Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face barriers to college entry. Low-income students and students who are potentially the first in their family to attend college have lower college enrollment rates than other students. Although academic preparation accounts for some of these differences, the disparities in college-going rates persist for these groups of students even when controlling for academic preparation. College access outcomes have important economic and social consequences: college graduates earn more than those with a high school degree and are more active in their communities.

This guide was prepared for the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences under Contract ED-07-CO-0062 by the What Works Clearinghouse, a project of Mathematica Policy Research. It is intended to help schools and districts develop practices to increase access to higher education. It can be useful for individuals who work in schools and districts in planning and executing strategies to improve preparation for, and access to, higher education. A panel of experts in college access programs and strategies and in research methods developed the recommendations in this guide. The guide contains specific steps on how to implement the recommendations that are targeted at school- and district-level administrators, teachers, counselors, and related education staff. The guide also indicates the level of research evidence demonstrating that each recommended practice is effective.

As with all What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide panels, this panel developed recommendations by consulting research evidence. The evidence that the panel considered in developing this document ranges from experimental evaluations of college access programs to expert analyses of college access practices. In looking for effective practices, the panel paid particular attention to high-quality experimental and quasi-experimental studies, such as those meeting the criteria of the WWC, and to patterns of practices that are replicated across programs. The research base for this guide was identified through a comprehensive search for studies evaluating college access interventions and practices.

This practice guide includes five recommendations for how high schools and school districts can improve access to higher education. The first two recommendations focus on preparing students academically for college by offering a college preparatory curriculum and assessing whether students are building the knowledge and skills needed for college. These two recommendations reflect the panel’s belief that students are best served when schools develop a culture of achievement and a culture of evidence. The next recommendation describes how high schools can build and sustain college aspirations by surrounding students with adults and peers who support these aspirations. Recommendations four and five explain how high schools can assist students in completing the critical steps to college entry, including college entrance exams and college and financial aid applications.

The opinions and positions expressed in this practice guide are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions and positions of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education.