Customized Nudging to Improve FAFSA Completion and Income Verification. (March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Page, Lindsay C.; Castleman, Benjamin L.; Meyer, Katharine
• Is Part Of: Educational evaluation and policy analysis. Volume 42:Number 1(2020)
• Page Start: 3
• Page End: 21
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Subjects: economics of education -- policy -- postsecondary education -- experimental design; Education -- Evaluation -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Education -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; 370.7
• DOI: 10.3102/0162373719876916
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0162-3737

Abstract

Informational and behavioral barriers hinder social benefit take-up. We investigate the impact of mitigating these barriers through providing personalized information on benefits application status and application assistance on filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the gateway to college financial aid. Through a multidistrict experiment, we assess the impact of this outreach, delivered via text message. This data-driven strategy improves FAFSA completion and college matriculation and potentially reduces the negative consequences of additional procedural hurdles such as FAFSA income verification, required of approximately one third of filers nationally.