The United States ranks 12th in the world in the fraction of 25-65 year olds who have completed four years of college, though as recently as 1990 the US ranked first in this measure (Cascio, Clark & Gordon 2008). Likewise, the U.S. Department of Education has declared that increasing the college attendance and completion rate nationwide is a major policy goal.
This research develops, implements, and tests a series of interventions to increase college enrollment among New Hampshire (NH) high school seniors. The study centers on whether seemingly small costs, such as the time to complete an application or to learn about the application process is an impediment to high school seniors applying to college. The steps needed to complete an application, the SATs (Scholastic Assessment Test) and the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) are both new and somewhat involved to many students. Do perceived or mental costs present a barrier to college entry? To address this question the investigators will identify students who have the academic ability to complete a college degree, but who have failed to file a college application by the winter/spring of their senior year. After identifying target students, the researchers will implement a set of interventions to motivate these students to complete the college application process, file the FAFSA, and to enroll in college in the following fall. By generating additional enrollments, the anticipated outcome is that many of these students will persist in college and complete a four-year degree.
To identify the causal impact of the interventions, students in the target audience will be randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups or to a fourth control group. The control group will not receive any of the interventions in the study. High school transcripts for each student in the treatment group will be collected and sent to the admissions staff at an applicable NH public college, university, or community college for screening. For qualified students, the admissions staff will generate a letter indicating that the student has a strong probability of admittance if they choose to apply. These letters will then be used to administer three treatments. In the first treatment, students will be mailed the letter directly from the admissions staff notifying them of their strong probability of admittance. In addition, the letter will provide information regarding the benefits to college attendance and instructions for completing the college application and FAFSA. The second treatment will be identical to the first treatment; however, students will also receive a phone call from a member the admissions staff from the relevant college or university. The admissions staff member will discuss the benefits of attending college and will offer assistance in completing the application and the FAFSA. For the third treatment, the student's high school guidance counselor will be offered overtime hours to present the letter and to facilitate the student in completing the college application and the FAFSA. Short and long run outcomes for students in the three treatment groups and the control groups will be compared using data from the National Student Clearinghouse and the NH public college and university system. Short run outcomes include application rates to public colleges and universities. Long run outcomes include college enrollment, persistence and completion. The operative theory of change to be tested is whether high school seniors will significantly alter their college going plans based on a "fast track" letter indicating a strong probability of acceptance to their local college or university. The researchers hypothesize that the letters will be salient and motivational in getting the students to update their beliefs about their own ability to attend college. Broader Impact The PIs are developing a policy road map for expansion of college going and completion rates. Research findings will contribute to a better understanding of how to increase college access for disadvantaged students and students who are the first in the family to attend college. Men in the U.S. are falling behind women in academic achievement and college completion. Many college going interventions appear to assist women more than men, which further widens the gap. The research will also shed light on gender differences in college going and attainment as well as generate hypotheses about why such interventions work differentially by gender
