Clarke University Joins SAGE Scholars College Enrollment Consortium

PHILADELPHIA - Dec. 3, 2015 - PRLog -- Philadelphia, PA (December 3, 2015) – Clarke University, home to 1,075 students on a 55-acre campus on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, has become the 9th Iowa member of the SAGE Scholars Tuition Rewards Private College & University Enrollment Consortium.

Eleven new colleges have joined the SAGE consortium in 2015, including the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota's largest private college, and Grand View University (Des Moines, IA).

A liberal arts and sciences university focused on progressing with the times, Clarke offers more than 30 undergraduate and six graduate programs. Clarke boasts outstanding programs in nursing, physical therapy, education and the arts. The sciences are a strong suit, bolstered by the state-of-the-art Center for Science Inquiry, which opened in 2013.

Clarke’s Compass Experience makes students career- and life-ready by bolstering their skills in leadership, self-sufficiency, spirituality and global and social awareness. Service is part of the Clarke culture; the university is on the President's Higher Education Honor Roll for community work. Internship and study-abroad opportunities are numerous.

Located in a quiet residential area in the city of Dubuque, Clarke is a three-hour drive from Chicago and five hours from Minneapolis. Founded in 1843, Clarke offers 18 varsity athletic teams, with football on the horizon for 2018.

SAGE encourages families to save for college. Financial organizations (529 Plans, banks, credit unions, employers, insurance firms, etc.) use Tuition Rewards as a value-added benefit, enabling clients and employees to earn rewards points that students can redeem for guaranteed minimum scholarships – tuition discounts – at member colleges. Rewards points, similar to frequent flyer miles, are submitted at time of application. (1 point = $1.00)

Participation in Tuition Rewards is free to colleges and to families. Member colleges benefit by free marketing access to participating students (once they reach 9^th grade). Colleges find the demographics attractive – families who have expressed interest in private higher education. Students typically are well-qualified academically and financially.

SAGE's student database is expanding; the current senior class is 12% larger than last fall. SAGE's high school class of 2015 submitted Tuition Rewards® points valued at $45.1 million to consortium colleges (25% increase). Drexel University received 248 rewards statements, correlated with applications.

Colleges that were most popular with SAGE's 2015 seniors included DePaul University, Duquesne, Rochester Institute of Technology, Saint Norbert, University of Dayton, University of San Diego, University of Tampa, Valparaiso and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Member colleges absorb the scholarships, which are capped at one full year’s tuition (spread evenly over four years) and can be included with other aid, as a marketing cost to effectively reach out to a wider audience than an individual college could on its own. For a full list of participating colleges, visit www.tuitionrewards.com.