(San Francisco, CA, Wednesday, March 27, 2019) – With recent scandals bringing increased scrutiny to admissions practices at top colleges, some are calling the system rigged. Bribery, manufactured test scores, and preference for legacy applicants exclude low income, minority, and first-generation students from accessing our nation’s top colleges.

A new college in the Silicon Valley aims to change that. San Francisco-based Make School has redesigned college admissions to allow students from all backgrounds to demonstrate the qualifications needed for admission, 40% of their students are students of color and half come from low-mid income households.  To increase access for lower income backgrounds, they’ve made their bachelor’s degree program free unless students get a job.

Jeremy Rossmann, the founder, discusses how the school is disrupting higher education.

SOUNDBITE:

G-P-AS AND S-A-TS AND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ON AVERAGE FAVOR THE RICH. THE SOLUTION IS NOT LOWERING THE STANDARDS FOR GRADES AND TEST SCORES, ITS LOOKING BEYOND GRADES AND TEST SCORES. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT UNIVERSITIES THAT DON’T REQUIRE STANDARDIZED TESTS MAINTAIN OR INCREASE GRADUATION RATES. WHAT WE DO IS ALLOW STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE GRIT AND WORK ETHIC THROUGH WORK EXPERIENCE, FAMILY OBLIGATIONS, AND EVEN FREE COURSES WE COACH APPLICANTS THROUGH. THE RESULTS REALLY SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. TOP COMPANIES INCLUDING GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, AND REDDIT HAVE HIRED OUT OF OUR COLLEGE.

Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit, says the skills students learn are what companies are looking for.

SOUNDBITE

COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR EMPLOYEES WITH REAL SKILLS. OVER THE LAST DECADE, MANY TECH COMPANIES HAVE LIMITED THEIR RECRUITING JUST TO ELITE COLLEGES, AND THAT HAS PRETTY PREDICTABLE AND BAD RESULTS FOR EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY’VE CRACKED THE CODE: ADOPTED INCLUSIVE ADMISSIONS PRACTICE, DESIGNED A DEGREE PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TOP COMPANIES, AND THEN ACTUALLY TEACH STUDENTS THE SKILLS THAT EMPLOYERS NEED. I REALLY SEE THIS AS A NEW MODEL FOR HIGHER ED.

For more information, visit makeschool.com.