Admission Research

Symposium: Equity and Access in Higher Education
In the Winter 2007 issue of the Harvard Educational Review, four authors explore institutional policies (including those related to admission and financial aid) that are designed to reduce barriers to college access and increase persistence for disadvantaged students. The journal issue is available for purchase. (2/08)

Deciding on Postsecondary Education: Final Report
This report from the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative examines the information that potential students use and need in making decisions about postsecondary education. Special emphasis was given to underserved students (non-traditional aged, minority, and students of low- and moderate- socioeconomic status) participating in the college search and decision making process. Qualitative data were gathered and analyzed from 11 focus groups with 90 participants in eight states. Secondary data were collected via a review of over 80 sources in the research literature.
The literature review indicated that parents, guidance counselors, mainstream media, college brochures, and institutions are primary sources for information about college. For each group of focus group participants, cost, major/program of study, and convenience/location were major determinants in the college search, application, and matriculation processes. Online web-based resources are quickly gaining prominence among current and recent high school graduates who participated in the focus groups. Findings from this research suggest the need for comprehensible information, additional resources, and improved assistance for prospective college students and their families. (1/08)

The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2007
The Higher Education Research Institute has released results of its 2007 survey of college freshmen. The survey covers a wide range of student characteristics, including parental income and education; ethnicity and other demographic items; financial aid; secondary school achievement and activities; educational and career plans; and values, attitudes, beliefs, and self-concept. The 2007 survey also includes information about students’ perceptions of parental involvement in their college search process as well as information about students’ use of social networking sites. A research brief summarizing the results is available online. The full report is available for purchase. (1/08)

College Navigator
Students, parents, high school counselors and others can use College Navigator—from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)—to search for information about nearly 7,000 postsecondary institutions in the United States. College Navigator (which is replacing COOL) allows users to search for colleges and universities by a variety of characteristics including programs offered, degrees offered, institution type, price, selectivity, distance from home, school size, institutional mission, extended learning opportunities for adults, and intercollegiate athletics programs offered. Users also can make comparisons of up to four institutions in one view, maintain a list of favorite institutions from different searches, save search sessions, and export results to easily-used formats. (10/07)

Applications for Undergraduate Admission Prior to the High School Senior Year: 2006

NACAC has gathered data on the number of colleges and universities that allow students to either initiate or complete an application for undergraduate admission prior to September 1 of the high school senior year. (8/06)