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Ardeo Education Solutions Helps Improve Student Access to Higher Education

January 25, 2021

Innovative Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) for colleges takes the fear out of student debt in the face of COVID-19 and helps mitigate looming enrollment crisis

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – During a year of unprecedented challenges, mission-driven Ardeo Education Solutions is increasing student access to higher education and driving enrollments at partner colleges and universities by reducing the fear of student debt post-graduation.

Ardeo collaborates with schools to offer students the protection of its Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). LRAP Awards help students and families repay student loans after graduation and guarantees students – many of whom are increasingly skeptical about the long-term value of a college degree – that their investment will pay off.

LRAPs are not loan programs, but rather a formal guarantee or “safety-net.” If a student’s post-graduation income is modest – typically less than $45,000-$50,000 – the LRAP will help the students and their families repay their loans until the students’ income exceeds the predetermined threshold or the loans are paid off entirely.

More than 200 American colleges and universities have offered Ardeo’s LRAPs, with more than 20,000 students covered under the program. Approximately one in four students enrolled said they would not have attended without the LRAP offer, according to third-party research conducted by Credo, a higher education consulting firm.

“We know cost is top of mind when students are considering college,” said Peter Samuelson, president of Ardeo Education Solutions. “COVID-19 has created even more challenges for colleges and universities across the U.S. It is too soon to know what the future holds for higher education after COVID-19, but based on 2020 fall enrollment figures, Ardeo’s LRAPs clearly offer a solid path forward because our program helps colleges show students that a degree from their institution will pay off.”

Double-digit enrollment increases in fall 2020 at schools such as MidAmerica Nazarene University (10 percent increase) and Rochester University (13 percent increase) demonstrate the power of Ardeo’s LRAP solution. Ardeo also allows institutions, such as North Carolina Wesleyan College and Seattle Pacific University, to customize their usage to fit their needs and impact enrollment decisions. North Carolina Wesleyan College recently branded their program, naming it the NCWC R.I.S.E. They will offer the program to all incoming freshmen in Fall 2021. Seattle Pacific University offers LRAPs to students based on family income.

For schools interested in more information on Ardeo Education Solutions and LRAPs, please contact info@ardeo.org. For prospective students and families wanting to learn more about schools offering LRAPs, visit mylrap.org.