TC College Advising Program
Program Description:
School counselors, college access professionals, other educators, and community stakeholders play an integral role in the college application process—not only within the United States, but across an increasingly globally interconnected admissions landscape. Students and families who are new to the college application and financial aid process often find themselves lost among forms, deadlines, and higher education language that does not resonate with them, a challenge that spans major systems both domestic and international. Students and families, especially those in underserved high schools, are more likely to report feeling ill-prepared for this process. As a result, many of these students decide not to attend college or limit their possibilities to two-year or under-resourced colleges.
Dedicated counselors, educators, and other stakeholders who are specifically trained in college advisement can close the gap in knowledge around higher education, whether they are guiding students through U.S. admissions systems or supporting students navigating international pathways. Counselors are vital to a student's academic success because they demystify the college admissions process. TC CAP-online seeks to provide targeted curriculum on college advising, improve professional competence, and increase college opportunities for underserved high school students in the U.S. and for international school counselors working within their own national and regional systems.
This program will achieve this by:
- Offering a specialized curriculum in college advising with an emphasis on serving high performing and low-income students, applicable across both U.S. and international admissions contexts
- Reducing the inequities in college attendance and graduation for underserved students by training culturally competent school counselors and advisors, whether based domestically or internationally
- Creating strategic alliances and partnerships in the community, including with international schools and counseling networks, to enhance outreach and service delivery
- Building a well-trained, diverse, and vigorous workforce of school counselors and paraprofessionals, spanning domestic and international contexts, who will serve as agents of change and social advocates in reducing disparities in higher education
TC CAP is affiliated with the School Counseling Master of Education (Ed.M.) program in Psychological Education and the online Advanced Certificate in College Advising at Teachers College, Columbia University. The Advanced Certificate in College Advising equips dedicated counselors, educators, and other stakeholders—both in the U.S. and internationally—to demystify the college admissions process. For more information regarding the Advanced Certificate in College Advising please visit the program web page.
The School Counseling Master of Education (Ed.M.) program in Psychological Education is a degree-granting program that prepares students to practice school counseling and provides them with the necessary coursework and training to obtain school counseling certification in New York State. For more information regarding the school counseling master's program please visit the program web page.
The College Advising Continuing Education program was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
Dates: September 21 — November 16, 2026
Format: Asynchronous Online Modules
Price: $500
Group/Team Discount (10 or more): 20% off the registration fee, please contact tcacademy@tc.columbia.edu to register
For more information, questions or to register: Email tcacademy@tc.columbia.edu
Instructor
Shaquinah Taylor Wright is an education strategist and advocate for college access with more than 15 years of experience designing programs that support underserved students. She currently works as an educational consultant and serves as CUNY FAST Project Director at CUNY K16 Initiatives, while also teaching as an adjunct instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she earned her EdM in counseling psychology (BA, Cornell University). Previously, she held leadership roles at iMentor as Managing Director of Program Design and National Director of Advising, and directed the College Bridge program at College Access: Research and Action. A South Bronx native and 2022 NCAN Leading for Equity Fellow, she views college success as a matter of social justice.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Develop fundamental skills and knowledge of college advising processes
- Learn to develop and implement a comprehensive college advisement program that increases opportunities for underrepresented students
- Explore the impact of their values, assumptions, and life experiences on their counseling work with students and parents/guardians
- Develop an understanding of the variety of ethical situations that can arise during college advisement as well as how to effectively resolve them
- Learn how to support college-ready, low-income students in entering postsecondary intuitions
- Learn how to support underrepresented students in attending postsecondary intuitions that match their academic abilities
- Leverage their knowledge to support students in applying for financial aid, scholarships, and college mentor programming
- Create practical materials that could be directly used in a college counseling office
Who Should Attend
This program is opened to interested participants who are currently pursuing a school counseling degree, professional school counselors, college access professionals, and community stakeholders who would like to deepen their understanding and gain specialized training in the topic of college advisement with a special emphasis on high-achieving students with great financial need.
Upon Completion
New York State educators who complete the 12 modules during the specified enrollment period will receive a Certificate of Completion awarding 3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or 30 Continuing Teacher Leader Education units (CTLEs).
Any attendee who is taking this course for CTLE credit for NY State must enter their name exactly as it appears on the TEACH website in accordance with NYSED requirements.
Course Details
Modules
Through didactic instruction, research based curriculum and readings, peer and experiential learning and practical “hands on” training, the program’s modules and discussions will center around important information needed for working with students in the college process, including:
- Overview and Introduction to College Admissions Counseling
- Role of the College Counselor
- Cultural Competence- Individual and Systematic Counselor Cycle
- Creating a College Counseling Program
- Ethical Issues and Decision Making Models
- Developmental Theories
- College Matching
- Components of the Application
- College Entrance Exams
- Letters of Recommendation
- Navigating Financial Aid
- Metrics for College Access and Success
- Serving Specific Populations:
- Students of Color
- Undocumented Students
- First Generation Students
- Homeless Youth
- Students in Foster Care
- Student Athletes
- Military Academics
- Students with Disabilities
Assessment Methodology
Students in TC-CAP are assessed on their participation in class discussions, completion of course activities, and submission of assignments. Students are provided rubrics to understand the how participation and assignments are measured and evaluated. There are also opportunities for the students to test their own understanding through various quizzes developed using the tools of the online space.
Students will receive feedback and individualized comments on their submitted assignments, including discussion board comments and other written assignments. This feedback will be provided by course instructors, course facilitators, and/or teaching assistants. Feedback will be uploaded to Canvas, the Learning Management System, approximately one week after the assignment is submitted. To receive a certificate of completion, participants must demonstrate satisfactory learning by earning a 70% or higher in the course.