Nudges to the Finish Line: Experimental Interventions to Prevent Late College Departure

Project Title

Nudges to the Finish Line: Experimental Interventions to Prevent Late College Departure

Project Summary

Recent evidence suggests that many college students who withdraw from their institution complete most of the credits they need to graduate before stopping out. Complex information about course sequences that lead to a degree and limited access to advising may contribute to this phenomenon. The purpose of our proposal is to investigate whether low-cost, behaviorally-informed nudges that provide personalized information to students about how they can finish their degree improve college completion rates at open-enrollment institutions.

Partners

• Eric Bettinger, Associate Professor, Stanford University (co-investigator)
• Zack Mabel, Doctoral Student, Harvard University
• Persistence Plus

Funding Source

Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

Contact

Principal Investigators:

• Ben Castleman, Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy, University of Virginia

• Eric Bettinger, Associate Professor of Education, Stanford University