Complexity in College Admission

1. Complexityin CollegeAdmission The Barriers Between Aspiration and Enrollment for Lower-Income Students October 27, 2011

2. Complexity in College Admission Study http://advocacy.collegeboard.org

3. Complexity 1: Goal • Understand student and parent perceptions of complexity of application process • Focus on mechanics of the admission process: • Securing information aboutadmission options • Completing applications • Filing of applications

4. Complexity 1: Findings • Not overly complex • Fairly simple, but moderately stressful • Most confusing: Understanding how admission decisions were made • Primary stressor: Different applications with different requirements Report available:http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/CB_Complexity_Report_2010_Web.pdf

5. Complexity 2: Goal • Specific look at perceptions of lower-income students and parents • What factors influence college application decisions • Is the process complex • What barriers get in the way of good application decisions • Lack of understanding • Lack of confidence • Other • What issues or people are influential in the decision

6. Survey participants • 604 lower-income students (≤$60,000) • 100 higher-income students (>$60,000) • 100 lower-income parents whose child also completed the survey

7. Characteristics of students surveyed • Have taken the SAT • Will not be in high school in summer or fall 2011 • Were able to provide plans for summer or next fall

8. Summary of Findings

9. 1 • Aspire to attend college • Are confident about navigating the admission process Lower-income students:

10. Student self-perceptions • Lower-income students have the same self-perceptions as all other students • Ways they describe themselves: • From a family that values academics • Ambitious • Like challenges • Self-confident • Optimistic • Strong emotionally • Well prepared • Self-starter • Except: Lower-income students had fewer role models for college attendance

11. Strongly agree a college degree is needed to be “successful in life”

12. Understand options, rate prestigious four-year college as top choice Mean ratings of options after high school

13. Are more likely to strongly disagree that starting at a two-year college is just as good as a four-year college

14. Have similar estimates about first-year college costs Mean cost of first-choice school

15. Understand costs include tuition, room and board

16. Experience more substantial melt between aspiration and enrollment *Enrollment patterns from previous studies

17. Recommendations • High schools and colleges: • Offer consistent support and follow-up to lower-income students • Help ensure college aspirations actually lead to enrollment

18. Examples • Host college information days/nights • Include parents • Conduct college outreach and recruitment visits • Create good informational websites (colleges) • Encourage early college options • Include community college • Participate in national programs • e.g., CollegeKeys Compact™

19. 2 • Receive plenty of information from colleges • Are more likely to be influenced by that information Lower-income students:

20. Receive print or email ads from four-year colleges

21. Are more likely to be influenced by print or email ads

22. Cite college websites and search sites as “very influential”

23. Recommendations • Colleges: • Create or repurpose informational resources for lower-income students • Secondary schools: • Point students to variety of college search and selection information sources

24. Examples • Further target and segment outreach and recruitment messaging • Reach out early to students and parents • Create outreach materials for lower-income students • Affordability and availability of financial aid • Improve student access to well-developed noncommercial, secondary information sources • Online college planning sites

25. 3 • Especially value personal support in application decisions Lower-income students:

26. Cite parents and websites as most influential source of information

27. Single out guidance counselors, teachers and other adults as “very influential”

28. Would be more likely to apply to selective collegeif met college students or rep

29. Recommendations • Secondary schools: • Support school counselors and programs that educate lower-income students about requirements for college success • Colleges and universities: • Personalize messages to students in different ways

30. Examples • Endorse programs (school districts) • National Office for School Counselor Advocacy’s Eight Components of College and Career Readiness Counseling • Create profiles of successful lower-income students • Create on-campus programs for lower-income and first-generation students • Target information to parents • Provide peer counseling support • Help find an appropriate college “match”

31. 4 • Are more likely to be concerned about costs Lower-income students:

32. Take financial aid into account

33. Are less likely to think they can afford college without hardship, but think they can stretch

34. Recommendations • Higher education institutions: • Create financial aid and assistance policies that will open access to all students • School Counselors

35. Examples • Create tools to help families understand education costs early • Support sustaining/enhancing Pell Grants • Simplify financial aid process • Especially federal application • Continue efforts to provide clear information about college costs and financial aid • Including plans that reduce loan burdens

36. 5 • Are likely to apply to fewer colleges Lower-income students:

37. Apply to fewer colleges Mean number of schools applied to

38. Particularly those lower-income students with lowto middle SAT scores Mean number of schools lower-income students applied to

39. More than one application = higher enrollment Caution: More than three, effect diminishes Report available:http://admissions21.collegeboard.org

40. Recommendations • Secondary schools and colleges: • Help lower-income students find a good fit • Encourage students to apply to slightly more colleges

41. Examples • Use common applications to broaden postsecondary choices • Endorse and support national initiatives • National College Application Week

42. 6 • Are in sync on many issues, with some exceptions Lower-income students and parents:

43. Consider financial aid integral to college enrollment

44. Agree “you need a college degree to be successful in life”

45. Believe students are going to college

46. Believe students could have gotten into a more selective college if they had applied

47. Were less likely than students to consider more selective colleges

48. Say students more likely to apply to four-year college if supported by school counselor or teachers

49. Say students more likely to apply to four-year college if high school offered academic help

50. Believe they helped students decide whether to apply to a school