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Education and information have always been unequal

The U.S. college admissions process is often framed as a competition of merit, but for many high school students, it is first a competition of information. The issue is not simply whether a student is hardworking or talented enough; it is whether that student can access accurate, verifiable, and actionable guidance at the right moment. In a widely cited study, Caroline Hoxby and Christopher Avery found that each cohort in the United States includes roughly 35,000 high-achieving, low-income students, yet a substantial share of them do not apply to colleges that match their academic qualifications. Instead, they follow application paths that are significantly undermatched. This pattern is not best explained by lack of ability, but by the absence of informed adults, knowledgeable peers, and institutional environments that can transmit the rules of selective college access. In many cases, what students lose is not potential, but access to the map itself.

This problem is not merely anecdotal; it has been demonstrated empirically. In subsequent research, Caroline Hoxby and Sarah Turner showed that when high-achieving, low-income students were given clearer information about net price, graduation outcomes, institutional quality, and the application process, their behavior changed significantly: they applied to more colleges and were more likely to apply to institutions that truly matched their academic profiles. That finding matters because it suggests that admissions outcomes are shaped not only by who is “better,” but also by who receives structured, credible guidance early enough for it to matter. 

At the same time, the traditional counseling system is structurally overstretched. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), during the 2021–22 academic year, public school counselors in the United States were responsible for an average of 405 students each, far above the 250:1 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association. Even highly committed school counselors therefore face clear limits in how much individualized support they can provide. These constraints fall even harder on first-generation, low-income, and under-resourced students. Consistent with that pattern, Common App has reported that first-generation applicants and fee-waiver-eligible applicants are less likely to apply through Early Decision or Early Action and tend to begin the process later—patterns the report explicitly links to meaningful information gaps.