ERIC Number: ED539899
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jan
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "Can Scholarships Alone Help Students Succeed? Lessons from Two New York City Community Colleges"
What Works Clearinghouse
"Can Scholarships Alone Help Students Succeed? Lessons from Two New York City Community Colleges" examined the effects of performance-based scholarships for low-income community college students (ages 22-35) who were required to enroll in remedial courses. The study evaluated the impact of the scholarships on continued community college enrollment, credits attempted and earned, and cumulative grade-point average (GPA). All study subjects were eligible for Pell Grants. Study authors randomly assigned 1,502 students at two New York City community colleges into one of three groups: (a) students were offered a performance-based scholarship for two semesters (up to $2,600); (b) students were offered a performance-based scholarship for two semesters plus one summer term (up to $3,900); and (c) students were not offered a performance-based scholarship, though these students were still eligible to receive other financial aid. Scholarships were awarded directly to students, on top of their existing financial aid, at the beginning, middle, and end of each semester, contingent on their continued enrollment and grades. The two scholarship groups were combined for most analyses. Study authors reported findings for a number of outcomes related to enrollment, course taking, and grades. The portion of the study that examined enrollment rates reported that at the end of the two-semester program, 78.1% of the scholarship students were still enrolled, versus 76.6% of the students in the control group. Enrollment for the scholarship and control groups, respectively, was 61.9% versus 60.7% one semester after the program ended, and 51.2% versus 49.5% two semesters after the program ended. None of these differences are statistically significant.
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, College Credits, Grade Point Average, Enrollment, Program Effectiveness, Community Colleges, Control Groups, Grants, Scholarships, Remedial Instruction, Low Income Groups
What Works Clearinghouse. 550 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024; e-mail: contact.WWC@ed.gov; Web site: https://whatworks.ed.gov/
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Identifiers - Location: New York
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Pell Grant Program
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A