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Opting Out of EOS Could Result in a Loss of Opportunity
As introduced in Part 1 of this report, students can opt into the ACT Educational Opportunity Service (EOS) when they register to take the ACT. EOS provides students with information about educational opportunities and scholarships by making their names available to colleges and scholarship agencies that meet EOS eligibility guidelines. Between 2005 and 2014, the share of ACT-tested students who entered the EOS pool increased from 79% to 86%. Although, as of 2014, student participation in EOS was at a decade high, 14% of ACT-tested students (more than 250,000) from the 2014 graduating class did not opt into EOS. This decision to opt out of EOS results in a loss of opportunity for these students to learn more about and to be potentially recruited by colleges that are not currently in their consideration set or even their awareness set. In this section of the report, we will attempt to quantify some of the opportunities that are lost. Of those students who opted into EOS, 84% had their names selected by at least one college. There are differences in the EOS selection rate by region of the country, with students from the Midwest and Northeast being selected at higher rates (at 92% and 91%, respectively) than students from the West and South (at 80% and 78%, respectively). These regional differences in selection rates are driven in part by the location of colleges that participate in EOS and the regional differences in their recruitment strategies. Figure 3 illustrates these differences. As seen in the figure, almost half (46%) of all names selected through EOS are selected by colleges located in the Midwest. Four out of five names selected by Midwestern colleges are of students located in Midwestern states. A similar pattern of selecting a majority of EOS names within the same region is apparent among colleges in the South and in the West. Roughly two out of three names selected by Southern colleges are of students located in Southern states, and more than half of all names selected by Western colleges are of students located in Western states. In the Northeast, however, only roughly one out of three names selected are of students located in the Northeast. This may be due in part to the lower EOS opt-in rate of students in this region (81%), as seen in Part 1.
Chart TableFigure 3. Percent of EOS Names Selected Within Each Region by the Region of the Participating Colleges
Figure 3. Percent of EOS Names Selected Within Each Region by the Region of the Participating Colleges
Chart TableRegion Midwest Northeast South West Midwest
(448 colleges; 46% of EOS names)81% 3% 10% 6% Northeast
(168 colleges; 15% of EOS names)28% 37% 24% 12% South
(386 colleges; 28% of EOS names)23% 6% 64% 7% West
(135 colleges; 11% of EOS names)26% 4% 14% 56% Figure 4. EOS Selection Rate and EOS Opt-In Rate by ACT Composite Score
Figure 4. EOS Selection Rate and EOS Opt-In Rate by ACT Composite Score
ACT Composite Score Range EOS Opt-In Rate EOS Selection Rate 1–15 83% 43% 16–19 88% 81% 20–23 88% 96% 24–27 86% 98% 28–32 83% 99% 33–36 80% 99% The rate at which students’ names are selected by colleges through EOS also differs by academic achievement level, as measured by students’ ACT Composite score. As the blue line in Figure 4 shows, nearly all students in the score range of 20–23 or higher were selected by at least one college through EOS. Worth noting from Part 1, however, is that students in the higher score ranges had some of the lowest rates of opting into EOS, as illustrated by the orange line. Not only does the likelihood of being selected by at least one college increase with students’ academic achievement level, but the number of colleges that select students’ names rises sharply as students’ academic achievement increases. Among those students who opted into EOS, the average number of colleges that selected them was 16.7. As seen in Figure 5, the average number of colleges selecting students’ names can be as low as 0.9 colleges on average for students in the ACT Composite score range of 1–15 and as high as 52.2 colleges on average for students in the range of 33–36 on the score scale.
Chart TableFigure 5. Average Number of Colleges Selecting the Student Through EOS by ACT Composite Score
Figure 5. Average Number of Colleges Selecting the Student Through EOS by ACT Composite Score
Chart TableACT Composite Score Range Avg. Number of Colleges Selecting Student 1–15 0.9% 16–19 5.0% 20–23 16.4% 24–27 29.5% 28–32 42.2% 33–36 52.2% Figure 6. Percent of Students Enrolling in a College that Selected Them Through EOS by ACT Composite Score
Figure 6. Percent of Students Enrolling in a College that Selected Them Through EOS by ACT Composite Score
ACT Composite Score Range Enrolled at an Institution That Selected You 1–15 8% 16–19 9% 20–23 14% 24–27 19% 28–32 23% 33–36 26% Not only is a typical ACT-tested student who opts into EOS selected by an average of 16.7 colleges, but 16% of those who were selected by at least one college and who enrolled in college attended a college that selected them through EOS. As Figure 6 illustrates, the rate at which students enrolled in a college that selected their names through EOS increases with students’ academic achievement level. This positive relationship between students’ ACT Composite Score and the rate at which they enroll in a college that selected their names through EOS is due in part to the number of college opportunities that higher-achieving students receive through their participation in EOS. Again, it is important to note that high-achieving students—who seem to benefit the most from their participation in EOS—have some of the lowest rates of opting into EOS. Opting into EOS not only increases the number of colleges that students could potentially consider, it also expands the geographic boundaries of colleges that students consider. Among students who elect at the time of ACT registration to have official score reports sent to colleges, the median distance between students’ homes and their first-choice college is 71 miles. This finding suggests that, at the time students register for the ACT, they are not necessarily considering colleges outside of a fairly restricted geographic boundary. Yet, among those students whose names are selected by at least one college through EOS, the average median distance between the students’ homes and the various colleges that selected their names is 310 miles. Figure 7 shows by region of the country both the median distance to students’ first-choice college and the average median distance between students’ homes and the colleges that selected their names through EOS. As seen in the figure, this pattern of expanding the geographic boundaries of the colleges that students consider is evident across every region of the country. Figure 7. Median Distance to Students’ First-Choice College and the Average Median Distance Between Students’ Homes and the Colleges that Selected Them Through EOS by Region Figure 8. Average Number of Out-of-State Colleges Selecting Students’ Names by Location of College Attended and ACT Composite Score Among Students Who Planned to Enroll In State
Chart TableFigure 7.
Figure 7.
Region First Choice EOS Midwest 66 miles 189 miles Northeast 81 miles 201 miles South 73 miles 338 miles West 82 miles 864 miles National 71 miles 360 miles 