"Smart is sexy," according to The Right Stuff online dating service.
The self-proclaimed "Ivy League of dating" service was originally open to alumni and faculty of the 50 top-ranked colleges or universities -- as ranked by U.S. News & World Report -- but was recently opened to include undergraduates as well.
Twenty-nine percent of the current and former members of The Right Stuff are affiliated with Penn.
The approximately 5,000 members, aged 20 to 88, are able to search through brief profiles by specifying desired gender, age, location and school.
"Education really selects for a lot of values and orientations," said Dawne Touchings, creator and president of The Right Stuff.
Touchings -- who said that she was using the New York Times Magazine personals when The Right Stuff was founded in 1993 -- got the idea to make an "introduction network" based on education level after reading the wedding announcements in The New York Times.
"I was always really surprised that people tended to be matched up with people who have a similar educational background," she said.
Penn Dental student Derek Sanders echoed Touchings' sentiments that education factors into relationships.
Sanders -- who said that members "might want someone who's on the same level" -- mentioned that at the Penn School of Dental Medicine, "There's got to be at least five couples in every class" as well as "a minimum of four faculty members who met their spouse in dental school."
After providing proof of status as a student, graduate or faculty member, those joining The Right Stuff post a short profile and complete a one-page biography -- which can be ordered by other members for $3.10 -- to give a more detailed account of their personality and interests.
Although online dating "scares" Nursing sophomore Jaclyn Lange, she said she finds it comforting that The Right Stuff asks for proof of association with the schools.
"At least you know a little bit about a person," she said. "With another online dating service, all of [a member's information] could be made up."
Although The Right Stuff is unusual in the fact that it is highly selective based on school, the service also requires a membership fee, unlike many other Web-based social networks.
A six-month membership to The Right Stuff costs $70, but full-time graduate students and undergraduates -- who The Right Stuff is specifically targeting -- get a discounted rate.
Sanders mentioned thefacebook.com, friendster.com and JDate.com, which enable members to at least post a short profile at no cost.
Although he's never tried online dating, Sanders said, "The one thing [about The Right Stuff] that scared me was the price."
"If you asked a student to pay for dating, I don't think they'd do it," he said.
Measuring her success, Touchings said that there is an average of two marriages a month between The Right Stuff members.
