FAFSA push raised enrollment in Tennessee
Advise TN’s early‑intervention FAFSA work lifted college enrollment by three percentage points (a 6% bump), with the biggest gains among Hispanic, female, and rural students — a practical playbook for community colleges chasing underserved Houston-area prospects. The win underscores that targeted application support can move the needle. (x.com/i/status/2036446687649210648)
A new working paper by Taylor Odle and Isabel McMullen titled "When and Why Does College Advising 'Work:' Evidence from Advise TN" was released as EdWorkingPaper No. 25‑1371 and documents the program’s implementation and impacts. (edworkingpapers.com) The evaluation leverages Advise TN’s staggered rollout, comparing 33 participating high schools to 31 applicant-but-not-selected schools and estimating effects with event‑study and difference‑in‑differences designs. (edworkingpapers.com) Researchers trace the causal chain to early filing behavior: FAFSA completion rose by about 7–8 percentage points and state financial-aid applications increased roughly 3–4 points prior to observed enrollment gains. (education.wisc.edu) The study flags specific design features associated with larger effects—full‑time professional advisors embedded in schools, multiple student‑advisor meetings, in‑person or hybrid delivery, and manageable advisor caseloads. (edworkingpapers.com) Advise TN is run by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and places advisors in high schools, reaching roughly 4,000 juniors and seniors per year and serving tens of thousands of students across nearly 50 schools since the program’s launch. (collegefortn.org, wcer.wisc.edu) The authors note the lift in initial college entry did not consistently translate into improved persistence or degree completion and recommend connecting high‑school advising to college‑based academic supports for longer‑term outcomes. (edworkingpapers.com)
