What Types of College Success Programs Work for Lower-Income Students?

• In Event: Pathways to Success: Programs and Career Development for Low-Income and Underrepresented Students

Abstract

Colleges and universities have many options when designing programs to bolster student success, but the plethora of choices leads to an important question about which types of programs foster desired outcomes overall and specifically for students who hold minoritized identities. The present study explored this issue using a multi-institutional sample of 1,534 first-year undergraduates from lower-income backgrounds. Within analyses that accounted for an array of control variables (student demographics, precollege academic preparation, precollege experiences, college expectations, high school characteristics, and precollege communities), various types of programs were favorably associated with success outcomes. However, short-term programs, programs without financial assistance, and programs that do not involve coursework were often unrelated to these same outcomes.

Authors

• Nicholas A. Bowman, University of Iowa

• Shinji Katsumoto, University of Southern Mississippi

• N Tennessen, University of Iowa

• Lauren N. Irwin, University of Tennessee