How A Text Message Could Revolutionize Student Aid

Owen Phillips writes for the NPR Education Blog that a simple text message could be enough to nudge students to complete the dreaded FAFSA form:

And linking text messages to other recent behavioral research could have even greater effects.

The strategy would play to one of the most basic of human desires – to fit in: Use those text messages to tell students that their classmates are filling out their FAFSA forms, and the completion rate might rise even higher."

This research suggests a simpler solution to improving completion rates that doesn't require legislation or much additional cost.