More Students Take Advantage of Educational Opportunity Service (EOS)

Students can opt into Educational Opportunity Service (EOS) when they register for the ACT. EOS provides students with information about educational opportunities and scholarships by making their names available to colleges and scholarship agencies that meet EOS eligibility guidelines. Between 2005 and 2014, the number of students who have opted in has increased by 71%, a rate that has outpaced the growth in the number of ACT-tested students over that time. As a result, the share of ACT-tested students who enter the EOS pool has increased from 79% to 86% over the past 10 years (see Figure 10).

Chart Table
Figure 10. Percent Opting in to Educational Opportunity Service (EOS), 2005-2014
Figure 10. Percent Opting in to Educational Opportunity Service (EOS), 2005-2014
High School Graduation Year Percent Opting Into EOS
2005 79%
2006 79%
2007 79%
2008 83%
2009 86%
2010 88%
2011 89%
2012 88%
2013 86%
2014 86%
Chart Table
Figure 11. EOS Opt-In Rate by State ACT Participation Rate, 2014
Figure 11. EOS Opt-In Rate by State ACT Participation Rate, 2014
Region State Participation Rate EOS Opt-In Rate
Midwest Iowa 68% 86.2%
Midwest Illinois 100% 82.1%
Midwest Indiana 40% 86.7%
Midwest Kansas 75% 89.9%
Midwest Michigan 100% 82.7%
Midwest Minnesota 76% 86.3%
Midwest Missouri 76% 88.3%
Midwest North Dakota 100% 80.4%
Midwest Nebraska 86% 90.1%
Midwest Ohio 72% 88.6%
Midwest South Dakota 78% 90.3%
Midwest Wisconsin 73% 86.8%
Northeast Connecticut 29% 74.6%
Northeast Massachusetts 23% 76.1%
Northeast Maine 9% 77.5%
Northeast New Hampshire 20% 77.3%
Northeast New Jersey 25% 81.5%
Northeast New York 27% 82.5%
Northeast Pennsylvania 19% 83.2%
Northeast Rhode Island 16% 81.3%
Northeast Vermont 29% 77.0%
South Alabama 80% 94.7%
South Arkansas 93% 91.4%
South District of Columbia 37% 76.6%
South Delaware 18% 81.7%
South Florida 81% 90.1%
South Georgia 53% 89.8%
South Kentucky 100% 86.1%
South Louisiana 100% 89.2%
South Maryland 22% 83.0%
South Mississippi 100% 95.0%
South North Carolina 100% 84.1%
South Oklahoma 75% 90.8%
South South Carolina 58% 90.3%
South Tennessee 100% 86.0%
South Texas 40% 90.6%
South Virginia 28% 83.3%
South West Virginia 65% 92.7%
West Alaska 37% 80.9%
West Arizona 55% 82.9%
West California 29% 88.1%
West Colorado 100% 79.2%
West Hawaii 90% 80.8%
West Idaho 45% 87.9%
West Montana 100% 77.6%
West New Mexico 69% 93.3%
West Nevada 36% 89.7%
West Oregon 36% 76.7%
West Utah 100% 83.9%
West Washington 22% 83.1%
West Wyoming 100% 79.6%

As with other testing behaviors discussed in this report, the rate at which students opt into EOS differs by the ACT participation rate of their state. Figure 11 shows the relationship between states’ ACT participation rates and the rate at which students in those states opt into EOS. As seen in the figure, states with lower ACT participation rates (horizontal axis) tend to have lower EOS opt-in rates (vertical axis), whereas states with higher ACT participation rates tend to have higher EOS opt-in rates. Many states located in the Midwest are clustered in the upper-right area of the figure, having both higher participation rates and higher EOS opt-in rates. States located in the Northeast are mostly clustered in the lower-left area of the figure, characterized by both lower ACT participation rates and lower EOS opt-in rates.

Note: The trend line in Figure 11 shows a positive relationship. A correlation of 0.35 (out of a range of –1 to 1) suggests that the strength of the positive relationship between the ACT participation rate and the EOS opt-in rate is moderate in magnitude.

Although the majority of today’s high school students are opting into EOS, some elect not to participate in this service (see Table 4). Among those who are less likely to take advantage of EOS are students who achieve at either the highest or lowest levels academically, aspire to earn less than a bachelor’s degree, live in large suburban areas, come from families with more highly educated parents and higher incomes, do not report their race/ethnicity, and are male.

Table 4. Who Does Not Opt Into EOS?

Less Likely to Opt Into EOS More Likely to Opt Into EOS
The very highest- and lowest-achieving students Students at other achievement levels
Students with lower degree aspirations Students with higher degree aspirations
Students in large suburban areas Students in urban, small suburban, and rural areas
Students from high-income families Students from low-income families
Students with more highly educated parents Students with less highly educated parents
Students who do not report their race/ethnicity African Americans and Hispanics
Male students Female students