Recent Publications
Small Changes, Big Impact: Reducing Administrative Burdens in State Financial Aid (2024)
While maximum award amounts tend to grab headlines, the fine print can make all the difference in whether students can access and retain state aid. Those most impacted by extraneous and time-consuming processes and requirements are first generation and low-income students. This report provides a roadmap for NCAN members to audit their state financial aid programs to identify areas for improvement.
Pell Dollars Left on the Table (2024)
Financial aid makes education after high school more affordable – but first, students have to apply for this funding. And for a variety of reasons, that does not always happen. The high school class of 2023 left an estimated $4 billion+ in Pell Grants on the table by not completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more about why this matters and what states and the federal government can do to help more students apply for financial aid.
- Read the full "Pell Dollars Left on the Table" analysis.
- Explore how many Pell Grant dollars students missed out on in each state.
Features of Effective State Financial Aid Programs (2023)
State financial aid is a critical piece of college affordability for students from low-income backgrounds. Despite this, there is far less scrutiny on these programs than on federal financial aid. The result is a patchwork of 50 different state systems with lots of variation. This report describes the effective features of state financial aid programs as a resource for our members working on advancing college affordability through state policy.
Using Data in Postsecondary Advising to 'Lift' Completion Likelihood (May 2022)
Where students matriculate to college matters as much as whether they do so, and changes in matriculation can have a big effect on the likelihood of eventual completion. The postsecondary advising provided to students (and their families) by school counselors, college access advisers, and other programs and trusting adults should bring institutional completion rates to the forefront and guide students to the destinations most likely to see them attain a degree or credential. This research shows doing so can provide a substantial boost.
The Burden of Proof: Impact of and Solutions for FAFSA Verification (November 2021)
While the often-tricky FAFSA filing process gets much attention, the follow-up procedure called verification can be even more burdensome – for both students and financial aid administrators.
In this report, college access practitioners and financial aid administrators joined together to recommend solutions to ease the process for all involved.
Building Momentum at the State Level: NCAN Members Share Policy Priorities (September 2021)
Education Commission of the States (ECS) conducted interviews with members of the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) in six states to gather insights into current and critical state policy issues. This summative paper outlines the findings of
these interviews, which took place between May and July 2021. The interviews also gathered input from members on how NCAN can best advance state policy and advocacy efforts.
To complement this paper, ECS produced a state profile for each of the six participating states.
Schools Can Stop Summer Melt: Lessons Learned from the Wisconsin Text Steps Project (August 2021)
This NCAN brief offers insights and lessons from K-12 practitioners who implemented a text messaging intervention for summer melt prevention.
District and school leaders, school counselors, and other K-12 practitioners considering how to help their graduating seniors take their next steps should consult this new resource.
Advancing Equity in College Attainment: Strategically Designing Scholarship and Support Programs (May 2021)
Do donor-driven scholarship funds meet the needs of students? Do they advance equity in college attainment? In numerous instances, the answer to both questions is “no.” Scholarship funds housed at community foundations often have complex, merit-based
selection criteria and use evaluation methods that are exclusionary or do not recognize the countless barriers faced by first-generation students, students of color, and students from low-income backgrounds.
This white paper outlines four basic approaches that community foundations can use to renovate their scholarship programs.
Read an overview blog post and explore the full white paper.
FINISH Strong: Strategies CBOs Can Implement Now to Increase Postsecondary Enrollment (April 2021)
This guide is a compilation of resources to help community-based college access and success organizations (CBOs) as they reach out to encourage students to complete the enrollment process and attend college in the fall. The guide is divided into
six practice areas:
- F: FAFSA completion effort.
- I: Innovate using technology.
- N: National Student Clearinghouse data as a tool.
- I: Involve parents and peers.
- S: Strategies to decrease summer melt.
- H: Hope and help to connect to resources.
Each section of the guide includes program examples provided by a variety of inventive and resourceful NCAN member organizations.
Read an overview blog post and explore the full guide.
