A few years ago, opponents of affirmative action claimed admitting students of color into institutions that were too challenging for them was setting these students up for failure. This “mismatch” theory explained why students of color were more likely to drop out without completing a degree. However, a new study has raised a more intriguing theory. In Crossing the Finish Line, researchers found no evidence of any “mismatch” problem for Hispanics; what they found was a large “undermatch” problem.
According to this “undermatch” theory, students whose pre-collegiate preparation seems to qualify them to attend more selective four-year institutions do not enroll in these institutions. Some of the reasons provided for this undermatch included Latino students’ financial concerns, difficulty in completing the federal financial aid application form (FAFSA), lack of information and proper guidance, failure to apply to more than one “match” institution and a lack of a college-going culture at students’ high schools.
In fact, research in Crossing the Finish Line found the more selective the institution Hispanic students attended, the higher their rates of graduation. From a policy perspective, this finding would imply the educational attainment of Latino students can be improved by reducing the number of undermatched students. This sounds like a simple solution. But what would the public policy to improve student matching look like? Fundamentally, this would require public policy addressing the factors that influence Latino students’ college choices in more effective ways than have been accomplished heretofore.
Conventional wisdom on college choice is that students will enroll in the “best” institution they can get accepted to. And, for many students, the definition of “best” fit is based on financial aid offered, institutional prestige and academic programs offered. However, in contrast to this conventional wisdom, many Latino students we spoke with made their college choices based on other issues. They looked at college costs, location, and accessibility.
