Does Enhanced College Advising Impact Where and How Long Students Attend College

Decisions about whether and where to go to college can influence later success. However, many students from low-income families “undermatch”—they do not enroll at all or not in the most selective college they likely could attend. This report examined whether promising advising strategies, bundled in a package called Find the Fit, could improve college choices and persistence. The study focused on high school seniors served by the federal college access program Upward Bound, who are typically from low-income households or would be the first in their families to attain a four-year college degree. The study found— Although Find the Fit shifted college applications towards more selective colleges, it did not reduce the rate of undermatch in enrollment decisions Find the Fit did lead some students to choose more selective colleges regardless of undermatch, with no clear negative consequences such as higher college costs or rates of dropping out Find the Fit’s enhanced advising did not increase the share of students who persisted or completed college Find the Fit included customized information about college going and costs, text messaging of application and financial aid deadlines, and training for student advisors. About 200 Upward Bound projects across the country volunteered to test Find the Fit, with half randomly selected to get access to it during the study period. This final report compared the college choices of 4,500 students in projects with and without access to Find the Fit to determine its effects on college attendance.