This program is for high school students who are from families with low income and students who are the first in their families to attend college.

Bottom Line College Advising Model (Bottom Line), a community- or school-based program, is designed to provide support to participants during the process of applying to college and throughout their college experience.

One peer-reviewed study was conducted in which students who were just above and just below a minimum grade point average during their high school career were compared on their college outcomes. Results indicated that students who participated in the program enrolled more often in “targeted” 4-year colleges that the Bottom Line program encouraged than students who did not participate in the program. Program participation also lowered the probability of students enrolling in a 2-year college rather than a 4-year college and increased students’ persistence through at least their second year of college.

Bottom Line intends to provide individualized counseling to students to help them with the college and financial aid application processes and throughout their college careers to promote the successful attainment of a bachelor’s degree. The program has an intensive focus on helping students find affordable colleges and universities where they can succeed. Eligibility criteria for the program include the following:

• Academically eligible to attend a 4-year college;
• Have a family income below 200% of the poverty line; and
• Be the first generation of one’s family to go to college.

Students engage in the following two phases:

• College Access Program – Advisors help high school students identify colleges; write essays; complete and submit college and financial aid applications; and complete pre-matriculation tasks including attending orientation, completing placement tests, and setting up a tuition payment plan; and
• College Success Program – Students are eligible for the Success Program when they enroll in one of the program’s target institutions (i.e., commonly attended, regional colleges). In this program, advisors provide students with individualized and campus-based academic (e.g., select a major, identify tutoring resources) and social (e.g., help students adjust to a new environment, encourage students to join clubs or activities) support. Advisors also provide guidance and assistance with finding a career path, writing resumes and cover letters, securing internships, renewing scholarships, managing loan debt, making smart financial decisions, coping with life challenges, and balancing school and life commitments.

The Bluprint Program is available to provide support to students who are not attending one of Bottom Line’s target colleges. Please visit https://www.bottomline.org/content/bluprint-program to learn more.

Bottom Line was developed in Boston in 1997 and has served over 18,000 students. The program operates in Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; Worcester, Massachusetts; and New York, New York.

Bottom Line does not sell program materials or a specific training program; however, they do provide support to organizations who are interested in replicating their program. Please use details in the Contact section for more information on training and associated costs.

Considerations for implementing this program include acquiring student buy-in, recruiting suitable advisors who are willing to commit to providing students with various academic and social supports, making time for student/advisor meetings, and ensuring the program is delivered with fidelity.

The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu

If you are interested in implementing Bottom Line, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you! Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu

Students apply to the Access Program during the second half of their junior year of high school. The Access Program provides an average of 10 1-hour meetings to students starting the summer before their senior year in high school through the summer after high school graduation. The Success Program provides support to students for up to 6 years following high school. First-year students meet with an advisor 3 to 4 times per semester, and older students meet with an advisor an average of twice per semester.

Information on implementation costs was not available. Please use details in the Contact section for information.

To move Bottom Line to the Effective category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one additional evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive effects lasting at least two years from the beginning of the program. This evaluation should be performed independently of program developers.

The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu

Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program. Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: clearinghouse@psu.edu

You may also contact Bottom Line National Headquarters by mail 500 Amory St. Ste 3, Boston, MA 02130, phone 1-857-415-4810, email info@bottomline.org, or visit https://www.bottomline.org/content/where-we-serve

https://www.bottomline.org/what-we-do and https://www.blueprintsprograms.org/programs/1485999999/bottom-line-college-advising-model/