West Virginia students are earning higher grade point averages, successfully completing first year of college thanks to text messaging service

In West Virginia, some GEAR UP students participated in the Txt 4 Success initiative. Findings indicate that students who participated were 6 – 6.7 percentage points more likely to persist from the first year to the second year of college; that number is even higher for students from rural areas. As part of the program, students received text messages with important reminders and deadlines. When they had a question, they could find help just a text message away.