NACAC Research

NACAC’s annual State of College Admission report is based on surveys of school counselors and college and university admission offices nationwide. NACAC provides this report each year to highlight issues of concern to college bound students, their parents and the educators who serve them.

Members can download the 10th anniversary edition 2012 State of College Admission report online at no charge. Non-members can download the report for $25. Previous editions of the report are also available for free to the public. 

New! State of College Admission 2012 Fact Sheet

Discussion Papers

NACAC’s Discussion Papers inform the association and the public about issues related to the college counseling and admission profession and the transition to college. The views and opinions expressed in these reports are solely those of the authors and not necessarily those of NACAC.

• Professional College Knowledge: Re-envisioning How We Prepare Our College Readiness Workforce. 2012. Mandy Savitz-Romer, faculty member and director of the Prevention Science and Practice program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
   
• Putting the College Admission "Arms Race" in Context: An Analysis of Recent Trends in College Admission and Their Effects on Institutional Policies and Practices. 2010. Dr. Don Hossler, Vice-Chancellor for Enrollment Services at Indiana University Bloomington.

• Preparation for College Admission Exams. 2009. Dr. Derek Briggs, Associate Professor of Quantitive Methods and Policy Analysis and Chair of the Research and Evaluation Methodology Program at the University of Colorado.

Additional Discussion Papers are also available for download.

Research to Practice Briefs

NACAC’s series of research to practice briefs are short publications that focus on a specific topic of interest to the college counseling and admission professions and the transition to college. They are designed to provide professionals with best practice information and with ready-made tools to share with key decision makers who establish policies in their schools and colleges.

• Factors in the Admission Decision. 2009.
  
• Social Media: Considerations and Implications in College Admission. 2009. Based on "Reaching the Wired Generation: How Social Media is Changing College Admission," a discussion paper written for NACAC by Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes.
  
• Adolescent Development and the Transition to College: Psychological and Social Considerations. 2009. Based on "College Choice and Adolescent Development: Psychological and Social Implications of Early Admission," a discussion paper written for NACAC by Dr. Barbara Schneider.
  
• Secondary School Policies: Release of Student Disciplinary Information to Colleges. 2008.
  
• Class Rank. 2007.
  
• Effective Counseling In Schools Increases College Access. 2006. Based primarily on "Counseling and College Counseling in America," a discussion paper written for NACAC by Dr. Patricia McDonough.
  
• The Changing Landscape of Higher Education: College Admission in Context. 2006. Based primarily on "The Changing Landscape of Higher Education: The Future of College Admission," a discussion paper written for NACAC by Dr. William G. Tierney.

Other NACAC Research Reports

• In 2011, the NACAC Assembly requested a study on the use of wait lists by colleges and universities. In 2011-12, NACAC collected data from its annual Admission Trends Surveys and issued the following report to the Assembly. Wait List Report. 2012.
  
• Report from NACAC Ad Hoc Committee on U.S. News & World Report Rankings of Undergraduate Institutions. 2011.
  
• NACAC Early Notification Study. 2010.

Additional Research Reports are available for download.