RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Freshman Year Financial Aid Nudges: An Experiment to Increase FAFSA Renewal and College Persistence
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
DO 10.3368/jhr.51.2.0614-6458R
A1 Benjamin L. Castleman
A1 Lindsay C. Page
YR 2015
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2015/11/20/jhr.51.2.0614-6458R.abstract
AB In this paper we investigate, through a randomized controlled trial design, the impact of a personalized text messaging intervention designed to encourage college freshmen to re-file their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and maintain their financial aid for sophomore year. The intervention produced large and positive effects among freshmen at community colleges, where text recipients were almost 14 percentage points more likely to remain continuously enrolled through the spring of sophomore year. By contrast, the intervention did not improve sophomore year persistence among freshmen at four-year institutions, among whom the rate of persistence was already high.