The sixth volume of Opportunity Matters will showcase academic and creative works that address issues related to access, opportunity, and equity for first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities. We are interested in work that considers critical inquiries, frameworks, and methods exploring intersectionality and the intersection of various identities within the core populations we highlight. We invite authors to focus on real-time practices and barriers, providing valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and educational leaders to reimagine educational spaces. To explore previous journal volumes, please visit the Pell Institute's website.

Opportunity Matters will publish three types of articles. All page limits are exclusive of tables, figures, and references.

Research manuscripts, typically 20 to 35 double-spaced pages, are grounded in empirical research and offer actionable recommendations for advancing equity in higher education.
Practice briefs, ranging from 8 to 10 double-spaced pages, apply existing theory and research to address real-world problems, providing actionable recommendations for practitioners. Practice briefs may also include the communication of evaluation methods or the reporting of strategies that work for individual programs and how these may be applied in other contexts.
Narrative works consist of personal accounts that highlight the experiences of individuals in higher education—such as students, alumni, practitioners, and researchers—offering unique perspectives on their journeys. Submissions should adhere to a length of 5-8 double-spaced pages.

Authors are encouraged to adhere to the following submission guidelines when preparing to submit a manuscript:

Citations: Kindly adhere to the formatting guidelines specified in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Cover letter: Submit a cover letter with your manuscript detailing the type of manuscript submission, topic, and relevance to the journal.
Abstract: Ensure that each manuscript incorporates an abstract with a maximum of 250 words on a separate page. Following the abstract, provide up to five keywords or concise phrases.
References: Arrange references alphabetically. Each reference cited in the text should be listed in the references section, and conversely, each text citation should correspond to an entry in the references.

For additional information regarding submission guidelines and expectations, please refer to the rubric utilized by the editorial board for manuscript evaluations.

Submission Deadline: April 1st, 2025

Author Contact Information

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Submission Selection

Research manuscripts that are grounded in empirical research and offer implications for practice, typically ranging from 20 to 35 double-spaced pages.

Practice briefs, ranging from 8 to 10 double-spaced pages, apply existing theory and research to address real-world problems, providing actionable recommendations for practitioners. Practice briefs may also include the communication of evaluation methods or the reporting of strategies that work for individual programs and how these may be applied in other contexts.

Narrative works consist of personal accounts that highlight the experiences of individuals in higher education—such as students, alumni, practitioners, and researchers—offering unique perspectives on their journeys. Submissions should adhere to a length of 5-8 double-spaced pages.

Submission Type: *

Empirical Research Manuscript

Practice Brief

Narrative Works

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The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, the research arm of the Council for Opportunity in Education, conducts and disseminates research and policy analysis to encourage policymakers, educators, and the public to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities.