HELPING STUDENTS MAKE INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT COLLEGE

The EdResearch for Action Overview Series summarizes the research on key topics to provide K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students. Authors – leading experts from across the field of education research – are charged with highlighting key findings from research that provide concrete, strategic insight on persistent challenges sourced from district and state leaders.

Celeste Carruthers | University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Oded Gurantz | University of Colorado Boulder

Lindsay Page | University of Pittsburgh

March 2022 | Brief No. 23

Central Question

How can schools and districts help students make well-informed choices about college?

Key Insights

Breaking Down the Issue

  • On average, a college education translates into higher earnings and non- monetary benefits that recover the upfront investment of time and money, but the pandemic has disrupted many students’ plans for college.
  • The cost of college rose steeply for decades but is currently holding steady or declining.
  • Students who want to go to college often fall behind in completing the necessary steps for applications, especially if they are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • About 10 to 20% of graduating seniors who are accepted to college do not enroll by the fall after high school.

Strategies to Consider

  • Providing students more access to college counselors and setting aside time for college applications during the school day can raise college enrollment.
  • Beyond whether to go to college and how to apply, students benefit from guidance on where to apply and enroll.
  • Tracking student progress and facilitating targeted outreach and support can improve students’ likelihood of completing the application process.
  • Connecting with students during the transition between high school and college helps them fulfill their postsecondary plans.

Strategies to Avoid

  • Pushing all students to take Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment courses will not necessarily improve college readiness or enrollment.
  • Relying strictly on the experience and choices of prior cohorts may narrow the guidance that students receive about where to apply.
  • Rigid advice against taking out loans may limit a student’s options and make it more difficult to succeed in college.

Breaking Down The Issue

The United States has several thousand colleges and universities and at least as many grants, scholarships, and loans that help cover the cost to attend. This bewildering array of options is further complicated for students by anxiety about taking on debt, and, for students those on the fence about going to college at all, a welcoming job market.

On average, a college education translates into higher earnings and non-monetary benefits that recover the upfront investment of time and money, but the pandemic has disrupted many students’ plans for college.

The cost of college rose steeply for decades but is currently holding steady or declining.

  • The sticker price of college (published tuition plus fees) rose by 1 to 2% from 2020 to 2021, slower than inflation. After subtracting grants and scholarships for tuition and fees and adding other costs (e.g., housing and books), the typical net cost of attending a public college or university has been flat or falling since 2015.
  • For low-income students, colleges that appear expensive can actually be significantly cheaper than less competitive colleges with lower published tuition rates.
  • Nonetheless, many students will need loans to afford college. Taking out a college loan is a personal investment with some degree of risk.
    • In 2019-2020, 55% of public and nonprofit four-year graduates had college loan debt, not counting loans their parents took out for them.
    • Most high school students are eligible for college loans from the federal government; 26% of undergraduate students borrowed Federal Direct student loans in 2020-2021. Federal interest rates on college loans are typically lower than for other types of debt, but paying off student loans still takes many years.
    • About 20% of borrowers are in default, which has serious consequences for their financial aid eligibility, credit rating, and even their take-home pay.
    • Many students in default are those with smaller loan balances who attended college but did not graduate, particularly those who attended for-profit or community colleges.
  • Applying for financial aid via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an arduous process. This is especially true for lower-income students who often face additional steps to verify their family income and other details.

About 10% to 20% of graduating seniors who are accepted to college do not enroll by the fall after high school.

  • Summer transition tasks, such as taking placement tests, setting up tuition payment plans, managing unexpected costs, and organizing transportation to campus, can stand in the way of a seamless transition to college.

Strategies to Consider

Providing students more access to college counselors and setting aside time for college applications during the school day can raise college enrollment.

Beyond whether to go to college and how to apply, students benefit from guidance on where to apply and enroll.

Tracking student progress and facilitating targeted outreach and support can improve students’ likelihood of completing the application process.

  • Some states provide reports to school counselors about student progress with tasks like submitting college applications and filing the FAFSA.
    • Text message communication from school counselors to students improved completion of key college-going tasks such as taking entrance exams, applying to college, and completing the FAFSA.
  • In one randomized control trial, students whose families received FAFSA support from tax preparers were 29% more likely to complete at least two years of college. Simply informing families of the importance of the FAFSA had no impact.

Connecting with students during the transition between high school and college helps them fulfill their postsecondary plans.

  • Proactive summer support from high schools or colleges can help college-intending students complete summer transition tasks, such as taking placement tests, and enrolling on time.
    • In one experimental study, summer support from a high school advisor reduced the number of students who left the college pipeline by 19%. Effects were considerably larger for students from low-income backgrounds.
    • In another experimental study, a university communicated with incoming first-year students using a text message chatbot that provided personalized reminders and assistance. This helped students complete required pre-matriculation tasks and reduced summer attrition by 21%.

 

Strategies to Avoid

Pushing all students to take Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment courses will not necessarily improve college readiness or enrollment.

Relying strictly on the experience and choices of prior cohorts may narrow the guidance that students receive about where to apply.

Rigid advice against taking out loans may limit a student’s options and make it more difficult to succeed in college.


This EdResearch for Action Project brief is a collaboration among:

Funding for this research was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the foundation.

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