Wyzant Provides $100,000 in Free Online Tutoring to Students in Need

Andrew Geant, Wyzant’s CEO, explains the company’s motivation. “As soon as we learned schools would be closing, we knew that private online tutoring was a perfect solution to provide the extra support students would need. It's safe, flexible, and most of all, human. Unfortunately, at $25/hr and up, it's also out of reach of many low-income students.”

The program launched in late March, and hundreds of students have already received $200 free tutoring vouchers. They are using it for personalized support in a wide range of subjects including algebra, social work, biostatistics and Spanish.

The free tutoring vouchers are being administered through nonprofit partners who select participating students in need of additional support. Current partners include:

• Chicago Scholars
• Braven
• Noble Schools
• One Million Degrees
• Kids First Chicago
• Urban Initiatives

One of Wyzant’s partners is Chicago Scholars, which helps academically ambitious students from under-resourced communities complete college. CEO, Dominique Jordan Turner, explains the difficult adjustment their students are going through and how tutoring has helped. “"As our high school and college Scholars have had to quickly transition to virtual learning — all while there are so many urgent things happening in their lives — Wyzant has been there to help. By offering our Scholars free tutoring services, they are making sure the transition to virtual learning is as seamless as possible for our students and that their academic achievements don't suffer during the COVID-19 crisis."

Nia Curry is one Chicago Scholar taking advantage of the free tutoring. “The tutoring is extremely helpful because I’m not able to have that one on one time with my professor because of COVID-19 and my college being closed down. I’ve met with my tutor at least once a week just to cover material my professor didn’t describe well enough via zoom or to get ahead so that I can be prepared for the next class.”

Another organization that Wyzant is supporting with free tutoring is Braven, which supports first-generation and low-income college students. “The Braven community is extremely grateful for Wyzant’s generosity,” said Jeana Kim, Head of Product at Braven. “Our Fellows now have access to free 1:1 tutoring to ace their classes, which is so important in an increasingly competitive job market.”

One student who received access to the tutoring through Braven is Josie, a 43-year-old mother of seven, who went back to school to become a social worker after she turned 40. When her school, Rutgers, went to online classes, she was overwhelmed with anxiety. “At first it was mass confusion. When I heard about the free tutoring through Braven, I clicked through to Wyzant, searched for “social work,” and was amazed at the selection of tutors. My tutor, Liz, is a professor as well as a social worker who specializes in family and children social work, which is exactly what I want to do. We are now meeting every Tuesday morning. She calmed me down and helped me come up with a plan. I now have a coach in my corner, and I’m so much more confident. This has been a game-changer for me.”

Become a Nonprofit Partner

If you’re interested in partnering with Wyzant to provide free tutoring to low-income students, please contact [email protected].

About Wyzant

Wyzant takes the guesswork out of finding a qualified tutor you can trust. Since 2005, millions of students all over the globe have looked to Wyzant for help in subjects ranging from math and science to computer programming and foreign languages. It’s easy to browse profiles and reviews, message tutors, book lessons and conduct tutoring online using Wyzant’s powerful online learning platform. At Wyzant, there are no commitments or expensive pre-paid packages. Every lesson is pay-as-you-go, and if you don’t love your first hour with a new tutor, it’s free, guaranteed.