How Does the 15 to Finish Initative Affect Academic Outcomes of Lowincome, First-generation Students? Evidence From a College Promise Program in Indiana

Abstract

As the cost of college tuition has increased, policymakers and practitioners have begun to examine the proliferation of college promise programs (i.e., tuition-free grant programs, debt free college programs) across the United States. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine what effect a statewide 30-credit hour annual completion policy had on the academic outcomes of college promise program recipients at two 4-year public research universities, Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) and Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI). The study examines the implementation of and subsequent policy change to the early-commitment college promise program, Indiana Twenty-First Century Scholarship (TFCS) Program. Using administrative data from the Indiana University’s University Institutional Research and Reporting (UIRR) office, representing 7,842 low-income students who enrolled shortly before the policy was implemented, this observational study employs a quasi-experimental, difference-in-differences (DiD) approach to explore the impact of the Indiana Code Title 21 (IC- 21-12-6-7) (30 credit hour annual completion policy) on students’ academic outcomes. Specifically, this dissertation examines the heterogenous treatment effects of this policy change on the academic performance (e.g., cumulative credit hours accumulated, cumulative grade point average [GPA], and degree completion status) of Indiana TFCS recipients at IUB and IUPUI, compared to non-TFCS Pell recipients from the same time period (Fall 2011 through Fall 2014 cohorts). Results suggest that the 30-credit hour annual completion policy showed a modest significant effect on cumulative credits and grades, but had no effect on degree completion status (Year 4 Graduation Status, Year 6 Graduation/Enrollment Status), at IUB (a small town, primarily residential, more selective, flagship research university). The policy had no effect on the TFCS recipients enrolled at IUPUI (an urban, primarily nonresidential, moderately selective research university). These findings demonstrate that the policy, which was related to a broader, national 15 to Finish initiative did not produce its intended effect, nor did it have any adverse consequences for low-income, first-generation students.