Removing Barriers to College Access with Ray Thiry

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Raymond Thiry from Access ASU.

Ray highlights the complex requirements for college eligibility—such as 16 core required courses and a minimum GPA—that often differ from state high school graduation requirements. Without monitoring these, many students miss out on university options they are close to qualifying for.

Ray notes that high school counselors in Arizona (and beyond) are stretched thin, with ratios around 650:1, making it hard to track and support all students in becoming college-eligible.

Access ASU bridges these gaps for students—especially first-generation college-bound students—by providing hands-on support for applications, FAFSA, and navigating system complexities. Ray and his colleagues work directly with K-12 schools and communities, often in  ...