ConnectEDU’s Top 25 List Spotlights Increased Interest in Nation’s Public Institutions

3rd Annual List of Top Colleges/Universities Demonstrates Impact of Nation’s Economic Crisis on College Students

BOSTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ — ConnectEDU, Inc., (www.connectedu.net) the Web-based leader in using data to connect students with colleges and employers through the nation’s largest college and career planning network, is pleased to announce its 3rd Annual Top 25 Colleges & Universities list. The annual list, compiled using data from the more than one million users in the ConnectEDU National Network(TM), is created based on users’ most popular college choices from a selection of more than 4,200 colleges and universities nationwide. The ConnectEDU National Network includes more than 2000 high schools and 300 universities from 46 of the 50 U.S. states. Michigan State University tops the 2008 list for a second year in a row and is one of 15 public institutions in this year’s Top 25. In the academic year ending in 2008, ConnectEDU witnessed a 10 percent increase in students within its network adding public universities to their college list.

“Our data clearly demonstrates the growing trend that students are including more cost-effective options such as public universities and community colleges in their higher education planning,” said Craig Powell, president and CEO, ConnectEDU. “This economy is creating a lot of uncertainty for families with regards to the college planning process. We are easing this burden on our families by providing the college planning and financial aid resources for them to start the process earlier and examine all of the available college options from public to private and two-year to four-year colleges.”

The Top 25 of 2008 are:

    1. Michigan State University              14. Rutgers University
    2. University of Michigan                 15. University of Connecticut
    3. Central Michigan University            16. Oakland University
    4. Grand Valley State University          17. University of Missouri, Columbia
    5. Western Michigan University            18. Cornell University
    6. Boston University                      19. University of Kansas
    7. Wayne State University                 20. University of Pennsylvania
    8. New York University                    21. Yale University
    9. Northeastern University                22. Brown University
    10. Harvard University                    23. Ferris State University
    11. University of Massachusetts, Amherst  24. Princeton University
    12. Eastern Michigan University           25. Northwestern University
    13. Boston College

The Top 25 list was compiled using aggregate data from ConnectEDU’s technology to determine which schools across the nation appeared most frequently on college lists through December 2008. Students, their parents, and guidance counselors complete the official college list after researching and determining best-fitting colleges from among over 4,200 detailed school profiles. Using integrated student academic data, coupled with the student’s college preferences, ConnectEDU’s technology provides matches based on criteria such as location, size, majors, extracurriculars, GPA and SAT scores. Finalized schools on the “college list” represent the colleges and universities to which the student will apply.

For more information on ConnectEDU call 888-748-8188 or visit www.connectedu.net.

About ConnectEDU, Inc.

ConnectEDU is the nation’s leading technology firm dedicated to providing students, educators and employers with comprehensive solutions to successfully navigate education and employment transitions. ConnectEDU’s mission is to democratize access to higher education and career opportunities for all students by empowering them and their advisors with the information, resources and collective bargaining power required to realize successful life transitions.

SOURCE ConnectEDU, Inc.