A Summer Bridge Program for First-Generation Low-Income Students Stretches Academic Ambitions with No Adverse Impacts on GPA

A large body of research documents the barriers faced by first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students as ``hidden minorities'' on elite college campuses. Although existing studies show brief psychological interventions can help mitigate some of these obstacles, universities are investing in more intensive interventions that try to both shift mindsets and mitigate structural disadvantages in FGLI students' academic preparation. In collaboration with the administrators at a highly selective university, we conducted the first randomized controlled trial of a summer bridge program targeted at FGLI students. During summers between 2017 and 2019, we randomly selected 232 out of 418 first-generation or low-income students and invited them to attend an intensive, six-week long residential summer program featuring courses for academic credit. Students randomized to the control group either interacted with online content offering no academic credit or had no summer intervention. Our pre-registered analysis shows that the program encouraged FGLI students to pursue a more ambitious first-year program, increasing the proportion of non-introductory courses by 7 percentage points. The program also increased the proportion of courses taken for a grade rather than as pass-fail by 6 percentage points. These improvements were accompanied by no discernible impact on first-year GPAs and academic withdrawal. The findings show the ability to academically integrate FGLI students into selective university communities.