What's New
Documenting Their Decisions: How Undocumented Students Enroll and Persist in College
Undocumented students who became eligible for California’s state aid program enroll in college at similar rates to their peers, though are more likely to attend community college due to differences in where they apply. Yet undocumented students who attend four-year colleges are equally likely to persist and earn a degree, pushing against any evidence of “mismatch” that suggests these students are not prepared for those environments. Read more
The Impact of Merit Aid on College Choice and Degree Attainment: Reexamining Florida’s Bright Futures Program
We find that Florida’s Bright Futures financial aid program had essentially no impact on postsecondary enrollment and degree completion. These findings align with emerging notions that state merit aid programs produce smaller effects when compared to more effective need-based aid. Read more
“Prior-prior year” FAFSA increased aid submissions but likely not enrollment
The federal government instituted changes to simplify the FAFSA filing process – known as “prior-prior year” – which led students to submit their FAFSA substantially earlier and increased refiling rates for independent students. Nonetheless, the policy did not appear to substantially alter state aid receipt or postsecondary attendance for any groups. Read more