This journal article investigates the research and policy implications of test optional practices, considering both sides of the debate. Drawing on the expertise of higher education researchers, admissions officers, enrollment managers, and policy professionals, it provides a much-needed evaluation of the use and value of standardized admissions tests in an era of widespread grade inflation.

AIR’s Dr. Rachel Dinkes joined panelists from academia, policymaking, and the U.S. higher education system to discuss who should foot the bill as postsecondary education expands in the United States.

This journal article discusses findings from a study in which researchers developed a machine learning classifier to predict nontraditional student dropout.

This journal article uses data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study and hierarchical generalized linear modeling to examine both student- and school-level characteristics that explain variations in college enrollment among African American men and women (with Caucasians included as a contrast group). The results showed that student-level characteristics, including gender, socioeconomic status, and race, were all significant predictors of postsecondary enrollment.

This journal article presents findings from a study of whether disability status and course delivery format affect course completion at a Historically Black College. The results show that students with disabilities are just as likely as peers without disabilities to complete courses, but students with disabilities were less likely to complete online versus traditionally delivered courses.

This journal article provides a review of causes and policy solutions of two equity problems: (a) Too many college students from disadvantaged backgrounds in the United States do not complete their coursework with any college credential, whereas others earn degrees or certificates with little labor market value; and (b) many of these students also struggle to pay for college, and some incur debts that they have difficulty repaying. Solutions include those focused on both individual students and institutional reform.

This journal article uses student-level data to investigate how the college application behavior of underrepresented minorities (URMs) changed in response to the 1998 end of affirmative action in admissions at the University of California (UC). The results show that all URMs experienced a drop in their probability of admission to at least one UC campus.

This research seeks to understand the financial characteristics of HBCUs that enroll a large proportion of students who come from low-income families and how these characteristics influence student success in STEM. The study used secondary data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to examine the financial metrics of HBCUs that are associated with the percent of students awarded Pell grants. The sample size consists of 84 four-year HBCUs that submitted financial information to IPEDS. Included in this sample are HBCUs that serve undergraduate students with active grants funded through the National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program.

In a recent virtual event, College Promise hosted a panel featuring top academic voices to discuss this disconnect. The panel heard from CARPE Director, Alexandria Walton Radford, and other experts on top priorities for research in the field, including economic benefits from a national, federal, and state partnership, the future of the workforce, and how this affects postsecondary education and underemployment amongst college graduates.

This call to action discusses the disproportionate impact from COVID-19 on Black, Latinx and Indigenous students, who have been hardest hit by practices and policies that result in credit loss when they transfer.