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ACCESS Leverages a Record-Breaking $26 Million in Financial Aid for Boston Public High School Students Boston, Mass. (December 19, 2007) – The Action Center for Educational Services and Scholarship (ACCESS), a nonprofit organization based in Boston, Mass. that provides financial aid advising and scholarships to thousands of students in every Boston Public High School and beyond, today announced its financial aid totals from the 2006-2007 advising year. ACCESS financial aid advisors, working on an individual basis with 88 percent of Boston Public High School Seniors, helped leverage a record-breaking $26 million in financial aid for Boston’s college-bound students. This represents a $12 million increase over last year, during which ACCESS leveraged $17 million in financial aid for Boston students. “These impressive results show that ACCESS services are significantly increasing college accessibility for Boston's youth. This school year, we plan to break more records in our efforts to break down financial barriers to college for even more students,” said Bob Giannino-Racine, executive director of ACCESS. ACCESS broke records in several other categories this year: ACCESS awarded an all-time high of $650,000 in scholarships to Boston students, personally advised more students than ever before, reached more students through early awareness efforts and postsecondary support, and posted the strongest fundraising totals in its twenty-two year history. “Over the past year, ACCESS dramatically increased its impact, ensuring that more Boston young people than ever before overcome financial obstacles and achieve their dream of higher education,” said Giannino-Racine. For every one dollar invested in advising programs, ACCESS returned $57 in grants, scholarships and loans for Boston young people. ACCESS advisors conducted 7,190 individual advising sessions, a 60 percent increase from 2005-2006, and reached 3,623 Boston students through group advising sessions. A recent study from the American Council on Education reveals that nationally over 1.7 million low-and moderate-income students failed to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Here in Boston, ACCESS is working towards the elimination of this staggering disparity by raising its goals even higher this year: ACCESS plans to provide 9,000 individual advising sessions and award $800,000 in scholarships to Boston students in 2007-2008. About ACCESS ACCESS is Boston’s leading provider of financial aid advising and scholarships and has provided financial aid advising and scholarships to more than 40,000 Boston students since 1985, helping them realize their higher education goals and giving them a better foundation for a successful and productive future. ACCESS services are provided free of charge to Boston students from every neighborhood in the city.
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