More Money, More Opportunities: The Impact of the Machen Florida Opportunities Scholars Program on the Post-Baccalaureate Enrollment Decisions of Low-Income / First-Generation College Students

Abstract

Developing financial aid policies that increase access for first-generation and low-income student have long been a priority of the scholars and administrators. To counter the rising costs of higher education, institutions have increasingly turned to no-loan programs to provide financial assistance to their most needy applications. However, only recently, has the empirical literature begun to examine the role of these no-loan program on post-enrollment outcomes. This study examines the impact of no-loan program participation on post-baccalaureate enrollment decision through a regression discontinuity approach. Results from this study indicate a positive and statistically significant effect of no-loan program participation on graduate school enrollment for these historically underrepresented and disadvantaged students.