Alumnus Xiaoyang Ye wins award for dissertation on college access

His dissertation was based on his work from 2016 to 2018, when Ye designed and conducted the Bright Future of China Project, a set of large-scale randomized experiments in Ningxia, one of the poorest provinces of China. His three-chapter dissertation contributed to the literature and worldwide policy efforts by providing new evidence on using behavioral policy interventions to improve college access, choice, and match at scale for low-income students.

Ye’s work has practical implications for students in the USA, China, and beyond, who want to improve their educational opportunities. It guides the work of researchers, policymakers, and school leaders who seek to advance equity in students’ learning opportunities and outcomes. Ye’s work also contributes to current policy efforts by providing new evidence on behavioral policy interventions that improve college access, choice, and match at scale for disadvantaged students. Expanding beyond Ningxia, the team has now worked with approximately 100,000 high school graduates across China, giving them individual expert advice about their college search. They found that their advising program increased college admissions by 13 percentage points, and that it improved the ranking of the college to which students were accepted by 11 percentile points.

Ye is currently working with scholars in Princeton, NJ and Chicago, IL to develop AI-based advising systems to improve Pre–K and school choice among low-income families. In all, his ongoing work is expected to reach about one million low-income Chinese students and countless Americans. 

Ye is a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University.