Editorial: Colleges should recruit low-income students

On Sunday, The New York Times wrote about a surprising fact in higher education: Students who are high-achieving but from low-income families do not apply to, attend or graduate from highly selective colleges at nearly the same rate that high-achieving students from other socioeconomic groups do. This is despite the fact that the more selective colleges generally provide more financial support and more generous resources than the nonselective colleges that these students mostly attend.

The researchers from the University of Virginia who were involved in this research project were trying to determine why students from this category have a low rate of applying to top American colleges: Is it because they don’t want to go to these colleges, or is it because of a lack of information?

In the study, the researchers prepared folders of information about elite colleges — their financial aid policies, admission standards and graduation rates — and sent them to a randomized group of students. According to the article, among a group of low-income students who had very good standardized test scores, 30 percent of the control group, who did not receive the information packet, gained admission to top colleges, while 54 percent of students who received the admissions information packet gained admission to colleges matching their academic standards.

This study has important implications because most colleges work actively to increase the diversity of their student bodies, and the results of this study could help colleges reach more diverse groups of students. Hopefully in response to this information, elite colleges will attempt to reach students from a wider variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.

This outreach could take place in many forms, from information packets like those used in the study, to outreach done by college students. Elite colleges could focus more on sending students to mentor in low-income neighborhoods in order to help reach more students and increase applications from a wide variety of students. For example, admissions and tour-guide groups such as Pitt’s Pathfinders could go and present information about their colleges at lower-income high schools. Sometimes, one of the best ways to get out information about colleges is by word of mouth, and focusing on outreach to a wider variety of students could boost diversity at all colleges and could help high-achieving, low-income students find a selective college that fits their needs.

Hopefully all colleges will take from this study that the information they send to students should be clearer, and they should not simply rely on the high school guidance counselors to provide college-bound students with information regarding a variety of schools. While most colleges send out photo-heavy ads to students encouraging them to apply, it can sometimes be difficult to find accurate information about tuition, fees and graduation rates. Directing students toward these facts could help them make the most informed decisions.

All high-achieving students should be able to apply to colleges that fit their needs the most — and hopefully top colleges will act to make sure they’re reaching all successful high school students, not just those in certain locations or socioeconomic groups.