COLLEGE TRACK AND SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY FORGE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark move for higher education, College Track, a national nonprofit dedicated to equipping students from under-resourced communities to graduate from college, and Santa Clara University (SCU) are proud to announce a groundbreaking strategic partnership to expand access to higher education for first-generation California students. This collaboration combines College Track's comprehensive student support model with SCU's commitment to affordability and inclusive excellence, creating new pathways for talented students to thrive.

At the heart of this strategic partnership is SCU's commitment to welcome a dedicated and qualified cohort of two to three College Track scholars each year. The University will cover 100% of demonstrated financial need up to the cost of attendance, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder their educational journey.

Beyond financial support, scholars will benefit from tailored support services including mentoring, academic advising, and career counseling, all designed to complement SCU's rigorous educational programs. This holistic approach ensures that students not only succeed academically but also thrive personally and professionally.

Further amplifying its commitment to early talent development, SCU will invite select College Track high school juniors and seniors to participate in existing SCU summer programs at no cost. This initiative aims to build an early admissions pipeline for first-generation students, setting them on a path to higher education success from an earlier stage.

"Santa Clara University is thrilled to partner with College Track as part of the university's ongoing efforts to open doors of opportunity for all talented students, including those who are first in their families to attend college," said Julie Sullivan, president of Santa Clara University. "By identifying and nurturing academically qualified students, eliminating financial constraints, and accompanying them on their journey of discovery and growth, we continue to live out our Jesuit, Catholic mission of serving students and communities, propelling our vision of developing leaders who will build a more humane, just, and sustainable world."

This strategic partnership aligns with College Track's mission to close the opportunity gap for first-generation college students and SCU's values of fostering education, justice, and service to others. By combining SCU's academic excellence and financial resources with College Track's 10-year program model, the collaboration aims to create transformative opportunities for California's most promising underserved students.

"Santa Clara is a unique institution, offering rigorous academics, a commitment to student success – both before and after graduation – and a sense of belonging within a values-driven campus community right in the heart of Silicon Valley. We are thrilled to partner with this university," said Dr. Shirley M. Collado, President & CEO of College Track. "The scope of this partnership not only provides our California scholars with an opportunity to achieve their dream of earning an affordable bachelor's degree, it also opens the door for our high school juniors and seniors to attend the university's summer programs, demonstrating the depth of SCU's commitment to college access."

About College Track
College Track's mission is to help students from under-resourced communities earn a bachelor's degree and build lives defined by opportunity, choice, purpose, and possibility.

Today, more than 5,000 College Track high school and college students across California, Colorado, Louisiana, and the D.C.-Maryland area are pursuing their goal of becoming the first in their family to graduate from college.

Nationwide, our 1,100 alumni represent what's possible when students have long-term support and access to higher education. Ninety percent of our students are the first in their families to attend college, and 84 percent come from under-resourced communities. They graduate at more than two and a half times the national rate for first-generation peers.

To learn more about College Track and our work to support first-generation students, visit collegetrack.org.

About Santa Clara University

Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world's most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University's stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

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SOURCE College Track