Up to three-fourths of college students can be classified as "non-traditional", yet whether typical policy interventions improves their education and labor market outcomes is understudied. I use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the impacts of a state financial aid program aimed towards non-traditional students. Eligibility…

This study explores undocumented Latinx students' college access experiences through a racist nativist framework to understand how the ideologies of racism and xenophobia underlie the possibilities of pursuing college aspirations. This article describes five particular ways in which racist nativism underlies undocumented Latinx college access…

College advisers were forced by COVID-19 to adapt the services they offer to effectively reach students online. While many say they have discovered more innovative and efficient ways to reach students, they also report a fair amount of challenges that have made certain tasks--such as protecting student privacy or working through the Free…

Lions Connected (LC) is an inclusive postsecondary program approved by the U.S. Department of Education; thus meeting rigorous program standards and accountability. Equally important is that it gives eligible students from rural areas the opportunity to receive federal financial aid to attend college. The purpose of developing LC was to meet the…

Even as the number of Latina/o students going to college has increased in recent years, Latino male students continue to face barriers in accessing America's institutions of higher education, a topic that remains complex and understudied. Using national survey data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we sought to understand the role…

Four National College Attainment Network (NCAN) member organizations in California participated in interviews to discuss state postsecondary access and attainment policy. Interviewees expressed that they felt a strong connection to NCAN's state policy priorities and that virtually all are a high priority in California, except for equitable free…

Three organizations and six individuals participated in interviews for New York state. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) members interviewed in New York consistently identified two themes as top priorities: affordability, including a broader definition of the true cost of college and ongoing advocacy for sufficient state financial…

Three organizations (a total of four individuals) participated in interviews regarding postsecondary access and attainment policy in Tennessee. Each of the interviewees identified Tennessee Promise as the centerpiece of postsecondary affordability conversations within the state. Some interviewees articulated an ongoing need to improve…

The Texas state profile consisted of interviews with five participants from four National College Attainment Network (NCAN) member organizations in the state. Common priorities identified by members included postsecondary affordability, need-based aid, and postsecondary funding. There was a strong consensus that the economic factors of the…

Decisions about whether and where to go to college can make a difference in students' later success. However, many students from low-income families--"undermatch"--they do not enroll at all or do not enroll in the most selective college they likely could attend. The full study to these study highlights examined whether promising advising…

In signing the Higher Education Act of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson described education as "the most important door that will ever open." Earning a college credential can mean a better living and a better life for students and their families. But to earn that credential, students must first navigate the admissions process. Education…

California will need a stable, high-quality teacher workforce to weather the COVID-19 crisis and support student learning in the coming years. However, persistent and worsening teacher shortages threaten the state's ability to meet that need. Teacher shortages, which are often most acute in high-need fields and high-need schools, more severely…

Enrollment managers strategize to transform high school students into college freshman, also known as ripe honey, but efforts are stifled when rising tuition costs negatively impact graduation rates. Tuition prices have risen from $500 to upwards of $60,000 and rising in just 50 years, and higher education is under fire for the continual rise in…

A growing body of research indicates that proactive outreach from high schools and college access organizations about college preparation tasks, and specifically focusing on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), results in increased college enrollment. Comparatively less attention has been paid to the role of colleges…

Working has become commonplace among college students in the United States; however, this activity can have unexpected financial consequences. Federal formulas implicitly tax the amount of financial aid some students are eligible to receive by as much as 50 cents for each marginal dollar of income. In this article, I document this college…