Does free community college change who enlists in the military? Qualitative and quantitative evidence from Tennessee Promise

Michael Kofoed

Economics Virtual Symposium 2025 from Stata Users Group

Abstract: Young adults in the United States face critical decisions after high school, often defined by employment, enrollment, or enlistment. Military service provides educational benefits, but the attractiveness of this pathway wanes with perceived college affordability. We use the rollout of tuition-free community college in Tennessee to study the effects of Promise scholarships on enlistment. We find a four percent decline in military enlistment driven by Army and Navy and concentrated in low-income counties and the most populous counties. In addition, the composition of successful enlistees shifted toward those with more mechanical and automotive aptitudes.

Date: 2025-11-07
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