April 21, 2026

Direct Admissions, True Cost, and the Future of College Search with Luke Skurman

How can Direct Admissions benefit both students and colleges? Why is it important for students to consider more than just academics when picking a college? What is True Cost? Tune in to hear the answers to these questions and much more!

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About the episode

In this episode, CEO and founder of Niche Luke Skurman shares the origin story of the platform, from its early days as College Prowler publishing physical college guidebooks to becoming one of the most widely used college research tools in the country. Luke explains how a frustrating college search experience of his own inspired him to build a resource centered on student life and user-generated content, not just academics.

Luke then dives into two of Niche’s most exciting recent innovations: direct admissions and True Cost. He breaks down how direct admissions is shifting the power dynamic in favor of students and families by pairing upfront admission offers with scholarship awards, and shares how the product has grown to over 170 partner colleges. He also discusses True Cost, Niche’s new tool designed to give students and families a clear, apples-to-apples comparison of what college will actually cost them long before decision day.

Mentioned in this episode

Host

Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut.Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Guest

Luke Skurman

Luke Skurman is the founder and CEO of Niche, a company changing the way students choose their best-fit schools and colleges, and how institutions build their future classes via Niche Direct Admissions. Luke’s work on Direct Admissions was cited as one of Time Magazine’s best inventions in 2024. Luke’s expertise on education, entrepreneurship, and leadership has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, WSJ, CNN, and Fortune. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of its Board of Trustees. In 2016, Luke was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Pittsburgh, where he resides with his wife and their three children.