Peterson's and Xap Help Students Plan for College
Peterson's offers students its $3 billion scholarship database together with Xap's online admission applications.
Lawrenceville, NJ – April 23, 2002 – Peterson's, the leader in college guidance and education reference and part of The Thomson Corporation (TSE:TOC), today announced a partnership with Xap Corporation, the leader in Internet-based student services.
Xap has agreed to offer Peterson's scholarship database, the world's leading private scholarship database, through Xap's Mentor student services websites and www.xap.com.
Student visitors to a variety of Peterson's websites will soon have access to the online electronic admissions applications hosted by Xap.
By combining the world's leading scholarship database with the best and most widely used online admissions application service Peterson's and Xap will soon be able to offer college-bound students and parents an even more effective suite of products and services to search and select colleges, learn about scholarships and financial aid, plan a career, plan for college admission, and apply to college.
With a number of Peterson's online services, college-bound students can access and complete a specific school's admission application, with the ability to reuse any information previously submitted for a Xap-hosted application.
After the application is checked for accuracy, consistency, and completeness, the student can pay the school's application fee and have the application delivered to the school's admission office, all online from the convenience of a computer.
Recognizing that some admissions officials prefer to administer online applications hosted or specified by their institution, Peterson's also currently directs students to the online applications of selected colleges and universities that use Peterson's enrollment management and marketing services.
"Xap's online college application component is a great complement to the comprehensive college-planning solutions that Peterson's is known for," says Mary Gatsch, President of Peterson's.
"Peterson's college-bound customers have always encountered a truly all-inclusive resource for every step of the preparation process, from college search and selection to test preparation and financial aid.
And now, as more and more institutions begin to accept online applications, Peterson's is excited to offer even more value to the college-bound students and their parents."
Peterson's will offer its scholarship search database, which includes data on more than 1.4 million awards totaling more than $3 billion, for use on Xap's Mentor sites.
These sites provide students, families, counselors, and colleges the essential tools for the college planning, search, application, and financial aid processes, including career exploration and planning.
"I have always greatly admired the resources Peterson's provides for students, and now that Peterson's scholarship resources are being integrated into our Mentor sites, Xap will be able to offer even better service to its student users," said Xap President and founder, Allen Firstenberg.
"The personalized attention students receive from Mentor is now enhanced with the most comprehensive scholarship data available, enabling students to explore private financial aid opportunities relevant to their own specific situations."
About The Thomson Corporation and Peterson's
The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2001 revenues of $7.2 billion, is a leading provider of integrated information solutions to business and professional markets worldwide.
The corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto and London stock exchanges (TSE: TOC).
Its learning businesses and brands serve the needs of individuals, institutions, and businesses with and blend of products and services tailored to any learning environment.
A part of Thomson, Peterson's (www.petersons.com) is one of the nation's most respected providers of lifelong learning online resources, software, reference guides, and books.
Petersons.com has searchable databases and interactive tools for contacting U.S.-accredited institutions and programs.
Peterson's serves over 110 million education consumers annually.
About Xap Corporation
Headquartered in the Los Angeles area, Xap Corporation focuses on the creation of novel and comprehensive Internet-based information management systems relating to secondary and post-secondary education.
Founded in 1996, Xap is the leading developer of online student services systems for associations of colleges and universities across the United States.
In September 2000, Xap launched its national student services site at www.xap.com to give students a nationwide resource to use throughout the college planning, selection, application and financial aid processes, to supplement the many statewide Mentor® web sites.
