This qualitative study examines the Black college tours implemented at Inkster High School which exposed high school students to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the Midwest, South, and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. While there is substantial grey literature that describes the Black college tour…

The traditional college-age population is shrinking: fewer high school graduates pursue higher education each year, resulting in declining student enrollment at colleges across the country. At the same time, there are now more than 40 million Americans who have stopped out of college with some credit and no credential or degree. By opting out or…

Despite high aspirations, many students do not complete postsecondary education. Some scholars advocate for providing more college information to increase enrollment and reduce attainment gaps but this approach overlooks what school counselors and students do with information. Based on interviews and participant observations drawn from 20 urban…

This dissertation examines how first-generation high school Students of Color from California's San Joaquin Valley navigate digital marketing and advertising during their college search and application processes, offering a timely contribution to the study of college admissions in a post-affirmative action landscape. Higher education institutions…

With the declining number of students interested in pursuing STEM courses such as Bachelor's Degree in Biology as evidenced by low enrollment, HEIs currently offering and those which intend to offer the academic degree program are competing and looking for ways to increase their competitiveness. Hence, several efforts have been made in response to…

Purpose: University selection in higher education is a complex task for aspirants from a decision-making perspective. This study first aims to understand the essential parameters that affect potential students' choice of higher education institutions. It then aims to explore how these parameters or priorities have changed given the impact of the…

Decades of research have been conducted on the factors [i.e. family socioeconomic status (SES), urban-rural divide (household registration) and high-school type] associated with higher education selection. However, few studies have disentangled the relationship between each factor and the mechanisms of inequality among these factors in higher…

In response to the critical shortage of a diverse teacher workforce, Temple Education Scholars is a "Grow Your Own" dual enrollment program model designed to promote access to postsecondary education and educator diversity. Grow Your Own programs have frequently been cited as a promising and potentially sustainable model for addressing…

In the Netherlands, the implementation of mandatory procedures in which prospective students do a final check on their initial higher education program choice (so-called matching procedures), were introduced to improve student-program fit. We argue that prospective students who lack feelings of fit with the program during these matching procedures…

This study aims to develop a comprehensive HEI choice intention (CI) model to understand how social influence (SI), brand equity (BE), and HEI factors influence attitude toward HEI (HEIA) as well as how the HEI attitude is a mediator of the relationship of these variables with the HEI CI. Data collected from 1633 high school seniors via online…

College choice is one of the most significant decisions a family will make. Families with high socioeconomic status often hire independent educational consultants (IEC) to assist their family in college search activities. A review of the literature indicated a gap in the literature regarding IECs' understanding of the factors which influence their…

This study is part of a randomized control trial examining the results of a promise scholarship program, the Degree Project (TDP). Half of the ninth graders in one Midwestern urban school district were notified about a $12,000 promise scholarship offer if they met certain GPA and attendance requirements (2.5 GPA and 90% attendance). This analysis…

The college major choice is a critical decision students make as they progress along their education and career pathways. In addition to defining what programs of study students will take during college, major choice affects students' success and satisfaction. However, the National Center for Education Statistics (2017) reported that within three…

The decisions to go to college and where are life-altering. Accordingly, college choice theory has been a necessary framework for understanding access and destinations in postsecondary education. The author argues for the need to depart from framing college-going around "choice" and puts forth a timely and context-driven alternative to…

Given their lower socioeconomic background and achievement, immigrants and their descendants have been shown to make more ambitious decisions regarding educational transitions. While previous research has extensively analysed transitions within and after compulsory education, research on late transitions is scarce. This study focuses on the…