Ursinus College Joins SAGE Tuition Rewards® Enrollment Consortium

PHILADELPHIA - Jan. 14, 2016 - PRLog -- Ursinus College, among the 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities that host a chapter of the national honor society Phi Beta Kappa, has become the 53rd Pennsylvania member of the SAGE Scholars Enrollment Consortium. Cited in “Colleges that Change Lives” (by Loren Pope, revised by Hilary Masell Oswald), Ursinus is the 16th CTCL member to participate in Tuition Rewards.

A selective, residential college with 1,650 students located in Collegeville, 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Ursinus is widely recognized for its Common Intellectual Experience. Founded in 1869, Ursinus is an undergraduate liberal arts institution that provides a rigorous curriculum that empowers the intellect, awakens moral sensitivity and challenges students to improve society.

Ursinus offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 60 majors and minors.  The student to faculty ratio is 12:1; the average class size is 15-to-20. The tree-lined, 170-acre campus abounds with sculptures and artwork.  The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus is one of only two campus museums in Pennsylvania accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Ursinus is one of 14 colleges in the nation designated a Peace Corps Preparatory center for students who want to prepare for international service.  It’s one of 16 colleges nationally where students are eligible for Kemper Scholarships in economics-based internships.  The Ursinus Bears play in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference, fielding 25 varsity teams.

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

Participation in Tuition Rewards is free to colleges and to families.  The 350 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 strongly promotes its member colleges – and the benefits of private higher education – to participating families.  57,250 new students enrolled in the SAGE program in 2015.  SAGE high school seniors submitted Tuition Rewards® points valued at $57.2 million to consortium colleges in 2015, a 30% increase.  Drexel University was the leading destination, receiving 216 rewards statements, correlated with applications, followed by Duquesne (162 students).

Other colleges popular with SAGE seniors in 2015 included Arcadia University, DePaul University, La Salle University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Susquehanna University, University of Dayton, University of San Diego, University of Tampa, Valparaiso University 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