'Scaling Success Services' Paper Series (March 2021)
NCAN established the Success Replication project, with the generous support of a Michael & Susan Dell Foundation grant, to help organizations ensure students they had served in high school complete postsecondary credentials. Over three years,
12 organizations set out to expand their student success services in their respective communities. What we learned was a pretty clear formula for scaling success services, which we’ve outlined in a new paper series.
Read a blog post overview of the series here.
Read the full "Scaling Success Services" series:
Publication Archive
Topics: FAFSA | NCAN Member Benchmarking Project | Policy | Working with Students | Other
FAFSA
Exploring Ways to Enhance FAFSA Efficiency: Exploring the Relationship Between FAFSA Verification and Pell Grant Award Change (August
2020)
Historically, it's been difficult to determine the big-picture impact of FAFSA verification across all filers who are selected for this process. This brief is the first comprehensive review of the effect of FAFSA verification on Pell Grant awards. Read
a summary blog post.
FAFSA Completion by District Poverty Level Across the United States (December 2019)
According to this analysis, in 37 states, the average FAFSA completion rate in higher-income school districts surpassed that of lower-income school districts.
White Paper: FAFSA Verification: Good Government or Red Tape? (November 2018)
This paper outlines what verification is and how the process impacts students. We also offer policy recommendations to lessen the negative effects of verification and help more students access aid.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between School District Poverty and FAFSA Completion, June 2016-18 (October 2018)
In most states, school districts with higher rates of children living in poverty have lower FAFSA completion rates.
Moving the Needle on FAFSA Completion (October 2017)
This report discusses how changes to federal financial-aid policy can broaden access to higher education.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between School District Poverty and FAFSA Completion in June 2016-17 (October 2017)
This report takes a closer look at school district FAFSA completion rates and how they are related to district-level poverty rates across and within states.
Increasing FAFSA Completion Among Low-Income Students: Lessons From Four States That Are Doing It Well (August 2017)
This qualitative study analyzes FAFSA completion initiatives within California, Minnesota, Nevada, and Utah.
NCAN-Member Pulse Check: FAFSA Verification Flexibility (July 2017)
Verification alternatives made the FAFSA 2017-18 verification process easier and faster for students who were able to take advantage of them, according to 87 college access professionals from NCAN member organizations.
Half the FAFSA: Cutting the Red Tape to Postsecondary Study Aid (January 2017)
This report outlines one possible FAFSA simplification effort, its costs, and the results of experimental user-testing.
NCAN Member Benchmarking Project
The Benchmarking Project is helping NCAN learn more about the postsecondary enrollment and graduation rates of students served by our members.
Closing the College Graduation Gap: Enrollment and Completion Outcomes by Race/Ethnicity and Gender (June 2019)
The brief uses data on students from the high school class of 2011 from NCAN’s Benchmarking Project to examine enrollment and completion rate outcomes and compare them to a national sample from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC). Read
a blog post about the findings.
NCAN Benchmarking Breakdown: Which Services Matter Most? (January 2018)
A team of Master’s candidates in the Public Administration program at the George Washington University worked with NCAN to analyze a 300,000-student dataset to determine which college access services and service pairs offered by NCAN members correlate
with an increased likelihood of postsecondary enrollment and/or completion. Read a blog post about their findings.
Policy
By 2017-18, just 25% of four-year public institutions were affordable nationally, and the average affordability gap was $2,406. In the same year, 45% of two-year public institutions were affordable, and the average affordability gap was $640.
The Growing Gap: Public Higher Education's Declining Affordability for Low-Income Students (May 2019)
In 2016-17, just 48% of community colleges in our sample were affordable for the average Pell Grant recipient. Only 27% of four-year public institutions were affordable.
White Paper: Shutting Low-Income Students Out of Public Four-Year Higher Education (May 2018)
An astounding 75% of residential four-year institutions – including 90% of flagship institutions – failed our affordability test for the average Pell Grant recipient.
College Access and Success Strategies That Promote Early Awareness in Middle-Level Grades (July 2017)
This white paper offers guidance on how to equitably design CSAs, early commitment scholarships, place-based promise programs, and informational campaigns to best serve low-income populations of families with middle-grade students.
