An Evaluation of the Educational Impact of College Campus Visits: A Randomized Experiment

Using an experimental design, we study whether visits to a college campus during 8th grade can reduce intangible barriers to college access, specifically among underrepresented student populations. We examine if visits affect college visits affect students’ knowledge about college, postsecondary intentions, college-going behaviors, academic engagement, and ninth grade course enrollment decisions. Two cohorts of participating eight graders were randomized within schools to either a control condition, in which they received an information packet about college, or a treatment condition, in which they received the same information and visited a flagship university three times. Treatment group students exhibited higher levels of knowledge about college, higher levels of college efficacy, higher levels of grit, a higher likelihood of having conversations with school personnel about college, and a decreased desire to attend technical school. Additionally, treated students are more likely to enroll in advanced math and science/social science courses. However, we find mixed evidence on whether the visits increased students’ diligence on classroom tasks.