School’s in for Summer? The Effect of Encouraging Summer Community College Enrollment

We present evidence from a field experiment examining whether encouraging summer community college enrollment affects early postsecondary outcomes. Graduating high school seniors, participating in a college intentions survey, were randomly assigned to receive a brief informational message describing the benefits, affordability, and transferability of summer coursework. Linking survey responses to administrative enrollment records from California, we find that the intervention increased summer enrollment and the number of units attempted and earned. The effects are economically meaningful relative to low baseline enrollment rates. These results highlight the role of timely, low-cost information in shaping students’ transition from high school to college.