Internet Site Matches Students and Colleges

By Julie Blair

Auctions aren’t just for farmers and their livestock anymore. A new Internet site that launched its interactive matching process this month now allows price-conscious students and their parents to bid on a college education.

The site, eCollegebid.com , began matching students, their portfolios, and their tuition bids with colleges across the nation on Nov. 2, said Tedd D. Kelly, the president of Consultants Educational Resources and Research Inc. in Falls Church, Va., who came up with the concept.

"Last year, there were 500 colleges and universities that had vacancies out of about 2,000 schools total," Mr. Kelly said. "Colleges are going to fill those spaces at whatever cost it takes. No school wants [enrollment numbers] to be down because it looks like...