Understanding College Match Among KIPP Northern California Students

Sometimes students attend a college that is less selective than what their academic achievement in high school would allow, a phenomenon known as undermatch. Nationwide, 50 percent of students from low-income families undermatch, even though attending a more selective college can lead to higher graduation rates and future income. Recognizing the importance of using data to support students’ college-going decisions, Tipping Point Community and KIPP Northern California partnered with Mathematica to analyze the college application and enrollment choices of recent high school graduates from the classes of 2016 to 2019. This research brief presents key findings from the study.