Pooja R. Patel Program: Higher Education, Ph.D.

Anticipated Graduation: May 2023

Phone:

Professional Biography

Pooja R. Patel is a Ph.D. student in Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania and a fellow in the Institute of Education Sciences program. She previously worked as a researcher at the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) focusing on access and college admissions. Pooja also worked as a policy research intern at the New England Board of Higher Education where she conducted research on access and affordability for undocumented students at postsecondary institutions in the New England region. Additionally, she has experience working in college admissions both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

At Penn, Pooja is a pre-doctoral researcher at the Penn Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) and is a member of the William T. Fontaine Society. Pooja is a Gates Millennium Scholar. She received a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Richmond and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Boston College.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Pooja's research interests focus on higher education finance and policy with an emphasis on students who come from historically underserved backgrounds. Her current research examines 'free college' and college promise program design and financial sustainability. As a part of her work in collaboration with the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education (Pell Institute), she also studies indicators for higher education equity in the U.S., most recently focusing on independent students and closing the gaps in higher education attainment.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journals

Tachine, A. R., Patel, P. R., & Dache, A. (Revise & Resubmit). Time-traveling through land and sea: Unearthing the past to cultivate seeds of present and future solidarity. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Special Issue: Toward Greater Solidarity in Social Justice Scholarly Activism.

Policy Reports & Briefs

Cahalan, M. W., Addison, M., Brunt, N., Patel, P. R., & Perna, L. W. (2021). Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2021 Historical Trend Report. Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education and Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania.

Patel, P. R. & Van Ostenbridge, L. A. (2020). Uncertain and Volatile State Funding. In Odle, T. K. & Finney, J. E. (Eds.), A Case Study of "Faultlines" Shaping Higher Education Policy and Opportunity in California. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Research on Higher Education, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.

Cahalan, M. W., Perna, L. W., Addison, M., Murray, C., Patel, P. R., & Jiang, N. (2020). Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2020 Historical Trend Report. Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education and Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania.

Patel, P. & Clinedinst, M. (2019). "State-by-State Student-to-Counselor Ratio Maps by School District". National Association for College Admission Counseling. https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/research/researchstateratiosreport.pdf

Clinedinst, M. & Patel, P. (2018). "State of College Admission". National Association for College Admission Counseling. www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/research/2018_soca/soca18.pdf.

Patel, P. (2018). "What States and Institutions Can Do for DREAMERS". The Journal of College Admission. read.nxtbook.com/nacac/the_journal_of_college_admiss/spring_2018/#what_s_being_done_about_daca.

Patel, P. (2017). "A Chance at Life: The Value of Legislative Action and Institutional Leadership for DACA Students". New England Journal of Higher Education. www.nebhe.org/journal/a-chance-at-life-the-value-of-legislative-action-and-institutional-leadership-for-daca-students.

Patel, P. (2017). "Are DACA Students Still Safe to Stay?" New England Journal of Higher Education. www.nebhe.org/thejournal/are-daca-students-still-safe-to-stay.

Interest Categories

Higher Education
Educational Leadership
Quantitative Research
Race & Equity

Education

M.A. (Higher Education Administration) Boston College, 2017.
B.A. (International Studies) University of Richmond, 2015.

Faculty Advisors

Laura W. Perna
GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education
Vice Provost for Faculty

Areas Of Expertise

Access & Affordability
College Promise & Free College
Public Policy
Race & Equity

Profile information is provided directly by the student