(Lee's Summit, MO) – The National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA), the leading organization connecting young people and their families with colleges and universities around the country, recently released findings from its study on Hispanic Student Search. The question of how and why Hispanic Student Search is different was explored; with a goal to identify areas where Hispanic students might require different strategies to assist them in their search process.

The findings were compiled from data in two different studies conducted by NRCCUA: the College Choice Process and the Disappearing Students Study. The College Choice Process comprised responses from almost 62,000 college-bound students. This longitudinal study involved sending surveys to high school students, grades 9-12 over the course of a year beginning in August, 2005. The Disappearing Students study took place in August of 2006 when an email survey was created and sent to low and non-responders of emails from colleges and NRCCUA from the eProspector system. This study had over 5,700 students respond.

The studies found that Hispanic students are later to narrow down their list of college choices when compared to the rest of participants. They tend to stay with a longer list of college choices farther into their junior year, only moving into the “sure of admittance” late in their senior year. They are also less likely to visit a college campus as compared to all students participating in the study.

When dealing with Hispanic student search, we discovered:

• Responses are different, not missing.
• There are differences in the way Hispanic students undertake the college choice process.
• New opportunities are emerging for integrating off and online recruiting communications.
• Testing all communication activities is crucial to understanding what works with each group.

Findings indicate you should be sure to include Hispanic students adequately in your original search lists, ensuring it is representative of the diversity of the population. In addition, you should always allow for multiple response methods, as Hispanic students are less likely to respond to emails than the general population.

For more information on these studies or Hispanic Search, please contact NRCCUA at 1-800-862-7759 and ask to speak with an Enrollment Consultant. Visit http://www.nrccua.org/2006_NACAC.asp to view the presentation.

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NRCCUA - The National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA) is a non-profit education research organization based in Lee’s Summit, MO. For over 35 years, NRCCUA has conducted the largest nationwide survey of high school students, which serves as a communications link between college-bound high school students and public and private colleges and universities. For more information, visit www.nrccua.org.