A survey of students in Grades 11 and 12 examines the resources they turn to for college information collection across student race, family income, and parental education levels
A troubling finding from the study is that there are disparities in access to information. The study examined how college information gathering differs based on the family incomes of students, parental education level, and a student’s race/ethnicity. While about one-third (34%) of white students indicated they had difficulties finding the college information they wanted, a higher percentage (44%) of Asian and Black students reported difficulties with finding college information.
“Deciding what college or postsecondary option is best for you can be overwhelming, yet there has been little examination of what sources students consider helpful for learning about college,” said Research Scientist Dr. Joyce Z. Schnieders, who authored the report along with Principal Research Scientist Dr. Becky L. Bobek. “We found 78% percent of students agreed that the more information they used, the more confident they felt in making a college or major decision. Yet these findings also show there is a staggering information gap for today’s students that requires immediate attention from postsecondary institutions and high school staff who aid students in making the momentous decision about whether to pursue postsecondary education — and, if so, at what institution they want to pursue it.”
Amid continued speculation that a four-year college or university is becoming a less attractive option for many high school students and young adults, this latest installment in ACT’s Student Voice research shows that high school students are indeed actively seeking information about postsecondary education. Students have complex questions about college opportunities, and a lack of accessible, trustworthy information about universities can be a barrier.
The study examined the sources students found most helpful and used most often across two categories: material sources (e.g., websites, social media, and search engines) and people sources (e.g., teachers and current college students). On average, students used a combination of eight material and people sources to gather information about postsecondary opportunities. College websites were reported as the most used and most helpful resource, as well as other online resources, such as search engine and the FAFSA website. Additionally, students reported having conversations with trusted individuals as part of their information gathering, such as a high school counselor or family member.
“It is extremely important that we are identifying gaps in information — particularly across income and racial/ethnic lines — so we can help ensure all students are able to make the most responsible and informed decisions possible for their futures,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said. “As college admissions continues to change and students are required to navigate an ever-evolving landscape where different postsecondary institutions have different requirements for applying, we need to be aware of the resources that students find most useful and most accessible — and where information deficiencies exist so those deficiencies can be rectified.”
Based on their findings, ACT researchers provided the following recommendations to better support students with college decision making:
- Colleges and universities can provide instruction pages on their websites to help prospective students learn how to find information and navigate their websites.
- High schools can provide workshops to help students learn how to find different types of information.
- High schools can support all students by ensuring they have equal access to information. For example, if students lack tech devices or reliable internet at home, schools can arrange for these students to use school-owned devices to learn about college.
- High schools can invite students and their parents or guardians to be partners in learning more about college and what is needed to successfully apply, enroll, and attain a certificate or degree.
- High schools and colleges can coordinate to connect high school students with current college students.
- ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC), which works with designated coordinators in nearly every state to host college application events and reach students in their schools and communities, assisting them in applying to college.
- Encourage, a free planning app for college and career success, empowers students to find colleges and scholarships matching their interests, abilities, budgets. Students define their goals, outline personal journeys, achieve milestones, and identify scholarships through the app’s matching tool, which also guides students through their personal financial aid journey.
Additional key findings:
- Among all material sources, the most used source was college or university websites for gathering all four types of college information (i.e., college characteristics, college majors, college life, and college costs; ranging from 69% to 82%). About two-thirds of students (65%) selected campus visit in person as their source to gather information about college characteristics, and more than half (54%) used this source to learn about college life. Four out of 10 students (39%) also used campus visit opportunities to collect information about college majors or programs of study.
- Fifty-seven percent of students talked about college characteristics with a family member, 34% of students talked about college majors with a high school counselor, 46% talked about college life with a current college student, and 36% talked about cost and/or financial aid with a high school counselor.
- Students from moderate-to-high-income families were significantly more likely to talk with their family members, friends, and current college students to learn about college information, compared to students from low-income families.
- Students from moderate-to-high income families were significantly more likely to check a college or university website, use a search engine, and visit a campus in person to learn about college information than students from low-income families.
- Students from low-income families (71%) were significantly more likely to use the FAFSA website to gather information about college costs and financial aid than students from moderate-to-high-income families (59%).
About ACT
ACT is transforming college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential. Grounded in more than 65 years of research, ACT’s learning resources, assessments, research, and work-ready credentials are trusted by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies, and employers in the U.S. and around the world to help people achieve their education and career goals at every stage of life. Visit us at www.act.org.
ACT is transforming college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential. Grounded in more than 65 years of research, ACT’s learning resources, assessments, research, and work-ready credentials are trusted by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies, and employers in the U.S. and around the world to help people achieve their education and career goals at every stage of life. Visit us at www.act.org.
Contact: Allie Ciaramella; allie.ciaramella@act.org