Cleveland State University: Embracing Access & Equity for Student Success [Case Study]

In the spring of 2022, Cleveland State University (CSU) became the first state school to provide all of its students access to free prep courses for graduate-level admissions exams, such as the GRE^®, GMAT^®, LSAT^® and MCAT^®, as well as licensure and credentialing programs through Kaplan’s new All Access License. CSU ultimately decided to adopt the All Access License because of its passionate belief in eliminating obstacles for all students on their path to success.

With the first year of implementation completed, CSU’s Brittany Wampler, Director of Career Development & Exploration, reflects on this innovative approach and how embracing this model opens doors for all students. Further, results show how the initiative is fulfilling the school’s goals and directly aligning with its mission of social mobility. 

Partner Profile: Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University is a public research institution with nearly 16,000 students, eight colleges and more than 175 academic programs. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked CSU as one of America’s best universities, including the #1 university in Ohio for social mobility.

Why did you choose Kaplan’s All Access License for your students?

The All Access License empowers institutions in:

• Removing financial barriers

• Moving students into employment and career in a meaningful way

• Helping all students reach their goals

“We were working on addressing all the barriers that pre-professional students face and financial is one of the biggest. But the finances of applying to graduate, professional, health, or law school are sometimes too much, and when Kaplan’s All Access License was presented that was an answer to not just reducing a barrier for some students, but eliminating a barrier for all students. 

Cleveland State is the number one school in Ohio and one of the top 150 for social mobility. What that means is, how do we help students that might be first-generation American or first-generation college students and move them into careers that pay a livable wage, where they can be successful and are supported, where they graduate, or where they are retained and feel successful.

This Kaplan All Access License falls into that bucket of work directly. It is helping our students most in need to accomplish whatever it is that they are here for. And that, too, is important.”

Results

At Cleveland State University, Kaplan’s All Access License has not only significantly reduced student costs in the first year but has also helped open doors to historically underserved groups.

“I am thrilled. We are serving the people we intend to serve. This aligns with our institution. These numbers really speak to confirm everything that we set out to do,” shares CSU’s Brittany Wampler, Director of Career Development & Exploration. 

Beyond the cost savings directly attributed to the private test prep, the program has future value benefits as well. Brittany explains, “increased test scores mean higher chances for admission for advanced degrees and scholarships.”

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Discussing Equity in Action 

Watch the webcast for an in-depth look at how CSU embraced this new model for enhancing student access and how it’s leveling the playing field for its students.

Q&A With Cleveland State’s Brittany Wampler

Hear what CSU’s Brittany Wampler, Director of Career Development & Exploration, had to say about the All Access License process from planning, to budgeting, to implementation, and more. 

How did the product offerings allow you to support all students?

“Ultimately, when we look at the landscape of our students, this can hit every single corner of our institution now. This hits undergraduate students, this hits students that are pursuing graduate school, this hits our entire college of engineering, this can impact everyone if that is something they have in their own career plans.” 

How did CSU fund this project?

“At CSU we have a career fee that is built into our tuition and fee structure and that is the money we were able to access that students pay towards their career opportunities. The alignment truly is 100 percent.

I think the easy answer is whatever funding you can get is the best funding to use because we all know we are strapped for cash in higher education.

We do have a donor fund, but that is not what we are utilizing for the Kaplan All Access License program. And it's actually having the All Access License now and doing that has opened the door for us to help students in new and innovative ways with those donor-raised dollars.

We have increased the number of students we’re paying for in terms of sending them on interviews in-person or interview attire. We have allocated more dollars toward paying for application fees and covering the cost to pay for registering for exams, as well. We have been able to be creative and allocate more dollars toward more areas where students have need.” 

What is your advice when asking for funding?

“I think when we look at higher education today and very specifically public higher education, our role is shifting. The role that we play in terms of preparing our students to enter the workforce and industries in need is shifting. I want every student who graduates walking across the stage knowing where they're headed next, that could be where their first paycheck is coming from, or getting that “yes” to get into graduate school when they apply. That's what I want for every single student.

How can someone say no when you are making a choice that leans into the mission and the work of the institution? And for public higher education, the mission and the work of the institution is graduation, retention, entry into the workforce, and helping students make their dreams come true. How does someone say no to that?”

“My suggestion has always been: go to the top, first! That's the right answer, see what that answer looks like. I am not saying to not go through the hierarchy of higher education, but when you have a big idea and you see something that you can really make a change in, you just go to the top first! 

If and when that doesn't work, I think you work within the colleges that would most utilize it. And can you piece together funding from multiple colleges, engineering, business, and nursing? Graduate colleges and graduate programs. And pre-professional health if you have it or pre-law. How can you find a way to build the pot of money so this can become a reality?”  

How did you roll this out to students?

“To launch this, we had an entire campaign. It was on LinkedIn, social media, the university webpage, an article on the website, an article nationally, an external news release. University marketing partnered with us to do a lot of that work. We created a landing page before launch day, so there was a page for anyone that wanted to learn more. We also did a lot of targeted emails. As wide as I could get it. In the first week alone, we had 500 clicks on our website, and 90 students enrolled at only two and a half months in.” 

How was this initiative received across different campus departments?

“As a new director for career development, it’s really helped me navigate great relationships with people across campus too. To say, 1) I was thinking of you when we signed this deal, but 2) we want to bring this to your students and have this as an available option. They may not know me as a person but now I’m supporting their students in a way that’s not been done before.

Our faculty have really embraced this, and are really excited about implementation because the success of the program is about those licensure and pass rates.”

Recently, CSU expanded their All Access License to also include alumni – see the full story.

How have students responded to the course modality options of self-paced or live online?

 “Most students post-COVID have a lot of comfort with a digital platform for courses. We have never heard at CSU that they wish more was in person. In terms of programming in our office, about 50 percent of our programming is done on Zoom and 50 percent is done in person. One day we will look back and wonder how we did so much in person. It is a digital age.

For CSU’s All Access License, our students have a choice between a self-paced course or where available a live online course. The live online course is like any other online lecture, you go to lectures on specific days and times; you hear a lecture, you are talking, chatting with a lecturer or other individuals helping out with that particular session. You have homework, you have reading — it is an academic course.

My feeling on the digital piece is that our students prefer it in a lot of ways now. And certainly for test prep which is over and above their academic course load, if they are taking courses and enrolled, this is very much in alignment with what a lot of universities are already doing.” 

Thoughts on creating partnerships in higher education?

“Partnering together means we can impact the world in a way it’s not been impacted before, that’s meaningful.

Kaplan's All Access License is the next evolution of supporting and preparing students to get licensures, to get certifications, to get into graduate school. If we are thinking about how to be innovative at a university level, a private company providing that support, with support being our number one priority on both sides of the house, providing it to everyone is the answer.”

What is your advice to someone in terms of next steps?

“Working in higher education, at the end of the day, is really fun. You get to support students and know that the work you are doing is going to make an impact. When you have an idea or you have a way forward, you have to go after it. It may not be this, it may be something totally different. Whatever the way forward is for you, your institution, your day-to-day or work, I hope that you can find that and have some fun dreaming up new ideas.”

Learn more about our All Access License »