Journal of Student Financial Aid
Short Title
Free Community College Outcomes
Abstract
“Free college” programs are widespread in American higher education. They are discussed as addressing college access, affordability, inequality, and skills shortages. Many are last-dollar tuition guarantees restricted to use at single community colleges. Using student-level data spanning the transition to college, we investigate how two similar local community college tuition guarantees in Pennsylvania affected college-going outcomes. We estimate that the Morgan Success Scholarship has large impacts on any college enrollment, community college attendance and associate degree attainment, but also diverts students from four-year colleges and reduces bachelor’s attainment. Meanwhile, we find scant evidence that the Community College of Philadelphia’s 50th Anniversary Scholars program impacts any college-going behavior. We suggest reasons for divergent findings and offer suggestions for practice.
Recommended Citation
Monaghan, David and Hawke, Elizabeth
()
"Some Promises are Worth More than Others: How “Free Community College” Programs impact Postsecondary Participation, Destinations, and Degree Completion,"
Journal of Student Financial Aid: Vol. 54
:
Iss.
3
, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55504/0884-9153.1846
Available at:
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/jsfa/vol54/iss3/2
Included in
Educational Sociology Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons