CollegeNET, Inc., a provider of Web-based, on-demand technologies and the creator of CollegeNET.com, the social network through which students create topics, write about them and vote to determine who will win scholarships, today announced participation in a new program in South Carolina to promote access to higher education among high school seniors across the state. As part of the College Application Week program, students at 11 pilot schools will work with volunteers from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education and area colleges to apply for school via CollegeNET's ApplyWeb® Web-based college admissions technology.

JMU uses CollegeNET's ApplyWeb as a replacement for the labor-intensive task of processing, routing and responding to paper admissions documents. By building services around ApplyWeb, one of the largest systems processing Web admissions applications in the world, JMU is not only reducing paper workflow, but building stronger relationships with incoming students. This year, JMU extended its service approach by quickly and efficiently notifying student applicants of their acceptance into the institution online.

"Our goal in working hands-on with students during College Application Week is to increase the number of high school seniors, and in particular low-income seniors, who complete the application process to institutions of higher learning," said Cynthia Mosteller, Chair, South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. "Together, we are thrilled at the potential to make the process a clear, efficient, exciting and successful experience for up to 3,000 students–or more– across the state!"

CollegeNET's ApplyWeb technology helps students focus on applications for schools in a particular region or find schools of a particular type; students can drill down from the school list to find the application form available for a particular institution. After completing one application, all common information, such as home address and other personal data, automatically flows into any subsequent application a student chooses. This saves time by eliminating repetitive data entry. Automatic error and completeness checking additionally removes many common errors that can delay processing of an application or even cause it to be rejected.

"The application process can be daunting for some students, even to the point where many who are good candidates for higher education do not even apply," said Patricia Summers, Vice President of Marketing, CollegeNET. "CollegeNET is pleased to participate in programs like South Carolina's College Application Week, which help to alleviate some of the confusion that accompanies the process. By making it easier to apply to college, we are helping interested students reach their dream of a college degree."

CollegeNET provides more than 1,300 institutions worldwide with Web-based services for event and academic scheduling, admissions, tuition processing, IT service and prospect management, alumni development and e-mail management. This quarter, the company is making $66,000 in scholarships available for college students at its www.collegenet.com website.

Media Contacts:
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
Allison Bedard
415-512-0770
CollegeNET@schwartz-pr.com

About CollegeNET, Inc.
CollegeNET, Inc. builds web-based, on-demand technologies that help institutions improve operational efficiency, enhance communication with constituents and save money. The company's systems are used by more than 1,300 institutions worldwide for event and academic scheduling, prospect and admissions management, web-based tuition processing, IT change management and alumni development. CollegeNET operates a fast-growing social network through which students create topics, write about them, and vote to determine who will win scholarships. Today, this site–www.CollegeNET.com–is one of the Internet's most popular destinations for college-bound students. The company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.