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When and Why Does College Advising 'Work': Evidence from Advise TN. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1371

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Title: When and Why Does College Advising 'Work': Evidence from Advise TN. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1371
Language: English
Authors: Taylor Odle (ORCID 0000-0001-9188-8575), Isabel McMullen (ORCID 0000-0002-1831-7175), Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Source: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025.
Availability: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 27
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Contract Number: R305B200026
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: College Programs, Academic Advising, Program Effectiveness, Probability, College Enrollment, College Applicants, College Bound Students
Geographic Terms: Tennessee
Abstract: College advising programs increase the likelihood students apply to and enroll in higher education. However, few are proven effective at scale. We leverage the rollout of Advise TN across 33 communities to estimate causal impacts of a novel advising program on college enrollment, persistence, degree completion, and workforce participation. With complementary event-study and robust difference-in-differences strategies, we show this program raised college enrollment rates by 3 points (or 6%) at scale, especially among Hispanic, female, and rural students. We then interrogate mechanisms to explain this success with administrative records and unique student-advisor interaction data. We show increases to college-going are driven by larger improvements to early task completion, including filing the FAFSA and applying for state aid. We also descriptively show that program design matters, where college enrollment rates vary significantly by advising intensity, modality, and student-to-advisor ratios. We do not detect changes in students' later college outcomes or employment and argue this is also due to variation in program design, including a focus on short-term information, medium-term task completion, and long-run skill development. Our study greatly expands knowledge on advising programs and is among the first to interrogate how programs come to "work" at scale.
Abstractor: As Provided
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678301
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
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PubType: Report
PubTypeId: report
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  Data: When and Why Does College Advising 'Work': Evidence from Advise TN. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1371
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Taylor+Odle%22">Taylor Odle</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9188-8575">0000-0001-9188-8575</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Isabel+McMullen%22">Isabel McMullen</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1831-7175">0000-0002-1831-7175</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Annenberg+Institute+for+School+Reform+at+Brown+University%22">Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University</searchLink>
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  Data: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Programs%22">College Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Advising%22">Academic Advising</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Probability%22">Probability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Enrollment%22">College Enrollment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Applicants%22">College Applicants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Bound+Students%22">College Bound Students</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tennessee%22">Tennessee</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: College advising programs increase the likelihood students apply to and enroll in higher education. However, few are proven effective at scale. We leverage the rollout of Advise TN across 33 communities to estimate causal impacts of a novel advising program on college enrollment, persistence, degree completion, and workforce participation. With complementary event-study and robust difference-in-differences strategies, we show this program raised college enrollment rates by 3 points (or 6%) at scale, especially among Hispanic, female, and rural students. We then interrogate mechanisms to explain this success with administrative records and unique student-advisor interaction data. We show increases to college-going are driven by larger improvements to early task completion, including filing the FAFSA and applying for state aid. We also descriptively show that program design matters, where college enrollment rates vary significantly by advising intensity, modality, and student-to-advisor ratios. We do not detect changes in students' later college outcomes or employment and argue this is also due to variation in program design, including a focus on short-term information, medium-term task completion, and long-run skill development. Our study greatly expands knowledge on advising programs and is among the first to interrogate how programs come to "work" at scale.
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  Data: ED678301
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED678301
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 27
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: College Programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Advising
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Probability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Enrollment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Applicants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Bound Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tennessee
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: When and Why Does College Advising 'Work': Evidence from Advise TN. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1371
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            NameFull: Taylor Odle
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            NameFull: Isabel McMullen
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              M: 12
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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            – TitleFull: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
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