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Aid after enrollment: Impacts of a statewide grant program at public two-year colleges

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  • Anderson, Drew M.
  • Goldrick-Rab, Sara

Abstract

Most students who begin at community colleges do not finish with a degree. The net price of college commonly shifts after enrollment, and there is little evidence on how these shifts affect two-year degree completion. This study provides evidence on the impacts of a private program that offered supplemental grant aid to students with demonstrated financial need, who were already enrolled at public two-year colleges in Wisconsin. An evaluation using a randomized control group and data from over 4,000 students in multiple cohorts, fails to confirm substantial increases in persistence or degree completion caused by the grant program. We highlight some features of implementation that added complexity and may have reduced the effectiveness of the grant program.

Suggested Citation

  • Anderson, Drew M. & Goldrick-Rab, Sara, 2018. "Aid after enrollment: Impacts of a statewide grant program at public two-year colleges," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 148-157.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:67:y:2018:i:c:p:148-157
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.10.008
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    Cited by:

    1. Drew M. Anderson & David B. Monaghan & Jed Richardson, 2024. "Can the Promise of Free Education Improve College Attainment? Lessons from the Milwaukee Area Technical College Promise," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 65(8), pages 1747-1770, December.
    2. Sandra E. Black & Jeffrey T. Denning & Lisa J. Dettling & Sarena Goodman & Lesley J. Turner, 2023. "Taking It to the Limit: Effects of Increased Student Loan Availability on Attainment, Earnings, and Financial Well-Being," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(12), pages 3357-3400, December.
    3. Deven E. Carlson & Alex Schmidt & Sarah Souders & Barbara L. Wolfe, 2020. "The Effects of Need-Based Financial Aid on Employment and Earnings: Experimental Evidence from the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars," NBER Working Papers 27125, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Celeste K. Carruthers & Christopher Jepsen, 2020. "Vocational Education: An International Perspective," CESifo Working Paper Series 8718, CESifo.
    5. Kim, Sie Won, 2023. "The effect of promoting access to community colleges on educational and labor market outcomes," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    6. Gicheva, Dora & Anand, Priyanka, 2020. "The Impact of the ACA Medicaid Expansions on the Employment and Academic Progress of College Students," UNCG Economics Working Papers 20-3, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics.
    7. Anderson, Drew M., 2020. "When financial aid is scarce: The challenge of allocating college aid where it is needed most," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    8. Drew M. Anderson & Katharine M. Broton & Sara Goldrick‐Rab & Robert Kelchen, 2020. "Experimental Evidence on the Impacts of Need‐Based Financial Aid: Longitudinal Assessment of the Wisconsin Scholars Grant," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(3), pages 720-739, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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