SAGE Scholars Adds 1,467 students to the Tuition Rewards Program in the Month of October

SAGE Scholars, America's largest private college savings program with over 79,000 sponsored students, is changing the way families, colleges and savings companies approach college savings.

(PRWEB) November 7, 2005 -- It could be because “back to school” season is over; it could be the increased number of schools that offer Tuition Rewards; whatever the reason, families are paying a lot more attention to the little college savings company in Philadelphia, SAGE Scholars. In the month of October 1,467 new students were sponsored in SAGE, bringing the total to over 79,000 students in the Tuition Rewards Program.

Tuition Rewards, which allows families to earn guaranteed discounts off tuition at participating schools by saving with SAGE’s financial partners, after considerable development and testing, was launched in 2000. “We are very pleased with our growth,” stated Mark Forsyth who heads SAGE’s business development efforts. “SAGE’s priority is to help families realize that a private college education is affordable. We need to promote our member schools and affiliate financial firms so that families can see that there are a lot of people working to solve the problem of increasing tuition.” Mark’s and SAGE’s message is a good one: if a family is willing to do the right thing, which is save for college, then they should be rewarded. By being part of the Tuition Rewards Program a family can, before their son or daughter even applies to a school, reduce tuition costs by up to 25%.

The increasing number of schools joining Tuition Rewards in recent months is also helping SAGE. Major education institutions like Creighton University, Endicott College and the Florida Institute of Technology have joined SAGE in recent months; this has given the Tuition Rewards Program a big boost. According to Forsyth “the success of the Tuition Rewards Program will be directly tied to the number of schools that encourage families to save for college. To that extent, SAGE will need to continue to develop partnerships with private colleges and universities, which will help SAGE promote the affordability of private higher education.”

While families and colleges have been taking note of the Tuition Rewards Program and financial institutions around the country are now beginning to jump on the Tuition Rewards bandwagon. “SAGE has had success partnering with Pennsylvania’s TAP 529 Plan, the Horace Mann Insurance Company, Ziegler Brokers and Asset Marketing Systems, and we are now in serious discussions with several additional major financial institutions.” Forsyth continued by saying “If SAGE signs up the firms that I think we will, there are going to be several marketing directors who will have to answer the question “Why are we not offering this?”

Some colleges are likening SAGE to the “little engine that could” in the college savings market. Doug Swartz, who is Westminster College’s (PA) Dean of Admissions, said this about SAGE: “Last year SAGE helped Westminster matriculate thirteen students. No other college savings program has been as helpful, and SAGE has grown a lot in recent months.” Westminster is only one of nearly fifty SAGE member colleges and universities that admitted students with Tuition Rewards in 2005.

As more colleges, families and ultimately financial firms take notice of SAGE Scholars and the Tuition Rewards Program, the way families save and plan for the costs of higher education could change as well as who they save with and where they send their kids to school. SAGE has brought together the three sides of college savings – families, investment firms and colleges – so that scholarships, savings and financial aid can be openly and honestly discussed.

About SAGE Scholars:

SAGE Scholars is an education funding and information provider specializing in college savings and tuition planning. SAGE uniquely brings together scholarships, student loans, 529s and other investments, college search and cost calculators to help families and financial professionals plan for college expenses.

SAGE Scholars is currently, by number of participating students, the largest private college saving program in America. SAGE currently works with over 78,000 students and over 175 private colleges and universities. In addition, SAGE’s list of financial partners includes Ziegler Brokers, Horace Mann, Asset Marketing Systems, Pennsylvania’s TAP 529 Plan, and Allianz.

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