Dive Brief:

• The ACT's 1997 decision to give test-takers four free score reports instead of three increased the number of schools students applied to and the number of low-income students who attended selective colleges.
• Research found that while an extra score report costs only $6, students were strongly influenced by the number of free reports.
• Most students used the fourth report to apply to a more selective school; some used it to apply to a less selective school with higher admissions rates.

Dive Insight:

The change in the number of free reports is explored in a new National Bureau of Economic Research paper by Amanda Pallais. Even with the increase from the ACT decision, fewer than 30% of students from low-income families enroll in college.