Working with Students
This NCAN report examines four school districts’ efforts to improve their students’ postsecondary outcomes. Read an overview blog post and explore the full report.
This brief, written in partnership with the Education Commission of the States, examines the actions needed from both states and districts to keep students on track, through high school graduation and the summer, for a postsecondary pathway. Read an
introductory blog post and explore the full brief.
K-12 College and Career Readiness Calendar (September 2020)
This 15-month calendar tracks major college and career readiness activities and offers the best resources for conducting them.
Four for the Fall: A Blueprint for Supporting the High School Class of 2021 (September 2020)
This guide outlines four key steps for district and school leaders, school counselors, teachers, and community partners to take to keep seniors on track for a postsecondary pathway. NCAN identified these four because they are tactical, conceptually clear,
and backed by strong resources that help practitioners with implementation
Immediate Next Steps for Helping High School Seniors Transition to a Two-/Four-Year College or Certificate Program (April 2020)
This guide outlines five concrete actions district and school leaders and personnel can take right now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to help their senior class effectively transition to postsecondary education.
The Data That Matter and the Plans that Work: New Districtwide Approaches to Student Success Beyond High School (March 2020)
This brief examines five school districts and partner organizations using big ideas to improve their students' postsecondary outcomes and discusses steps for replication for others who want to do the same. Learn more about the To & Through Advising Challenge.
Understanding Hispanic Student Academic Undermatch & College Completion (March 2020)
A team of graduate school researchers from the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration dove into a project around the phenomenon of academic undermatch, specifically among Hispanic students served
by NCAN members.
Keys to Success: NCAN Members’ Postsecondary Success Services (June 2019)
A team of Master of Public Policy candidates at the George Washington University worked with NCAN to examine the nature of postsecondary success services provided by members and whether students’ outcomes vary depending on the types of success services
they receive. Read a blog post about their findings.
White Paper: Connecting College and Career Success: Lessons on Advising, Data and Partnerships (June 2017)
In 2017, NCAN's annual Spring Training series focused on connecting career success with NCAN members’ college access and success services. This white paper focuses on the lessons learned from this training series.
Idea Incubator Series: Managing the Database Lifecycle and Ensuring Quality Data (June 2017)
Idea Incubator Series: Incorporating Fit and Match Into College Advising and Program Data (April 2017)
Financial Aid Eligibility Mindsets Among Low-Income Students: Why Do Some Believe They Can't Receive Financial Aid for College? (October 2016)
Previous research has suggested that most students who do not apply for financial aid do not think they are eligible. However, our research told a different story. In general, participants who did not apply for financial aid lacked information about their
eligibility.
What Does the Research Say about Early Awareness Strategies for College Access and Success? (March 2016)
This report explores the published literature on early awareness strategies for college-going. Given that published literature on this subject is sparse, it also includes internal evaluations and program-reported data.
Supporting Best Practices in Student Success: Lessons from the Field (July 2013)
Access to college holds little value for students if they do not stay enrolled and complete a college credential. With a grant from TG Philanthropy, NCAN assisted four member organizations in establishing or expanding programs to support students during
college.
Preparing to Dream: A College Access and Success Initiative Uniting Five Houston-Area School Districts (January 2013)
Preparing to Dream, a four-year initiative (2007-11) funded by the Houston Endowment, built a college-going culture in five Houston-area school districts.
Using Data and Inquiry to Build Equity-Focused College Going Cultures (September 2011)
The Student Success Toolkit Demonstration Project helped teams of school-based practitioners heighten their awareness of inequities in the rates of college-preparedness and college-going among their students at two Boston high schools.
Other
Although
Children’s Savings Account (CSA) programs and college access-success programs share a common goal of increasing college-going and college graduation rates, these efforts are often isolated. While we
understand that combining or partnering between programs can be challenging, we believe there are powerful incentives for these two fields to align their efforts in states and communities.
White Paper: The Surprising Way Community Foundations Can Transform Students' Lives and Delight Donors (May 2017)
This white paper outlines steps community foundations can take to reach maximum effectiveness and impact with their scholarship funds.
