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…

To shed light on factors that encourage retention among active-duty military and veterans as they pursue degrees, a mixed-methods exploratory study was designed. A random sample of active-duty military and veterans enrolled in online degree programs at one private institution was invited to participate. Students were interviewed in online focus…

Recent efforts to increase college access and completion concentrate on reducing tuition rates at community colleges, but researchers and policy makers alike have expressed concern that such reductions may not lead to long-term gains in college completion. In this paper, I use detailed data on students' college enrollment and completion outcomes…

I conduct a statewide experiment in Michigan with nearly 50,000 high-achieving high school seniors. Treated students are mailed a letter encouraging them to consider college and providing them with the web address of a college information website. I find that very high-achieving, low-income students, and very high-achieving, minority students are…

Local-level, place-based scholarships -- synonymous with "promise" scholarships -- are a policy strategy to improve college completion in the United States by directing financial aid to students in a particular school, district, or geographical area. There are currently upwards of 90 place-based scholarship programs across the US, most…

Though counseling is one commonly pursued intervention to improve college enrollment and completion for disadvantaged students, there is relatively little causal evidence on its efficacy. We use a regression discontinuity design to study the impact of intensive college counseling provided by a Massachusetts program to college-seeking, low-income…

Enrollments in postsecondary education have climbed steadily for more than 20 years. However, during this same time period, students enrolled in their school of first-choice in decreasing numbers. In fact, slightly more than 55% indicated they enrolled at their first-choice college in 2013 (Eagan, Lozano, Hurtado, & Case, 2013). Thus, more…

The Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) is beginning its ninth year rewarding students who strive to excel in high school and continue their education in degree and certificate programs in Alaska. This report covers the high school, postsecondary, Alaska residency, and workforce outcomes of the APS program between 2011-Fall 2018.

The Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) is beginning its tenth year rewarding students who strive to excel in high school and continue their education in degree and certificate programs in Alaska. This report covers the high school, postsecondary, Alaska residency, and workforce outcomes of the APS program between 2011-Fall 2019. [For…

This report is an annual look at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students' likelihood of obtaining a college degree within 10 years of beginning high school finds that 18 percent of 2016 ninth-graders are projected to earn a bachelor's degree within six years of high school graduation, a number that has held steady since 2015. The report also finds…

The Alaska Performance Scholarship is beginning its eighth year, rewarding students who strive to excel in high school and continue their education in degree and certificate programs. Since the program began in 2011: (1) 17,148 high school students have completed the eligibility requirements for APS; and (2) 7,630 students have used the…

While college enrollment among low-income students has increased steadily over the last decade, the share of students from the lowest-income families that enroll in college continues to lag considerably behind college entry rates among the highest income students. Furthermore, gaps in college completion by family income have only widened over…

The 2014 Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) Outcomes Report analyzes the characteristics of high school graduates, those who were eligible to receive the scholarship, and those who went on to make use of it during the three years of the scholarship's existence. The analysis includes their geographic, gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic…

Five years ago Alaska's high school graduating class of 2011 became the first with the opportunity to accept the state's "invitation to excellence," the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS), to pursue their postsecondary studies. Eligible graduates could receive up to $4,755 per year for up to four years to study at a participating…

The Alaska Performance Scholarship was established in state law in 2011 and first offered to Alaska high school graduates beginning with the class of 2011. Described as "an invitation to excellence" to Alaska's high school students, its goal was to inspire students to push themselves academically in areas that correlate to success in…