ERIC Number: EJ1411911
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 41
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0361-0365
EISSN: EISSN-1573-188X
How Does Reducing Merit-Aid Generosity and Certainty Affect College Choices? Evidence from Georgia's Hope Scholarship
Research in Higher Education, v65 n1 p1-41 2024
While considerable evidence has accumulated on state-funded merit-based scholarships, research on the effects of specific scholarship design choices has been thin, perhaps in part because cross-state comparisons are difficult. As one of the only states to enact major changes in the design of its merit-based scholarship program, Georgia provides a unique opportunity to explore the effects of these design choices. Using student-level observations for all high school graduates in Georgia over 9 years from 2008 to 2016, the paper uses difference-in-differences analysis and regression-discontinuity design to estimate the effects of a reduction in the level of HOPE scholarship funding, and the start of a new full-tuition scholarship, on student enrollment in Georgia colleges and universities. We find that the highest-achieving students were more likely to attend Georgia public higher-education institutions after the scholarship changes than before. Students who qualified for partial-tuition HOPE scholarships beginning in 2011 were less likely to attend Georgia public 4-year institutions than those who received full-tuition HOPE scholarships before 2011, though their enrollment increased relative to students ineligible for any merit aid. We conclude with discussion of implications for the design of merit-based scholarship programs.
Descriptors: College Choice, Scholarships, High School Graduates, Program Design, Educational Finance, High Achievement, Tuition, Enrollment Trends, Higher Education, Trend Analysis, Eligibility, College Attendance
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Georgia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A