Recent findings by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) show the success of ‘Advise Tennessee,’ a statewide initiative to increase the number of Tennessee high school students who enroll in college or technical training.
Since 2017, Advise Tenn. has placed dedicated college and career advisors in up to 30 high schools across the state each year, meeting one-on-one with students and their families to determine their plans for life after high school. This includes helping students navigate the college application process, identify majors, apply for financial aid, and even connect with apprenticeships or other work-based training.
In partnership with researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, THEC has begun studying the effects of Advise Tenn. on college enrollment. Preliminary results indicate that Advise Tenn. has shown an immediate and persistent positive effect on college-going and is making a measurable difference in helping students enroll in post-secondary institutions immediately after high school graduation.
Key findings:
• Increased college attendance rates: Since the program’s inception, Advise Tenn. has increased college-going by six percent in the schools it serves. The positive effects can be seen immediately in 2017 when advisors began working in schools and has persisted over time (including during the COVID-19 pandemic), showing that, while enrollment rates have fallen across the nation and in Tennessee, Advise Tenn. services kept students’ college-going behaviors at higher rates than they would have been without the program.
• Higher impact for some populations: The effects of Advise Tenn. were particularly pronounced in rural schools, where college-going rates increased by eight percent, as well as among women (up seven percent) and Hispanic students (up 16%). Advise Tennessee’s impact was seen across all types of higher education institutions, including: career/technical schools, community colleges, and universities, both public and private.
• Advising intensity: The study also examined the intensity of advising services, revealing that students who engaged more frequently with their Advise Tenn. advisors are more likely to enroll in college or technical training. Students who met with an advisor four or more times, or just once per semester during 11th and 12th grade, were 31% more likely to pursue post-secondary education than students who met with an advisor only once. These findings underscore the importance of sustained and personalized advising in promoting college enrollment.
To assess the impact of Advise Tenn., researchers compared outcomes for students at Advise Tenn. high schools to those at similar schools that did not receive Advise Tenn. services over the past decade. This preliminary analysis focused on students’ immediate college enrollment outcomes, including whether and where they enrolled after graduation. Future analyses will explore long-term outcomes, including college retention, completion, and other critical college-going tasks such as FAFSA completion and Tennessee Promise Scholarship applications.
Dr. Steven Gentile, executive director of THEC, commented on the findings: “These early results demonstrate the significant role that Advise Tenn. plays in supporting our students’ educational journeys. By providing stable, professional advisors and focusing on a range of college-preparation activities, Advise Tenn. is helping to ensure that more Tennessee students have the opportunity to pursue higher education and achieve their goals.”
The program is designed to serve a diverse population of students, with the only criteria for school selection being a college-going rate below the state average. Advise Tenn. schools serve a high number of first-generation students, as well as students from low-income families or those that are Pell eligible. By providing individualized support, Advise Tenn. ensures that all students have the opportunity to pursue higher education, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Dr. Taylor Odle, assistant professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lead researcher on the project noted: “The effects we see from Advise Tenn. are among the strongest in the nation for programs of this kind. This is due in part to the strong design of the program, which goes beyond just providing students with information. Advisors are accompanying students every step of the way as they think about and take action on their college and career plans. This plays out in the data: Advise Tenn. is working.”
