’s downtown campus, giving NOLA scholars that same daily proximity to college life — and to the university partnership that supports their path through it.
Immersive Experiences
Our partnership with Northern Arizona University brings this commitment to life through Semester Zero, a weeklong immersive experience for high school juniors hosted at NAU’s Flagstaff Mountain Campus. Semester Zero brings together hundreds of first-generation students from cities across the country — some with a major already in mind, others still exploring — building directly on the foundation laid in high school and positioning scholars to enter college ready.
The Results
This is the purposeful innovation that drives everything we do and the outcomes prove it. College Track scholars earn a bachelor’s degree at more than twice the national rate for first-generation students, with 87% retention into their second year of college, well above the national average.
Our Partners
Scholar Demographics
Our scholars reflect exactly who College Track was built to serve: first-generation, under-resourced, and fully capable of thriving at institutions ready to invest in them.
