What are Ascend Certifications?

Education is so, so much more than a degree. 

With everything you’re learning, studying, practicing, and doing outside of college, you’re also investing heavily in your personal and professional future. And we’d like you to get credit for that. 

In fact, we’d love nothing more than for you to be able to share your accomplishments with your family, friends, future schools, or possible employers in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand. 

With that in mind, we’ve built three years of Ascend Certifications — certifications that document and verify your unique accomplishments during your time in Ascend and present them in a powerful way. Students who complete all three years of Ascend also receive the ultimate Unbound Certification, the highest honor Unbound currently accords. 

Ascend certifications are tied to a unique badging system with both online electronic and physical components. Want to add your certification to LinkedIn or send it to a potential employer? Go right ahead. Want to show off your physical certification? You’ll receive your certificate at the completion of each year of Ascend. 

What’s even cooler is that these certifications stack. In other words, each year you’re in Ascend is a year filled with new accomplishments, new projects, and new skills and experiences. Your certifications build on each other. But you can also step out of Ascend after any year, and you’ll still have whatever certifications you have earned to that point. 

So keep learning, with the confidence that the experience you’re gaining will make a difference in your life — and will be recognized.