Working Paper: NBER ID: w19562
Authors: Christopher Avery
Abstract: This paper reports the results of a randomized trial of the College Possible program, which provides two years of college preparatory work for high school juniors and seniors in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The trial involved 238 students, including 134 who were randomly selected for admission to the program. The results indicate that the College Possible program significantly increased both applications and enrollment to both four-year colleges and selective four-year colleges; we estimate that initial enrollment at four-year colleges increased by more than 15 percentage points for program participants, but find little evidence of any effect of the program on ACT performance or college enrollment overall.
Keywords: college enrollment; randomized controlled trial; college counseling; low-income students
JEL Codes: I23; I24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Participation in the College Possible program (I24) | Applications to four-year colleges (I23) |
| Participation in the College Possible program (I24) | Enrollment at four-year colleges (I23) |
| Participation in the College Possible program (I24) | Enrollment at selective four-year colleges (I23) |
| Participation in the College Possible program (I24) | ACT performance (C22) |
| Participation in the College Possible program (I24) | Overall college enrollment (I23) |