Last year, West Virginia public high school seniors reported college costs and affordability affected not only their decisions about whether to attend college, but also about where to go toschool, according to a report issued Jan. 25 by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.
The report, "Class of 2007 Senior Opinions Survey: Implications for College Access, College Choice and the PROMISE Scholarship Program," summarizes the results of a survey administered to West Virginia high school seniors in April 2007.
Highlights of the report:
College Access: Whether to attend postsecondary education
Compared to the West Virginia college-going rate of 53.7 percent, nearly 80 percent of survey respondents indicated they planned to apply to college, 75 percent decided for sure to attend college, and 68 percent planned to attend college in fall 2007.
Only slightly more than one-half of low-income students surveyed considered attending college before high school, compared to 70 percent of students from the highest income category.
College Choice: Where to attend postsecondary education
Slightly more than one-half of respondents reported they would be attending a West Virginia public four-year institution; only 11.2 percent of respondents reported they would attend college outside West Virginia.
Respondents indicated that academic programs and affordability were the primary factors influencing their college choice.
PROMISE Scholarships: Trends and perceptions of PROMISE eligibility
PROMISE eligibility was unlikely to influence students’ decision on whether to attend college. More than 85 percent of respondents in every sub-category indicated they would attend college with or without the PROMISE Scholarship.
PROMISE eligibility did influence students' decisions on where to attend college.
Evidence from the survey suggests PROMISE influenced nearly 14 percent of respondents to attend a West Virginia college rather than an out-of-state college.
Students from upper-income and college-graduate households were much more likely to identify PROMISE eligibility as having influenced their decision to attend college in West Virginia than were first-generation college students.
The full report is available at www.wvhepc.org.