Campus News

Study: Better information needed to attract qualified low-income students

A new study makes the case that low-income, high-achieving students are choosing not to go to selective colleges because they are getting poor information.

The study by economists Caroline Hoxby of Stanford University and Sarah Turner of the University of Virginia offered evidence that giving students better information about cost, quality and other factors led to better outcomes in choosing affordable, selective colleges.

These low-income students often get tripped up by the listed price of tuition versus how much they would pay with financial aid and are confused by higher education terms, such as “liberal arts.”