U. gets 1,000 names of low-income students

Penn received the names of more than 1,000 students this fall from a College Board pilot program that helps schools recruit students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Thirty-nine schools are participating in the program, which provides institutions with names of low-income students who have taken College Board exams and which marks a departure from the usual criteria to match students and schools.

Penn has mailed each of these student a letter, brochure and DVD about the University.

When students take PSAT, SAT or Advanced Placement tests, they have the option of participating in the College Board's Student Search Service.

In the past, colleges, universities and scholarship programs have used the service to contact students based on their grade-point averages, test scores, intended college majors or states of residence.

Now, colleges and scholarship programs are requesting names of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Early feedback on the program has been favorable, and participating schools have enrolled and awarded financial aid to many of the identified students, according to the College Board.

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda expressed similar views.

"The experience has been positive so far by having students follow-up and visit campus," he wrote in an e-mail.

According to the Student Search Service director for the College Board, the company identifies these students by using a statistical model - neighborhood data and high-school information are the two most heavily weighted factors.

The College Board says it uses this system because there are factors other than income that determine whether students attend college.

The College Board plans on running the pilot program for two full recruitment cycles before deciding if it is the best way to reach out to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

According to the Student Search Service director, the program will expand if more institutions are interested, but schools must show that they have current outreach programs before they are allowed to participate.

Because Penn was one of the first schools to enroll in the pilot, the University did not pay a fee for the list of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds University spokeswoman Lori Doyle wrote in an e-mail.

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