ERIC Number: EJ1375510
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jun
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3737
EISSN: EISSN-1935-1062
Financial Aid Nudges: A National Experiment with Informational Interventions
Lindsay C. Page; Bruce I. Sacerdote; Sara Goldrick-Rab; Benjamin L. Castleman
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, v45 n2 p195-219 Jun 2023
Despite high prices, many college students do not re-file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or file late, making college less affordable. Low-cost technological interventions delivering personalized information and/or advising may improve refiling and academic outcomes, but questions remain regarding the efficacy of this approach at scale. This multi-pronged randomized experiment tested informational and framing text message interventions for a national sample of approximately 10,000 undergraduates. The text outreach caused earlier FAFSA re-filing for some students. However, gains in re-filing during the active intervention period were not sustained after the intervention concluded and did not translate into additional federal financial aid or improved postsecondary persistence or attainment. Implications for the scaling and targeting of nudging are discussed.
Descriptors: College Applicants, Student Financial Aid, Financial Aid Applicants, Paying for College, Undergraduate Students, Intervention, Prompting, Computer Mediated Communication, Federal Aid, Academic Persistence, Graduation, Costs
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A160400