Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound: Impacts on Steps Toward College

A new study finds that certain kinds of advising can help disadvantaged students take steps towards enrolling in a more selective college. The Institute of Education Sciences released a report today (October 18, 2018), entitled Study of Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound: Impacts on Steps Toward College. As part of the study, the U.S. Department of Education tested a set of promising, low-cost advising strategies, called Find the Fit, designed to help low-income and “first generation” students enrolled in the Department’s Upward Bound program choose the best college they can and stay until they complete a degree. About 200 Upward Bound projects with 4,500 seniors agreed to participate. The projects were randomly assigned to receive Find the Fit to supplement their regular college advising (treatment group) or to offer their regular advising (control group). This first of three reports looks at Find the Fit’s effects on students’ steps toward enrolling in a more selective college. Key findings include: Find the Fit increased the share of students who applied to at least four colleges, and to more selective colleges. For example, students in treatment group projects were about 10 percentage points more likely to apply to four or more colleges and to those with a selectivity level of at least “Very Competitive.” Find the Fit had no impact on the importance students place on academic quality in choosing a college. About 75 percent of students in in both treatment group and control group projects rated this factor as “very important.” Overall, Find the Fit did not affect the share of students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 15, when not only federal but also state and individual colleges’ aid is usually still available.  But the advising may have increased early FAFSA submission among some groups underrepresented in college.  For example, students in treatment group projects who were Black or had low college entrance exam scores (a proxy for academic preparation) were 10 and 8 percentage points more likely, respectively, to complete the FAFSA early than their control group peers.