Thanks to the generosity of Life Trustee Steve Matteucci ’78, Denison University can provide its current undergraduate students and recent graduates with free preparatory courses for a host of graduate-level admissions exams, including the GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, and MCAT®. Matteucci’s transformative gift provides three years of funding, giving Denison the opportunity to build support for a permanent endowment.
The new partnership between Denison and global education services provider Kaplan, funded by Matteucci’s gift, also offers access to courses for many professional licensures and certifications, as well as a range of career readiness courses on topics from data literacy to critical thinking.
“Under President Adam Weinberg’s leadership, Denison’s Knowlton Center for Career Exploration has become the nation’s benchmark for excellence in equipping our students and recent graduates for career success,” Matteucci said. “Many of our students pursue post-graduate degrees and certifications, and excelling in the related standardized tests will help them succeed in that arena.”
Denison students and alums within five years of graduation have free and complete access to a full suite of test prep courses for the next three years.
“Test prep can be expensive and out of reach for many students,” said Melanie Murphy, Denison’s executive director of the Knowlton Center. “This partnership ensures that all students have access to the resources they need to prepare for graduate and professional school.”
Murphy said the new partnership comes on the heels of a pilot program that offered test prep courses for 30 to 40 students each year.
“We wanted to make this available to all our students,” Murphy said. “These test prep packages go for $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 a piece. Not many schools offer this.”
These professional certifications are designed to enhance the job readiness and marketability of college students by partnering the traditional four-year degree with Kaplan’s educational programs. This allows students to complete their four-year degrees while earning industry-recognized credentials highly valued by employers.
“Admissions exams can feel like roadblocks — because of cost, stress, or complexity — but this partnership helps remove those hurdles,” said Kim Canning, Kaplan’s vice president of university partnerships. “We’re proud to support Denison in its efforts to open more doors and level the playing field, and look forward to welcoming their students and alumni into our classrooms.”
Alex Pan ’23 was one student to participate in the pilot program. He is entering his second year at Brooklyn Law School and is interning for a U.S. District Court judge.
“Denison’s test preparation pilot program was crucial to my law school application process and studies at Brooklyn Law School,” Pan said. “Most test preparation classes for graduate school admissions exams are financially costly and time-consuming. Denison’s pilot program with Kaplan supported me during my third year at Denison and allowed me to take online classes and review two textbooks as I studied for the LSAT.
Kaplan has prepared students for standardized tests for more than 85 years, and Denison’s involvement is part of the company’s All Access License™.