Code and Public Data for: Increasing Degree Attainment Among Low-Income Students: The Role of Intensive Advising and College Quality

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Andrew Barr, Texas A&M University; Benjamin Castleman, University of Virginia

Version: View help for Version V1

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Project Citation:

Barr, Andrew, and Castleman, Benjamin. Code and Public Data for: Increasing Degree Attainment Among Low-Income Students: The Role of Intensive Advising and College Quality. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2026. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-02-04. https://doi.org/10.3886/E227282V1

Project Description

Summary:

A college degree offers a pathway to economic mobility for low-income students. Using a multi-site randomized controlled trial combined with administrative and survey data, we demonstrate that intensive advising during high school and college significantly increases bachelor's degree attainment among lower-income students. We leverage unique data on pre-advising college preferences and causal forest methods to show that these gains are primarily driven by improvements in initial enrollment quality. Our results suggest that strategies targeting college choice may be a more effective and efficient means of increasing degree attainment than those focused solely on affordability.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: college; degree attainment; economic mobility; college quality; college advising; causal forests; college choice; machine learning

JEL Classification:
      H52 National Government Expenditures and Education
      I24 Education and Inequality
      J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

Geographic Coverage: United States (NYC and Boston focused)

Time Period(s): 2014 – 2021

Collection Date(s): 2014 – 2021

Universe: Low-income high-school students

Data Type(s): other; program source code

Methodology

Data Source: Bottom Line
National Student Clearinghouse
Whitehouse Scorecard
IPEDS
Mobility Report Cards

Unit(s) of Observation: Individual outcomes

Related Publications

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Published Versions

V1 [2026-02-04]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

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