SBIR-STTR Award

Through a pilot study of in three high schools with a diverse mix of racially and socio-economically-diverse end users, the researchers will examine the feasibility and usability of the prototype when used by students. The team will also collect user-experience feedback on whether the prototype helped students consider different pathways, changed perceptions about the cost or benefit of higher education, and provided new information in novel ways.The research team will also collect data on whether the prototype tool is reliable (that is, are similar students receiving similar outputs) and valid (that is, does the tool provide an accurate calculation of students' expected ROI).

At the end of Phase II, the researchers will launch Return on College (ROC). Two versions of ROC will be developed. Using ROC-A, students will be able to search colleges nationwide based on geographic location and occupational goals with personalized output on projected debt, loan repayment, disposable income, graduation risk, and ROI the focal points of these decisions. Using ROC-B, prospective students visiting a college website will receive data driven information on potential careers, salaries, price, and debt expected for degrees offered by a school.