Almost every state offers some kind of college tuition assistance for students from low-income families who attend in-state colleges and universities. This aid is important: It can make all the difference as to whether students finish a degree program that can help pave their way to a well-paying job and meaningful career. In New Jersey, residents…

This dissertation comprises three essays that empirically examine the educational outcomes of for-profit college students, military enlistees and immigrant youth. All of these are groups of "non-average" students that, in different contexts, pose challenges to the traditional provision of education. Therefore, their outcomes need to be…