Aspire to Achieve: A Student-Led, Service-Learning Approach for SAT Equity

On average, low-income students score significantly lower on the SAT than their wealthier peers, causing a cascade of disadvantages that decrease opportunities for college admission and receiving financial aid. To address this disparity, undergraduates at the University of [Redacted] created Aspire, a service-learning project that provides SAT tutoring and post-secondary preparation to students at a predominantly Hispanic, low-income urban high school. From 2019 to 2023, 125 students participated in Aspire, attending 5-11 weekly sessions per semester for up to 22 hours of SAT and post-secondary prep mentorship. Of these students, 53 met inclusion criteria for analysis, with results showing that students in the Aspire program exhibit statistically significant SAT score improvements, with a mean increase of 54 points on a 1600-point scale. This study demonstrates that undergraduate-led service-learning programs can improve outcomes for underserved students at a relatively low cost, offering a model for replication by other universities.