For students who decide to enroll in college after high school graduation, there are numerous factors to consider when searching for potential matches and choosing from the available options. Ten recent high school graduates who participated in self-selected, ability-grouped, advanced academic courses in high school were interviewed at the end of…

There is a little information about whether and if so how student aspirations for college change over time. We introduce a conceptual model to explain how student aspirations may change over time, utilize panel methods to examine the extent to which this happens during high school, and investigate which factors are associated with such changes. We…

This dissertation is focused on understanding the expectations, beliefs, and motivations of parental involvement during the college choice process. Many high school students are under a lot of stress and pressure influenced by a culture of achievement. This culture has created a competitive college choice process and has intensified the role of…

This "2020 Perceptions of College Financing Report" provides insights that colleges and universities can use to engage students and families in conversations about cost. Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL), PLEXUSS, and RaiseMe sponsored this poll to identify the concerns high school students have about paying for college and the resources that…

This longitudinal person-centered study aimed to identify profiles of subjective task values and ability self-concepts of adolescents in the domain of mathematics, English, biology, and physics in Grades 10 and 12. We were interested in gendered changes of profile membership, and in relations between profile membership and educational and…

This mixed-methods study investigates the real and perceived barriers that African American male Edgecombe County high school students face when considering college enrollment to inform potential interventions to improve college enrollment of this market segment. Phase I of the study design included a survey of current, African American, male…

The Pentecostal movement continues to expand throughout Latinx communities. Pentecostalism has traditionally held a hostile attitude toward college education and secular academic institutions. Conversely, Latinx churches have had a positive influence on academic success. This interpretive phenomenological study extends the College-conocimiento…

This qualitative study analyzed the attitudes and perceptions of Latino migrant students who were enrolled in the Project Based Research course, towards post-secondary STEM degrees. This study centered around ten Latino migrant students, 18-21 years of age who attended a Title I high school in South Texas. All participants took the Project Based…

A gender gap currently exists in college STEM majors, with a lower percentage of females entering math intensive fields. One possible explanation is the advice students receive in high school. We conduct a survey of high school guidance counselors, soliciting their advice regarding hypothetical high school students' college and major choices. We…

Objectives/Research Question: This study aims to explore who transfers between 2-year colleges (lateral transfer students) and how these students fare in terms of degree attainment. More specifically, this research explores two research questions: (1) What are the predictors of lateral transfer? (2) Is lateral transfer associated with degree…

Drawing from two data sets -- one focused on students in high school actively engaged in the process of college choice, the other centering the perspectives of college graduates and their parents reflecting back on the process -- this article critically examines the journeys of DiaspoRican students trying to gather information and make informed…

Author Alexis Brooke Redding is an advanced doctoral student and instructor in education at Harvard University. In the spring of 2015 she spent six weeks interviewing administrators and students about the myriad pathways that bring students to Hampshire College. More than simply understanding the nature of this singular campus, her study focused…

Dual credit programs afford high school students the opportunity to earn college credit prior to graduation while exposing them to the rigor and culture of college, which may help make college more accessible to first-generation college students and underserved populations. The purpose of this study was to understand students' dual credit…

This guide offers basic considerations for starting the college search, as well as helpful tips. It also includes key questions to ask staff from college programs, covering topics such as academics, employment and student supports, housing, financial aid, and the overall campus and community experience, with room to add questions of your own.

Undocumented immigrant students represent 2% of the total U.S. higher education population. Due to their citizenship status, many undocumented high school students encounter barriers to college access including prohibitive admissions policies, increased tuition rates, and funding restrictions. Some undocumented students experience anxiety,…