The “nudge theory” of behavioral economics tells us that people are much more likely to commit to an option if it is the default, as opposed to something they have to actively opt into. So why aren’t we doing more in education to put students on a path to success as a default?
An obvious example of this is the college admissions process. It used to be that the high school diploma was the main ticket people needed to land good jobs and achieve financial security. Those days are behind us; nearly all well-paying jobs now require education or training beyond high school. If students are going to climb the economic ladder, they will likely need a postsecondary certificate or degree.
Traditionally, colleges and universities have put the onus on students to seek them out, to apply, to secure financial aid, and if accepted, to enroll. The process is arduous; it favors those whose families have successfully navigated it before and those who have the means to pay for help. Unsurprisingly, first generation college-going students, students of color, and students from lower income families are the ones who struggle the most to make it through. Recognizing these challenges, some states and colleges are looking for innovative strategies to flip the script on college admissions. And just this week the Lumina Foundation launched a competitive grant program to inspire even more innovation.
One of the more unique approaches is called direct admissions. In this new model, students who meet certain qualifications are proactively notified that they have been admitted to participating colleges at the beginning of their senior year of high school. This means that those students can skip the uncertainty of the often-daunting college application process; they’ve earned the opportunity to attend college and, in fact, have already been accepted. This lifts a huge weight from students’ shoulders and sends a clear signal that they are indeed “college material.”
Direct admissions pioneers like Idaho are already seeing the strategy pay off, with notable increases in college enrollment. This is important not only for students, but for the colleges themselves. The pandemic dealt a serious blow to college enrollment rates across the country and that, combined with demographic shifts that will reduce the overall number of high school graduates in the coming years, has many higher education leaders concerned about their bottom line. Direct admissions could be a win-win for colleges and for students.
There are other innovative examples of making postsecondary opportunities automatic and removing barriers to student success. Take Indiana, for example. Since 1990, the state’s 21st Century Scholars program has substantially increased access to higher education by providing income-eligible students with scholarships that cover up to 100% of tuition at participating two- and four-year colleges in the state. The program has significantly increased college access and success for thousands of Indiana students over the years; but until very recently, students had to apply if they wanted to participate. As a result, only half of eligible students were signing up.
Now, with a new bipartisan state law officially in place, all income-eligible students will be automatically notified about and enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars program, removing the burden on students, families, and counselors to actively sign up. This is a huge win for Hoosiers, and will likely result in many more students having the resources they need to make their college dreams a reality.
The promising early impact of these strategies begs the question: what else could we make automatic to smooth the path to economic mobility for more students?
In my view, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is one major area of opportunity. Financial concerns are a top barrier to higher education access; navigating the financial aid system shouldn’t be. Year after year, more than a million students who are eligible for federal financial aid don’t apply and billions of dollars are left on the table. This is due, in large part, to how complex the application process is and how much of the onus is on the students and their families.
It should be much easier for students from low-income backgrounds to access financial aid if they’ve put in the hard work to prepare for college. Fortunately, progress is on the horizon. Later this year, the U.S. Department of Education will launch a drastically simplified FAFSA that, with user consent, will automatically import income information from the Internal Revenue Service. The new system will not only make it much simpler for students to complete the FAFSA and get quick information about their financial aid eligibility, but should greatly reduce the number of students selected to go through the often onerous and intimidating verification process. This is an important step forward, but why not go further by proactively determining the financial aid students are eligible to receive and then notifying them about that eligibility rather than making them seek it out?
Additionally, as their importance becomes more indisputable, leaders should make it more automatic for students to access advanced courses that enable them to earn college credits while in high school, and to earn industry-recognized credentials that will build their resumes and provide currency in the job market. These opportunities should not be limited to students with the resources and know-how to opt into them; schools and districts should be leveraging what they know about students’ interests and academic qualifications to proactively get them enrolled. And states should be considering how to modify their high school graduation requirements to make college and career pathways a greater priority.
Too many hardworking students fall short of their full potential because navigating pathways to opportunity can be overly burdensome. By doing more to bring opportunities directly to students, instead of expecting them to go out and find them, we can set many more of them on a pathway to upward economic mobility.
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