Skidmore College joins QuestBridge
Skidmore College has been named one of the newest college partners to join QuestBridge, a national nonprofit based in Palo Alto, California, that connects the nation’s most exceptional youth from low-income backgrounds with leading institutions of higher education and further life opportunities. Cornell University is also joining as a partner.
“At Skidmore, we are extremely proud and honored to partner with QuestBridge, an institution whose work bespeaks our long-held values of inclusion, diversity, and access — all of which we know to be essential to a rich, meaningful educational experience for all our students,” said Marc C. Conner, president of Skidmore College.
This collaboration will further strengthen our efforts to identify and attract talented students from all backgrounds and help them realize their full potential at Skidmore.
QuestBridge estimates that 30,000 talented low-income students nationally are academically qualified to attend the nation’s best colleges each year, but the majority don’t apply to a single selective college. In 2023, 93% of QuestBridge’s Match Scholarship Recipients were in the top 10% of their class, and 82% were among the first generation in their families to attend a four-year college in the United States. QuestBridge works to bridge current gaps between such outstanding potential and college success through partnerships with more than 50 top liberal arts colleges and research universities that, like Skidmore, are dedicated to increasing the presence of high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds on their campuses and to making their institutions accessible and affordable.
Skidmore has a strong history of identifying and supporting talented students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford Skidmore: 55% of students receive some form of financial aid, and the College meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. In addition, Skidmore has many initiatives in place to create a welcoming and inclusive college-going process and experience. Efforts include the College’s Opportunity Program, which just celebrated 50 years of graduates; the Skidmore Scholars in Science and Mathematics program, which is designed to recruit academically competitive but financially disadvantaged students from underrepresented groups to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines; and the annual Discovery Tour, which brings admitted students who have historically faced barriers to accessing higher education to campus each spring.
“Our partnership with QuestBridge reinforces our ongoing commitment to access, builds upon our dedicated efforts to date, and furthers our ability to let students everywhere know: Your dreams are achievable,” said Jess Ricker, vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid.
Skidmore will participate in QuestBridge events in 2024 geared toward helping high school juniors selected as QuestBridge College Prep Scholars prepare for selective college admissions. In the fall, the College will participate in the QuestBridge National College Match, a college and scholarship application process that connects students from low-income backgrounds with admission and full four-year scholarships to QuestBridge college partners. The first QuestBridge Scholars at Skidmore will matriculate in fall 2025.
Ana Rowena Mallari, co-founder and CEO of QuestBridge remarked, “We are thrilled to expand our QuestBridge partnership to include Skidmore College. A creative and supportive community at its core, Skidmore is a place our scholars will surely thrive, as well as receive a world-class education. We are delighted our scholars will have the chance to call Skidmore home.”
More information for QuestBridge applicants to Skidmore College is available online.
