Making FAFSA mandatory: an evaluation of Louisiana's financial aid submission policy on college enrollment and pell grant awards

The purpose of the study was to determine if the allocation of faculty salary expenditures has an influence on first-time, full time freshmen retention rates. The population for this study was all public degree granting undergraduate four-year postsecondary institutions accredited by the Southern Region Education Board in the 16 member states with information reported to the U.S Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System database. An inverse relationship exists between first-time, full time student retention and average undergraduate student age. A model exists to predict student retention rates using the regional comparable wage index to suggest this variable can predict first-time, full-time freshmen retention rates in public four-year universities in the Southern United States. Other financial variables related to faculty salaries are salary and fringe benefit outlays, instructional expenses as a percent of total core expenses, and total amount spent on core institutional expenses but did not create a predictive model for student retention rates. The results of this study found a model exists explaining variance in student retention rates and the non-financial institutional characteristics of total number of undergraduate students, average undergraduate student age, ratio of full time instructional faculty to all employees, percentage of full time male instructional faculty, and percentage of undergraduate male student enrollment combined. As the average undergraduate student age and total number of undergraduate students decreases, student retention rates increase. As the ratio of full time instructional faculty to all employees and percentage of male faculty and undergraduate male students increase, student retention rates increase. As the regional comparable wages increase, the student retention rates increase slightly. Excluded variables include undergraduate student enrollment by race or ethnicity and full time instructional faculty by ethnicity. However, the review of literature indicates student and faculty ethnicity plays an important role in student retention rates, therefore, the model should not be used to improve student retention rates in public four-year universities in the southern United States since this data is excluded. Recommendations for further research include using weighted averages to discover an effective model to improve freshman student retention rates.

Given the surge of dual enrollment programs in the United States, this study focuses on the relationship between public four-year universities’ offering of dual enrollment programs in the context of in-state and within-proximity community colleges offering similar programs. This study is guided by the classic supply and demand perspective in higher education to understand public four-year universities’ behaviors in offering dual enrollment programs and the size of these programs. Using a national dataset, we found that public four-year universities, especially non-doctoral institutions, do not seem to compete with nearby community colleges to offer similar dual enrolment programs. However, non-doctoral public four-year universities are responsive to student needs in dual enrolment in state overall, and they supplement community colleges’ role to supply dual enrolment programs when needed.

How have changes in the price of enrolling full time at public 2- and 4-year colleges affected student decisions about whether and where to enroll in college? Using local differences in the growth of tuition at community colleges and public 4-year colleges, we study the impact of public higher education tuition prices on the post-secondary enrollment decisions of high school graduates over three decades. We model prospective students’ decisions about whether to attend community college, a public four-year university in their state of residence, other colleges, or no college at all, as relative prices change. We identify enrollment impacts by instrumenting tuition prices using policy variation imposed by state appropriations and tuition caps. We estimate that in counties where local community college tuition doubled (about an average for the study period), the likelihood of post-secondary enrollment fell by about 0.05, on a mean of about 0.80. In addition to reducing college enrollment overall, rising tuition at community colleges diverted other students to four-year colleges. Rising relative prices of four-year public colleges similarly diverted some students toward community colleges but did not limit college attendance in the aggregate. We also find evidence of endogeneity in tuition-setting at the institution level.

Contraception information on the websites of student health centers in the United States

