Two Education Companies are Working Together to Help High School Students Plan and Prepare for the College Experience

ALEXANDRIA, VA, December 08, 2010 (Press-News.org) NextStepU, a leading college planning resource for high school students, is eager to help students reach their next step. That's why the media company is excited to announce it's marketing partnership with StraighterLine, an online education resource that provides students with a lower cost and lower risk way to start college.

NextStepU is excited about the low-cost, innovative programs StraighterLine offers and is eager to help introduce the concepts to students who are looking for new options for online coursework and alternatives to high tuition costs. Research shows that students who start college with credits are far more likely to graduate. This, combined with StraighterLine's extremely affordable prices and subscriptions, keeps costs down, keeps financial risk down and improves the likelihood of success.

"NextStepU reaches four million students a year," says NextStepU founder and CEO David Mammano. "We're excited to market this unique education solution to help students save money and hit the ground running."

NextStepU (www.NextStepU.com), a national media company, offers college prep resources for high school students and college students looking to transfer, including financial aid tools and expert advice in more than 3,000 articles. The company also publishes the 15-year-old award-winning NextStepU Magazine.

"NextStepU's mission, much like ours, is to help students reach their goals without worrying about the unfortunate roadblocks in the college path, such as cost and accessibility," says Burck Smith, StraighterLine's CEO. "Together we can provide more students the resources to find the right school, make the best choices, all while keeping it affordable."

StraighterLine (http://www.straighterline.com), offers several options for taking freshman and introductory-level classes online at a discounted rate. The "Freshman Year for $999" allows a student to take up to 10 StraighterLine courses for $999 - a savings of more than 90 percent versus the first-year tuition at many colleges. Students can also enroll in a subscription package of online college courses for $99 a month. Both programs include up to 10 hours of one-on-one instructional support.

About NextStepU:

NextStepU (www.NextStepU.com) is a national college, career and life planning resource, which reaches more than 4 million readers. NextStepU, publisher of the award-winning NextStepU magazine, also offers custom print publishing, lead generation and interactive planning tools nationwide.

About StraighterLine:

StraighterLine provides students with a new online option for obtaining required college credits from accredited colleges and universities. StraighterLine's affordable online college courses are the first to include up to 24/7 live, on-demand instruction. Student-earned credits may also be transferable to non-partner colleges that recognize StraighterLine's partner's courses as equivalent programs. There are no set due dates for StraighterLine courses, and students may start and stop at any point.

For more information, visit http://www.straighterline.com or call 202-507-7020 or 1-877-str8erline (1-877-787-8375).