Recent high-profile research has shown that direct mail efforts to help low-income students apply for admission to elite colleges and universities can be an effective outreach measure with the potential of leading to greater socioeconomic diversity among undergraduates at competitive institutions.
This summer, Yale University is taking research-based practices and employing them directly to a cohort of high school seniors, many of whom university officials would like to see applying for fall 2014 admission. The school’s undergraduate admissions office has launched an educational campaign to inform low-income families about the affordability of a Yale College education.
In June, the admissions office sent tailored mailings to 16,000 high-achieving rising high school seniors from low-income families. The information pointed out that parents earning $65,000 or less are not asked to make any financial contribution to the cost of their child’s Yale education; the $15,857 average yearly net price for Yale College for all students receiving financial aid; and the online link for a new website where families can compare Yale’s net price to the average net price paid by students receiving financial aid who attend a public university in their home state.
In August, the admissions office will send another mailing to the same 16,000 students that will include instructions for applying to Yale and securing an applications fee waiver.
“Traditionally, we haven’t done the supplemental mailing for these particular students,” said Jeremiah Quinlan, the Yale undergraduate admissions dean.
“We’re doing this in response to the Hoxby-Avery research, which says if these high-achieving students from low-income families who typically don’t apply to selective colleges and tend to be geographically isolated, then direct mailing is one of the most effective ways to reach out to these students,” he explained.
