How text message assistance can increase college enrollment by 8%

Nudges: shaping the environment to guide behavior in a predictable way without changing incentives or available options.

“Summer melt”: a phenomenon where students’’ academic achievements decline between the end of one school year and the start of the next. 

College-intending high school graduated fail to enroll to college

Studies show that there is around a 40% difference between in the number of students who are accepted to college and the number that actually attend in the end.¹ This gap may be due to the complicated list of tasks that colleges require their students to complete to successfully enroll, such as organizing finances, filling out housing forms, and completing placement tests. The complexity of the paperwork and deluge of new information may lead to procrastination and suboptimal decision-making. As these tasks generally need to be done in the summer after high school, students also no longer have access to support from their high schools. This is particularly overwhelming for low income or first-generation college students who may face more uncertainty about college life or whose parents may lack knowledge about the enrollment process.

Adolescents are more likely to procrastinate on difficult tasks

The period of time when students must prepare for college also occurs when neurological systems necessary for self-regulation are still underdeveloped. They are more likely to engage in hyperbolic discounting and thus forgo tasks that can bring long term benefits - such as completing college and financial aid processes - for activities that provide more immediate pleasure. The complexity of decisions they have to make may also cause stress and undermine their confidence to make decisions about their future.² 

Support from a counselor to increase enrollment rates

The three interventions were conducted to find the most cost efficient way of mitigating the “summer melt” and increase enrollment rates. The first intervention tested whether support from a school counselor over the summer could increase enrollment rates. They randomly selected a treatment and control group from 90,000+ college-intending students in the metro-Atlanta area of Georgia. The treatment group received a proactive outreach from a counselor over the summer, while the control group did not. First, the counselors met with the students in-person and created a list of tasks that needed to be completed to start college in the fall. Then, the counselors followed-up with the students over the summer by text, email, phone, and in-person meetings (when necessary).  

Personalized text message reminders and peer-mentors to provide support

Two follow-up interventions were conducted to test whether the outreach process could be automated using personalized text message reminders, and if peer mentors would be as more effective than support from counselors. For these two interventions, the researchers randomly selected from a sample of approximately 12,500 students from the Philadelphia metropolitan area. To test the effectiveness of personalized text message guidance, 8-10 text messages were sent to students and their parents over the summer reminding them of key tasks that needed to be completed for their intended college. The messages also offered help from a school counselor. 

For the intervention using peer mentors, current college students, who had overcome the “summer melt” and successfully enrolled, contacted the students to assess their readiness for fall enrollment. Then, they held multiple in-person meetings or made phone calls to assist the prospective college students along the process.

4E framework

The 4E framework of behavioral change is composed of four strategies for improving interventions through  increased access to services, incentives, information, and social networks. The framework comes in many forms, which are typically dependent on the field to which it is applied. In this example, the students are encouraged to enroll in college by enabling, encouraging, engaging and exemplifying particular behaviors that are conducive to successful college enrollment. The proactive outreach from counselors and peers enable the students to make responsible decisions. The peer support also provides encouragement to the students to enroll. By helping students understand what they need to do, the intervention engages them in the process. Finally, the peers exemplify that enrollment can be accomplished successfully. 

High school graduates benefit from summer counseling

Almost 50% of students in the treatment group met with the counselor during the summer, while only 2% from the control group did. The summer counseling support increased college enrollment by approximately 5%-8%. In follow-up focus groups and interviews, students revealed that the primary reason they enrolled was because counselors helped them qualify for financial aid and helped them access important information. Additionally, the students who were offered assistance were also more likely to stay in college, as students in the treatment group were 7% more likely to stay for the spring semester of freshman year and 9% more likely to stay through the fall semester of sophomore year. 

Personalized text messages and peer mentoring increase enrollment

Text message reminders increased enrollment in two-year institutions by over 3%. Overall, the text messages were most effective with students from low-income backgrounds. Peer outreach increased four-year enrollment by approximately 5%. 

• Provides a cost effective way of increasing college enrollment, specifically for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 
• The intervention focuses primarily on providing support to students who may not have adequate help from their parents. 
• The presentation of research methods and analysis of data is inadequate for replication.

Texting Students Towards College Success

There is an abundance of literature on how the use of text messages can improve postsecondary outcomes. However, there remain some details of these interventions that need to be ironed out, such as, if the timing of messages has an effect. In this interview, Dr. Ryan Yeung explains how his research on text messaging can be used to increase enrollment and success of students in college.

Nudging kids to school with Emily Bailard and Steven Masnajak

Prior to the pandemic, 1 in 6 children were chronically absent from school. Today, 1 in 3 are chronically absent. Why is this the case? This episode discusses how certain nudges, such as text message reminders, have actually backfired and reduced attendance. Additionally, they delve into how the nuances of these nudges makes it difficult for schools to implement behavioral interventions and how schools can implement them more successfully to reduce growing school absenteeism.