Selective College Matching for Low Income First Generation Students Gear Up Conference April 2016

Workshop Objectives Understand the rationale for launching a Selective College Match effort Learn the criteria used in selecting the most appropriate “college match” college Explore the components of YPIE’s Selective College Match program and how its effectiveness is being measured

Yonkers Partners in Education We believe that every student we work with has the right to earn a college degree and have the opportunity to forge a successful career and meaningful life Nonprofit, community based organization established in 2008 Private donor and grant funded Programs and services built on four s trategic pillars: college awareness college readiness college access college persistence

Yonkers, NY Fourth largest school district in New York State ◦27,000 students ◦31 Pre K-8 Schools; 8 high schools Ethnicity 54% Hispanic 22% Black 17% White 7% Asian Low Income/First Generation ◦75% free and reduced lunch; 90% free and reduced in high schools Academically Underprepared 14% college and career ready as defined by NY State

Meet Josh – Class of 2015, Gorton High School

Why a Selective College Match Initiative? Students from households in the bottom income quartile make up just 3% of enrollment at the nation’s most competitive colleges. Students from the top economic quartile comprise 72%. Only 23% of high-achieving, low-income students apply to selective schools. Only at the most selective schools do high-achieving, lower- income students graduate at rates equal to students from higher income backgrounds. Graduation rates sharply decrease for lower-income, high-achieving students in less competitive schools. Selective schools provide more financial aid, more resources, and increased retention supports. Ja 2016 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Report

Many first generation, high-achieving students unaware of and not applying or attending the most selective colleges they qualify for. Student under matching diminishes college graduation rates and earning potential Yonkers students deserve the opportunity to graduate from the nation’s best schools with manageable or no debt. Why a Selective College Match Initiative?

Create a database of selective colleges appropriate for low-income, first generation students Support students and families to navigate the application and enrollment process to top tier colleges Increase Yonkers students’ applications/acceptances/completion at selective colleges Goals

Where to Begin ◦95 colleges and universities in 12 states within 400 miles of Yonkers ◦Based on USNWR Top 100 Lists and Other Research Quantitative Research ◦Method One Criteria ◦Method Two Criteria Qualitative Research Creating the YPIE Selective College Match database

METHOD ONE CRITERIA ◦>97% freshman living on campus ◦>91% freshman retention rate ◦>11% Pell grant recipients ◦>17% diversity ◦<$29,000 ending student debt METHOD TWO CRITERIA ◦>80% graduation rates for underrepresented minorities ◦<4% lower than graduation rates for non-minorities Quantitative Research

60 Selective Colleges Meeting Criteria 15 colleges meet Method Two criteria Amherst Barnard Bates Boston Coll. Bowdoin Brandeis Brown Bryn Mawr Clark Colby Colgate Columbia Conn. Coll. Cornell Dartmouth Dickinson Georgetown Hamilton Harvard Haverford Hopkins Middlebury MIT Mt Holyoke Princeton Skidmore Swarthmore Tufts Union UPenn UVirginia Vassar Wellesley Wesleyan Wm. & Mary Williams Yale Boston Univ. F & M Hobart RPI Smith St. Lawrence Syracuse UConn Babson Bentley Binghamton Bucknell Emerson Holy Cross Lafayette Loyola Maryland Muhlenberg NYU UVermont Villanova Wash & Lee Wheaton (MA) Worcester Poly 8 colleges meet Method One criteria 37 colleges meet both Method One and Two criteria

Admissions Representatives ◦Head of Admissions ◦Westchester Representative ◦Diversity Representative Diversity/First Gen Recruitment/Orientation Events Support Services for First Gen Students ◦Academic ◦Financial ◦Social/Emotional/Other Other Notable Programs and Services Qualitative Research

Program Metrics College Admissions (at Barron’s Tier 1-4 Colleges) # Applied #Accepted # Attending (Intentions) College Enrollment and Persistence % Enrolled within 6 months of graduation % Graduating Within 6 years of enrollment Other Relationships with selective colleges Diversity Weekend Visits College Rep Visits

Program Rollout: Class of eligible first gen/low-income students per high school based on grades, test scores – including Roosevelt High School College trips to Vassar and Wesleyan Student and Parent Meetings/List Development Summer: SAT/ACT Prep and Essay Writing Support Lined Up Volunteer Support for Essays and Supplemental Essays in Fall Diversity Weekends – Applications (Colby, Vasssar, RPI, American) Financial Aid – FAFSA, CSS Profiles Social Emotional Support

Meet Briana

Meet Jamika

Thank You Volunteers!

Selective College Outcomes – Roosevelt High School Acceptances for Five Students in the Class of 2016 American UniversityNew York University Barnard CollegeOberlin College Bard CollegeUniversity of Pittsburgh Binghamton UniversityPratt Institute Bryn Mawr CollegeUniversity of Rochester Bowdoin CollegeSarah Lawrence College Colby CollegeSkidmore College Columbia UniversitySmith College Emerson CollegeVassar College Fordham UniversityUniversity of Vermont University of Michigan

Ivy League Trailblazers

Workshop Facilitators Ellen Cutler Levy, Stephanie Russo, Jessica Striano, Yonkers Partners in Education