This article examines the strategies of a 'new rich' class in China to transmit advantages to their children through admission into highly ranked overseas universities. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents (n = 16) and students (n = 60) at international high schools that cater to the local population in Shenzhen. The findings…

According to the National College Attainment Network (NCAN, 2023), each year, thousands of high school graduates leave billions of dollars in federal student aid unclaimed because they do not complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To holistically investigate this phenomenon, this dissertation accomplished three goals. The…

The transition from high school to college can be a nerve-wracking process for any student, but some students may face more obstacles than other students along their journey. Hispanic students currently make up roughly 18 percent of all college students and are one of the largest minority groups at universities nationwide. However, based on…

We show how young people's expectations about application to university change during the teenage years, drawing on the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE). We reveal the pattern of change by family background, prior attainment at the end of primary school (measured by Key Stage 2 tests) and, critically, the combination of the…

The perception of college affordability and financing is a grim one, fueled by the very real rising costs of higher education, as well as media coverage of how much students and their families are borrowing. While this perception is understandable given the realities of paying for college, how do students and parents feel about the process of…

This is the Executive Summary for the full report, "Complexity in College Admission: The Barriers between Aspiration and Enrollment for Lower-Income Students." In September 2007, the College Board formed the Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century in response to a request from the Guidance and Admission Assembly Council (GAA…

In September 2007, the College Board formed the Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century in response to a request from the Guidance and Admission Assembly Council (GAA Council) to more closely examine the high school-to-college transition process. Students and parents complained about the lack of transparency in the process, the confusing…

In September 2007, the College Board formed the Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century in response to a request from the Guidance and Admission Assembly Council (GAA Council) to more closely examine the high-school-to-college transition process. Each spring, at the conclusion of the college admission cycle, there is much discussion in the…

Increasing numbers of students expect to attend college after high school (U.S. Department of Education 2006). This set of Issue Tables, the second in a series examining students' preparation for college, draws on data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:02) to highlight postsecondary expectations and plans among the senior class of…

Discusses parents' use of early decision/early action (ED/EA) in college admissions to maximize the odds of admission at prestigious colleges and the implications for college admission programs. Topics discussed include the reasons for the surge in ED/EA, differences between ED and EA, the applicant pool, who benefits from ED application, and the…

The numbers are astonishing and unfortunately all too familiar--while four in five high school students expect to complete a college degree, fewer than a third will actually emerge from the high-school-to-college pipeline with a baccalaureate six years after high school graduation. A growing number of parents see a college degree as absolutely…

The extent to which financial concerns cause high-ability high school students who desire highly-selective colleges to choose less-selective institutions was investigated, as was the influence of student and parent characteristics on this decision. Data collected from 1,483 students in six cities in the United States show that the more a…

A survey of 19 diverse two- and four-year colleges in Ohio investigated the availability and use of online applications for college admission, parent and student awareness of and planning for financial aid, the perceived value and cost-effectiveness of online aid applications, and public-policy implications relating to the use of technology for…

Aspects of colleges that were important to parents of high school seniors for the process of selecting a college were assessed in a 1978-79 survey. A sample of parents of high school seniors who had combined Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of 100 or greater and who were residents of six metropolitan areas in the United States were…

The effects of concern about price of college and student aptitude for college upon the tendencies of parents and students to change their preference for private colleges to public colleges at the application stage of the college selection process were examined through two surveys conducted by Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota. In one…