On this page you will find downloadable resources and links to other organizations’ sites that are of interest to admission and financial aid officers and school counselors.
Download the following resources:
Can Applying to More Colleges Increase Enrollment Rates? is a new research brief that examines two nationally representative cohorts of students as they plan for and engage in college-preparatory activities. The brief documents improvements in lower-SES students’ plans and actions associated with successfully navigating the path to college both over time and relative to their higher-SES peers. The brief also discusses the role of programs that provide students with information and guidance, and offers recommendations for continued growth in the number of lower-SES students who successfully form and implement college-going plans.
In a new research study conducted by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, Complexity in College Admission: The Barriers Between Aspiration and Enrollment for Lower-Income Students explores the special challenges facing lower-income students as they navigate the high school-to-college transition. Through telephone interviews with over 600 lower-income students and 100 of their parents, the research focuses on: the question of complexity in the college application process; barriers to applying or enrolling; and the issues or people that have the biggest influence on lower-income students’ decisions. Read also the Executive Summary of the report.
The report Cracking the Student Aid Code presents research on parent and student perspectives on paying for college.
Webinar and PowerPoint presentation on Cracking the Student Aid Code
Exploring Financial Aid Implications of Changing Demographics – Part I: Forecasting the Future
The report How Four-Year Colleges and Universities Organize Themselves to Promote Student Persistence provides a comprehensive account of what a wide range of four year institutions are doing to address their persistence and graduation rates and whether or not such practices are actually effective. The comparative data from this study offers campus officials and policymakers with tools to guide efforts to improve student persistence and graduation rates.
The report Complexity in College Admission: Fact or Urban Myth explores the topic of complexity in the admission process. Through a survey of approximately 1,000 students and parents who had recently undergone the college application process, the research focuses on questions of: transparency in the application process; overall perceptions of applying; parent experiences in securing good information about college choice; and the review process.
The report How Colleges Organize Themselves to Increase Student Persistence: Four-Year Institutions presents findings from a survey of four-year postsecondary institutions in five states, and offers insights into the efforts of these colleges and universities to improve the persistence and success of their students.
PowerPoint presentation on Preserving the Dream of America
Executive Summary of Preserving the Dream of America
Selected Data on P-20 Education in America
College Board Guidelines on Standardized Admissions Exams Statement
Read the article on “Preserving the Dream of America” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 6, 2008.
Visit The CollegeKeys Compact™ to view the final report of the College Board’s Low-Income Task Force.
Visit Winning the Skills Race and Strengthening America’s Middle Class for the January 2008 report of the National Commission on Community Colleges.
Visit Rethinking Student Aid for a summary and full report of the work of the Rethinking Student Aid study group.
Visit College Board Advocacy to learn more about the work of the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education and its report, Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future.
Visit the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education website for a summary of the WICHE/College Board/ACT report on projections of high school grades through 2022, entitled Knocking at the College Door, Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/Ethnicity, 1992-2022.
Visit the NACAC site to view the full NACAC report on the state of college admissions, entitled State of College Admissions 2008.
Visit the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development website to read a summary of OECD’s report entitled Education at a Glance 2008: OECD Indicators.
