Ardeo News
“A Powerful Promise” Provides an Inside Look at the Structure of Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) and Their Impact on Students and College Enrollment
Bloomington, Ind., – A new book entitled “A Powerful Promise: The Ivy League Inspired Secret Improving Access and Recruitment at Colleges Today,” serves as a roadmap to understanding how both schools and students are benefiting from a financial safety-net called a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAPs). Written by students and college administrators, the book gives readers an inside look at how colleges and universities are leveraging LRAPs to promote access and improve enrollment. Readers will also hear stories on the positive, life-changing impact LRAPs have had on over 20,000 students across more than 200 American colleges and universities to date.
The “powerful promise” in the book’s title specifically refers to the concept that 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.
“A Powerful Promise” is divided into three parts. In Part I, the book traces the origin of LRAPs to Yale Law School’s (YLS) Career Options Assistance Program (COAP) and provides a comparison of LRAPs to traditional financial aid. In Part II, students share their personal stories on how LRAPs impacted their lives and positively influenced their college and career decisions. Part III includes testimonials from college administrators from 10 colleges and universities across the U.S. about their successes, lessons learned, strategies tested and students impacted through LRAPs.
“We tailor all that we do to the needs, goals and aspirations of our individual students,” said Amanda Zielinski Slenski, contributor to the book and vice president of admissions at Alma College. “Ardeo’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program is an excellent example. I was immediately impressed by the program and the life-changing support it provides to our students.”
“I honestly did not want to leave Judson (University), but at the time it felt like all the cards were stacked against me,” said Rachelle Gasior, contributor to the book, LRAP recipient and Judson University graduate. “When I doubted everything, my career path included, LRAP was the affirmation I really needed.”
The book was published by Ardeo Education Solutions, a mission-driven company increasing student access to higher education and driving enrollment at partner colleges and universities through LRAPs.
“We are thrilled to share the story of how LRAPs help advance institutional goals and empower students and graduates,” said Peter Samuelson, founder and president of Ardeo Education Solutions. “By the end of this book, the reader will have a thorough understanding of how we have helped tens of thousands of students attend hundreds of colleges across the U.S., and we look forward to helping many more in the future.”
For more information or to purchase “A Powerful Promise,” please visit Amazon. Schools interested in more information on Ardeo Education Solutions and LRAPs should contact sales@ardeo.org. Prospective students and families wanting to learn more about schools offering LRAPs should visit mylrap.org.
