The Ohio State University

Promoting Access and Diversity in a Competitive Admissions Environment Mabel Freeman, PhD Assistant Vice President, Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience Jefferson Blackburn-Smith Sr. Associate Director, UAFYE

Freshman Class Profile – Columbus Campus Selective Admission Process AU06 admit rate: 65% SAT middle 50%: ACT middle 50%: 24 – 29 46% AU06 admits came from top 10% of class 81% of AU06 admits came from top 25% of class 16% AU06 enrollment students of color

What does Promoting Access Mean for Ohio State? A)Provide college awareness and financial literacy outreach for families with elementary and middle school age children. B)Develop the “pipeline” of targeted students* through community engagement C)Increase applicants and enrollments, through recruitment activities, among targeted students* who may not believe Ohio State is a real option. These are not mutually exclusive efforts

*Targeted students may be Racial/ethnic minorities Low income students First generation students Ohio Appalachian students Gender/major combinations (i.e. women in engineering, men in nursing) Majors (i.e. Agriculture)

Early College Outreach Consortium of 6 local institutions serving 3 urban school districts with student /parent/advocate college planning sessions Ohio State effort working with local community centers to provide student/parent/advocate sessions and develop lasting relationships.

College Outreach: Raising Public Awareness Develop a web presence “Educational Minutes” partnership with Radio One, Ohio’s #1 urban radio corporation Daily 60 second educational tip featuring OSU faculty, staff or local high school student with college aspirations Non-promotional

Developing the “Pipeline” Young Scholars Program founded 1988, enrolls targeted 1 st generation students from 9 Ohio cities in 6 th grade with an opportunity to have all financial need met by the university upon enrollment as an undergrad Metro High School founded 2006 in partnership between OSU, Battelle and Columbus Public Schools focusing on math and science education

Developing the “Pipeline” Ohio State P-12 Project The P-12 Project is a university-wide partnership created to assist in improving Ohio's schools with a special focus on the education of Ohio's underserved children and youth. The Office of Economic Access Connects key players in a way that can be replicated by other higher ed advocates Serves as a catalyst for academic research

Increasing Enrollments: Recruitment Build your prospect/inquiry pools so they contain significant numbers of under-represented students: –60% of search names are students of color –26% of search names (from sources that allow income as a criteria) are low income students –Ohio State recruits more broadly for under- represented students than others

Increasing Enrollments: Recruitment Differentiate your communication flows: –Make your messages population specific High ability, low income students hear about “stacking” merit and need-based aid –Add touches for targeted students Making Our Voices Heard mailings & dvds Joint Minority Affairs/Honors & Scholars mailing Special college mailings Call out cards in invitations highlighting sessions of interest

Increasing Enrollments: Admission Process Holistic review process also considers race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, first generation status, residents of Appalachian counties Two independent reads of application Ohio residents can select a second choice regional campus and change to Columbus after completing 1 year with a 2.0 gpa on a regional campus

Increasing Enrollments: Financial Aid Visible Access Scholarships Pathways Scholarship : for minority and/or Pell eligible students earning other merit awards; December 1 deadline; $2,100 Morrill Scholars Program: for minority, low-income, first generation, or Ohio Appalachian students; Dec 1 deadline; Tuition+ Ohio Land Grant Opportunity Scholarship: for one high ability, high need student in each Ohio county; minimum 88 per year; Feb 1 deadline and FAFSA by March 1; full-ride

Outcomes Year Race Applications Enrollment % of NFQF 2004 % of NFQF 2006 African American 16% increase 3.4% decrease 7% 393 6% 380 Hispanic19.8% increase 13.2% increase 3% 166 3% 187 Native American 21.6% increase 38.1% increase < 1% 21 < 1% 29 Asian American 18.7% increase 11.4% increase 6% 341 6% 380

Yield for Needy Students Increases