The SOURCE Program: An Intervention to Promote College Application and Enrollment Among Urban Youth

Can a simple, low-cost intervention increase the number of low-income high school students taking the necessary steps to go to college? The SOURCE intervention matches high school juniors with trained university student advisors/mentors who offer guidance on taking the SAT, choosing colleges to apply to, and filling out college applications. The intervention also provides financial experts to help families complete financial aid forms. This study will randomly assign approximately 3,000 high school juniors from the Los Angeles Unified School District to either an intervention group or a control group. The investigators will compare rates of SAT taking, college application submission, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion, college enrollment, financial aid obtainment, and college course completion. Results from this study will be useful to education policymakers and may help expand access to higher education.