The ASSIST Schools Difference

Frequently Asked Questions About School Placement

• Can I request a placement in a particular school, state, or region?

With ASSIST's Sanderson and Lindfors scholarships, choosing your school is not possible. Students may be placed at single-gender, boarding, or day schools in any region of the United States. ASSIST staff carefully consider each student’s academic profile, personality, interests, goals, and overall fit when making placement decisions, with the goal of providing each student with the best opportunity to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

While we welcome your preferences, we ask that you trust the experience and process behind the ASSIST match. Often, students discover that a school they may not have originally considered becomes one of the most meaningful and transformative experiences of their lives. We sometimes call this the “Magic in the Match.”

• How is a school match made?

ASSIST takes a highly individualized and thoughtful approach to school placement. Matches are not based solely on rankings, geography, athletics, or individual preferences. Instead, ASSIST carefully considers many factors, including academic fit, extracurricular interests, personality, maturity, learning environment, community culture, and where a student is most likely to thrive personally and academically. We work closely with schools and draw on decades of experience and long-standing relationships to make placements that are meaningful, supportive, and successful for both students and schools. Many ASSIST alumni reflect on their placement and realize that the school they were matched with was exactly where they were meant to be.