Introduction Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were established during the segregation period of U.S. history in response to the demand for education by Blacks who did not have access to White educational institutions. As a group, Blacks share a common historical experience of segregation that was characterized by relatively limited educational resources to meet the demand of the black population for higher education. Currently there are 103 HBCUs (53 private and 50 public institutions), representing approximately 3% of the total U.S. institutions of higher education and about 2% of the total U.S. college enrollment (National Center for Education Statistics, 1996). Collectively, these institutions have also been undergoing, over the past three decades, a declining share of black high graduates' enrollment in higher educational institutions. Despite federal desegregation policies, such a relative decline has not been compensated by a corresponding increase in HBCUs' relative share of the total population of non-Black high school graduates' enrollment in higher education. Although most HBCUs experienced enrollment growth during the periods of educational expansion in the U.S., overall their share of national enrollment has declined because of two factors: the increase in community colleges and the Adams court decisions desegregating higher education in the south (Hauptman & Smith, 1994). Table 1 shows that the total enrollment in HBCUs expanded by about 18.69% from 222,613 students in 1976 to 273,472 in 1998. Despite the modest increase in the number of non-Black students attending HBCUs, the level of diversity in terms of race and ethnicity has remained almost unchanged. Hence, Black students have consistently represented about 81% of the total annual enrollment at HBCUs during that period. Table 2 indicates that the total U.S. enrollment of Blacks 14 to 34 years of age in postsecondary educational institutional institutions increased significantly by 66% from 996,000 in 1980 to 1,640,000 in 1998. Consequently, the total Black enrollment in all colleges and universities rose from 9.78% in 1980 to 12.75% in 1998. However, as a group, HBCUs' relative share of the total Black enrollment in higher educational institutions declined from 18.18% in 1980 to 13.70% in 1998. In contrast, Black students' enrollment in other institutions of higher education, as a percentage of the total Black enrollment in the U.S., rose from 80.82% in 1980 to 86.3% in 1998. While Black students' enrollment in other colleges and universities rose by 76% from 805,011 in 1980 to 1,415,255 students in 1998, the enrollment of non-Black students in HBCUs rose only by 16.82% (from 42,568 to 49,727) during the same period. Several factors may have contributed to the decline of HBCUs' relative share of total Black student enrollment in postsecondary educational institutions, and there is no empirical evidence about their effects in the literature. The survival and growth of many HBCUs depend on their ability to maintain or improve their relative share of Black students, who traditionally represented their major source of enrollment. The purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical analysis of the determinants of Black student enrollment in HBCUs. Such information may be useful for policy decisions. An overview of the factors influencing Black enrollment in higher education and a description of the methodological framework as well as the data used in this study are provided in the next section. Methodology and Data Collection The Determinants of Enrollment Demand The literature provides a large body of information on the various factors that have been influencing the demand for higher education by Black high school graduates in the U. S. Demographic trends affect the demand for higher education as well as the supply of high school graduates who attend the various postsecondary institutions. …

<p>How to finance higher education remains controversial among policy makers and constituencies across the United States. Texas is not exempt from the controversy. With increasingly strained state finances, institutions of higher education and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) have come under pressure to increase performance accountability, efficiency, and competitiveness. In Texas, House Bill 9 (H.B. 9) was enacted in 2011 to dedicate a portion of state funding to public colleges and universities that meet specific performance-based standards. Although H.B. 9 has been passed and signed into law, it still has not been determined how funding will be distributed or how effective it will be. This paper analyzes data from several states with similar performance-based funding standards to help bring to light to the possible effects H.B. 9 will have on Texas’ public four-year universities.</p>

Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is a feeling of illegitimacy or fraudulence despite evidence to the contrary. Most people experience feelings of impostorism in their lifetime, and it has been associated with several outcomes in the literature. Although there is some evidence higher education may facilitate feelings of IP, community college students have been largely excluded from the literature. The current study expanded the research by examining the prevalence of IP in community college (CC) students and analyzing differences based on demographic variables: gender, under-represented minority (URM) status, first-generation status, Pell Grant eligibility, and disability. Comparisons were made between CC students and students in their first or second year at a public four-year university. The effect of demographic variables and possible interactions were also explored in the total college student sample. The relationships between self-reported grade point averages (GPA), intent to persist, and IP were investigated to see if IP or GPA were predictive of intent to persist. This study utilized a quantitative non-experimental design to examine survey data. The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (Clance, 1985) and a short demographic questionnaire were given online to 829 participants. The CC students comprised 63.3% of the sample, and they were from three different community colleges. A factorial analysis of variance was selected to examine group differences. A t-test was conducted to look at IP differences between CC and four-year university students, and a multiple linear regression with correlational analyses were utilized to look at the relationships and predictive power of GPA, IP, and intent to persist. Results showed most CC students indicated frequent feelings of impostorism. There were no significant differences between CC and the four-year university students. Students with a diagnosed disability had significantly higher levels of IP in both the CC and the total college student sample. There were also significant differences based on URM. There were no significant interactions. IP was correlated with intent to persist and IP levels were found to have some predictive value for intent to persist; self-reported GPA did not.

