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State Merit-based Financial Aid Programs and College Attainment

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  • David L. Sjoquist

    (Georgia State University)

  • John V. Winters

    (Oklahoma State University)

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of state merit-based student aid programs on college attendance and degree completion. Our primary analysis uses micro data from the 2000 Census and 2001 2010 American Community Survey to estimate the effects of exposure to merit programs on educational outcomes for 25 states that adopted such programs by 2004. We also utilize administrative data for the University System of Georgia to look more in depth at the effects of exposure to the HOPE Scholarship on degree completion. We find strong consistent evidence that exposure to state merit aid programs has no meaningfully positive effect on college completion.

Suggested Citation

  • David L. Sjoquist & John V. Winters, 2014. "State Merit-based Financial Aid Programs and College Attainment," Economics Working Paper Series 1408, Oklahoma State University, Department of Economics and Legal Studies in Business.
  • Handle: RePEc:okl:wpaper:1408
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    merit aid; HOPE; college attainment; degree completion; higher education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • R28 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Government Policy

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