Heckscher helped Overgrad develop a customized college match tool for New York City students. Overgrad is a college and career readiness platform working to make the college application process more transparent, equitable, and accessible for all students, with a focus on low-income and first-generation students. Through a personalized, data-driven approach, Overgrad helps students identify their best-matched colleges and build a tailored list of schools where they are most likely to be accepted, persist, and graduate.
With our support, Overgrad developed a set of customized features to enhance the platform specifically for New York City counselors and students. The tool is particularly needed because estimates are that 80-85% of students graduating from NYC public high schools attend CUNY or SUNY schools, which have their own unique applications and considerations.
Heckscher funding was instrumental in the tool gaining traction in New York City. As a result of localizing the match algorithm, Overgrad was able to secure a contract with NYCPS and now works with 180+ NYCPS high schools. In addition, the organization partners with several charter schools and school networks, collectively serving over 90,000 students across the City. Our most recent support is enabling Overgrad to create an integrated platform that connects students with both traditional colleges and high-quality non-degree career pathways, including career and techical education programs, through a scalable, data-driven system that can be piloted in select New York City schools and expanded to other markets.