Options Institute

See the Options Center for our College Access and Success programming

See our College Access Training Online Learning page for asynchronous course.

The Options Institute provides professional development in college access and success, offering the following:

• a focus on specialized knowledge and skills for high quality advising
• a focus on working with underrepresented populations
• workbooks, handouts and electronic resources
• facilitation by current practitioners and experts in college access
• intensive, interactive methods with real-life scenarios
• attention to the needs of adult learners, allowing participants to build on what they know and immediately apply what they learn

Our hallmark program is the Foundation Course for College Access Counseling. Our new online course, College Access Training, is based on our signature foundations course we have offered since 2005. Both ways of completing our training cover the essential knowledge counselors need to help young people through the college process. The program emphasizes fundamental counseling skills and youth development approaches to working with students.

The Options Institute also contracts with organizations to develop and provide training. We have worked with the NYC Department of Education, New York Cares, and CUNY’s College Advising Corps, Harlem Children’s Zone among others. The Options Institute has also trained for Chicago Public Schools and for Portland Public Schools, Oregon. 

Options Institute Trainings

Registration is open for the 2023-2024 academic year.

• If you have an account with us register here.
• If you are new to the Options Institute become a member here.

OUR VISION: All young people will have meaningful opportunities to earn quality postsecondary degrees.

OUR MISSION: Increase the number of underrepresented people who gain access to college and earn quality postsecondary degrees through Options’ counseling, training, evaluation, advocacy and dissemination of best practices.