Through the use of existing grade and student survey data, this study investigated online courses offered at a public four-year university. Specifically, the study explored differences in student success rates between online and face-to-face courses for traditional undergraduate students as well as the climate of student perceptions towards online courses. Our general results suggest that students performed better in, and had higher levels of preference toward, traditional face-to-face formats. However, overall perceptions of online courses were positive, with students viewing instructional technologies as reliable and easy to use, as well as reporting that online technologies facilitated prompt feedback, enhanced their problem-solving skills, and met their learning needs. Alongside this, students exhibited positive views towards their instructors’ skill level and use of technology to support academic success. Logistic regression analyses of differences in student success across instructional formats revealed interaction effects with variables of age (nontraditional/traditional), aid status and whether or not courses were taken to fulfill general education or major requirements, suggesting a more complex effect of instructional format across student subpopulations. The variability in the results observed in the current study warrant further exploration before definitive conclusions on the impact of instructional format on student outcomes and perceptions can be made.

Many undocumented immigrants come to the U.S. as children. Undocumented immigrant children have a legal right to attend free public primary and secondary schools. However, in most states undocumented immigrants are treated as out-of-state students in public colleges and universities, and are therefore required to pay substantially higher tuition than other state residents. Since 2001, 21 of 50 U.S. states have implemented policies that allow undocumented immigrants to qualify for in-state resident tuition (ISRT) at public colleges and universities. In 12 of these states undocumented immigrants are also eligible for financial aid. In this study we present strong evidence that both ISRT policies and access to financial aid significantly increase the college enrollment and graduation rates of undocumented immigrants but have no impact on the college enrollment or graduation rates of U.S.-born youth. Another important change in immigration policy that affects many undocumented immigrant children is the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA allows undocumented individuals who came to the U.S. as children to obtain legal employment. The potential of being able to work legally in the United States could represent a significant increase in earnings as well as a substantial increase in the perceived benefits of higher education. Our findings present evidence that DACA led to an increase in youth employment and a decrease in college enrollment rates. Further, we find no evidence that the introduction of DACA reduced or increased the positive impact of ISRT and financial aid policies.

Food Insecurity on College and University Campuses: A Context and Rationale for Solutions

The targeting and packaging of student aid and its effect on attrition

Old Neoliberalism in the US University

Inviting and empowering parents via low-cost, light-touch mail-based interventions can have large effects in K-12 schools; we implement a similar intervention to increase second-year retention at a public four-year university. We find that the treatment did not noticeably affect second year retention rate or student academic performance, though the intervention may have changed parental beliefs in promising ways. In order for similar projects to be effective, we recommend that they target the parents of students who are academically qualified to return for their second year; focus the intervention on the spring and summer semesters before second year; communicate content that is exclusively relevant to re-enrollment to deliver focal messaging before parents habituate to the mailings; and, ideally, increase sample size by facilitating consent procedures consistent with FERPA regulations.

In this study, I capitalize on a natural experiment to examine the effect of federal Pell Grant eligibility on college enrollment for students who graduated from high school in spring 2004 and who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 are used to array students on the continuous Expected Family Contribution (EFC) variable, attained from the FAFSA, and divide them into two categories—those with an EFC at or below the federally designated amount for Pell eligibility, and those above. This regression-discontinuity approach allows me to measure whether students who vary regarding their Pell Grant eligibility, but who have essentially identical family incomes, differ in their college enrollment rates. I find no effect. While confirming prior studies examining the impact of the Pell Grant on college enrollment for traditional students, this finding remains inconsistent with findings on other need-based grants. This result suggests that the minimum Pell Grant amount, currently less than 10% of an average college’s tuition and fees, may be insufficient.

The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of resource adequacy in public and private universities in Kenya. Massification is the rapid enrolment of students in universities. Kenya has expanded her student enrolment in universities for her development needs. Research findings raise pertinent issues touching on the quality of education in the Kenyan universities. The study adopted a causal- comparative survey research design. The respondents were students and lecturers in the eight purposely selected universities in Kenya. A sample of 399 respondents consisting of 361 students, 22 lecturers and 16 heads of Department from four public and four private universities in Kenya were selected for the study through simple random sampling technique. The inferential statistics used in the study was chi-square. The hypothesis of the study was stated as “there is no statistical significant difference on the impact of massification on resource adequacy between public and private universities in Kenya. The study found that there is no significant statistical difference on the impact of massification on resource adequacy between public and private universities. From the study it was concluded that there was no statistical significance difference on the impact of massification on resource adequacy between public and private universities in Kenya. The study recommends that university management in public universities should provide adequate learning, welfare services, computing services and human resources to improve the quality of education and training in the universities in Kenya.