Aid for all: College coaching, financial aid, and post-secondary persistence in Tennessee

Celeste Carruthers and William Fox

Economics of Education Review, 2016, vol. 51, issue C, 97-112

Abstract: Beginning with the high school class of 2015, Tennessee Promise will provide college coaching and last-dollar aid to every high school graduate making a seamless transition to community college. We examine the program that preceded this effort and evaluate its potential effect on college-going and college persistence. Knox Achieves originated in Knox County, Tennessee with the class of 2009. Eligibility was neither need-based nor merit-based, negating some of the application hurdles that accompany other aid vehicles. We find that program participation is strongly associated with an increased likelihood of graduating from high school and enrolling directly in college, albeit with a modestly lower chance of starting in a four-year college. The evidence suggests that aid per se is not the only lever by which Knox Achieves worked: college enrollment and college credit gains are largest among lower-income students who likely saw little to no scholarship aid from the program.

Keywords: Higher education; Financial aid; College enrollment; College persistence; College coaching; Tennessee (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 H31 I22 I28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:51:y:2016:i:c:p:97-112

DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.06.001

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