The Virtual Student Outreach for College Enrollment (V-SOURCE): no statistically significant impact

V-SOURCE is a 15‐month college advising program designed to provide low‐income students with more of the information, reminders, and support that higher‐income students typically receive when applying for college. The intervention is designed to facilitate access to advisors and targets high school students on track to be academically eligible for admission to a 4-year college in California’s public system. The study tested two versions of V-SOURCE. The “Complete Program” provided access to a personal advisor who met with students online and via text; the “Milestones Program” provided access to a fully automated advisement system. Both versions provided access to the V-SOURCE website, which included an on-line SAT study program and email and text reminders to complete application activities. Both V-SOURCE programs offered milestone rewards ($20 electronic gift cards) to students after they completed four key milestones: registered for the SAT, took the SAT, submitted two college applications to public postsecondary systems in California, and submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on time.
Featured study. In this IES funded study, Phillips and Reber (2018) conducted a randomized controlled trial study that examined the effects of V-SOURCE on several outcomes, including FAFSA completion, college application, enrollment, and persistence. Sufficient information was reported by the authors for the WWC to review the enrollment and persistence outcomes.
Study findings. The study did not find a statistically significant impact on any of the main outcomes relevant to the WWC, including college enrollment.
WWC study rating. The study used a randomized controlled trial design and meets WWC standards without reservations. Access the full study review in the WWC’s review of individual studies database.