Promise scholarship consequences: Early evidence from Tennessee and Oregon

Abstract

The article describes enrollment, retention, and institutional expenditures on instruction, academic support, and student services at community colleges in Tennessee and Oregon after these states implemented Promise scholarship programs. This article highlights that college attendance and choice among recent high school graduates changed after the adoption of the Promise scholarship but fall‐to‐fall retention rates remain similar to pre‐Promise levels with the exception of the first cohorts of the Promise scholarships. In relative terms, institutional expenditures on instruction, academic support, and student services have not kept pace with increased enrollment in Tennessee. Based on the findings, this article identifies one potential unintended consequence of state Promise programs—diluting institutional expenditure per student. To promote student success, college presidents and system leaders should use existing channels, such as professional associations and presidents’ councils to communicate with elected officials and policymakers and present a united front to advocate for additional financial support.

The Good, The Bad, and the Balanced: A Typology of State Merit-Aid Programs for Community College Students

“…Much of the recent literature on community college affordability focuses on state Promise Programs and aims to identify the defining characteristics of these programs (e.g., Davidson et al, 2020;Gándara & Li, 2020;Lee et al, 2022;Miller-Adams, 2015). Fourteen states have adopted Promise Programs that offer a no-cost opportunity to attend public community colleges, and five more states have Promise Programs that apply to both 2-and 4-year colleges (Billings et al, 2021).…”

Do Credit Momentum Policies Through the 15 to Finish Improve Academic Progression and Completion of Low-Income, First-Generation Students? Evidence from a College Promise Program

“…Over the last decade—and especially in recent years—college promise programs and debt-free college proposals have been proliferating at both the local and state levels (Ash et al, 2021 ; Bell & Gándara, 2021 ; College Promise, 2021a ; Kunkle, 2022 ; Lee et al, 2022 ; Leigh & González Canché, 2021 ; Odle et al, 2021 ). Today, approximately twenty-one statewide college promise programs are in operation (Callahan et al, 2019 ).…”