Deal comes after post-secondary enrollment reaches 10-year low.
Montréal-based Paper has acquired MajorClarity with the goal of integrating its career and college readiness tool into Paper’s online tutoring platform. Paper did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
MajorClarity, founded in Washington D.C. in 2014, offers post-secondary planning for students, including those taking alternate routes to university or college. The tech will help Paper target and support students in all stages of their education.
“Every student’s path is individual and unique throughout their academic journey and after graduation.”
Paper’s platform, which offers 24/7, one-on-one professional tutoring to K-12 students, is currently used by over two million users.
MajorClarity’s platform assesses students’ learning objectives and provides individually tailored career readiness content, leading to a 189 percent increase in students building career-aligned plans of study.
“Career exploration not only gives purpose and meaning to academics; it’s also the key to building the professional skills every student needs, regardless of their career goals,” said Joe Besterling, CEO of MajorClarity.
The number of recent high school graduates enrolling in two- or four-year college programs has been steadily declining for nearly a decade and reached a 10-year low of 61 percent in 2021, according to Paper. Paper CEO Phil Cutler said the problem is that most schools are focused on preparing students for college.
“Every student’s path is individual and unique throughout their academic journey and after graduation,” said Cutler in a 2023 company mission statement. “To give students the resources they need to excel, we needed to create an equitable platform capable of being integrated into existing school systems and easy for students to access inside and outside the classroom.”
Post-secondary enrollment rates declined in Canada last year, with a drop of 0.6 percent for college and university students. International student enrolment rates saw a significant decline of 4 percent at the national level, a notable decrease compared with the 11.2 percent increase experienced over 10 years prior to the pandemic.
“Paper and MajorClarity are both companies focused on academic success for all students,” said Belstering. “Bringing career readiness and academic support together in one place means students have the tools to discover the ‘why’ behind their education—then get the learning support they need to accomplish their goals.”
Feature image courtesy Pixabay.
