College Readiness Assessment
Category: Pathways to and Through Postsecondary
Recent work highlights the challenge of scaling evidence-based educational programs. We report on a randomized controlled trial of a financial incentive program designed to increase the efficacy of a national remote college advising initiative for high-achieving students. We find substantial positive effects of the program on student engagement with college advisors; applications to well-matched colleges and universities; and review of financial aid awards. Yet treated students were no more likely to enroll at higher-quality institutions. Student survey responses suggest that institutional admissions and affordability barriers, alongside student preferences to attend institutions closer to home, explain the lack of enrollment effects.
Keywords
financial incentives, college advising, college success, scale, experimental evidence
Education level
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/eq1p-f735
