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

Author

Listed:
  • Celeste K. Carruthers

    (Department of Economics, University of Tennessee)

  • William F. Fox

    (Department of Economics, University of Tennessee)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Celeste K. Carruthers & William F. Fox, 2015. "Aid for all: College coaching, financial aid, and post-secondary persistence in Tennessee," Working Papers 2015-06, University of Tennessee, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ten:wpaper:2015-06
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    Cited by:

    1. Molina, Teresa & Rivadeneyra, Ivan, 2021. "The schooling and labor market effects of eliminating university tuition in Ecuador," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    2. Anderson, Drew M., 2020. "When financial aid is scarce: The challenge of allocating college aid where it is needed most," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    3. Estelle Herbaut & Koen Geven, 2019. "What Works to Reduce Inequalities in Higher Education? A Systematic Review of the (Quasi-)Experimental Literature on Outreach and Financial Aid," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-03456943, HAL.
    4. Estelle Herbaut & Koen Geven, 2019. "What Works to Reduce Inequalities in Higher Education? A Systematic Review of the (Quasi-)Experimental Literature on Outreach and Financial Aid," Working Papers hal-03456943, HAL.
    5. Hieu Nguyen, 2019. "Free tuition and college enrollment: evidence from New York’s Excelsior program," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(6), pages 573-587, November.
    6. Drew M. Anderson & David B. Monaghan & Jed Richardson, 2024. "Can the Promise of Free Education Improve College Attainment? Lessons from the Milwaukee Area Technical College Promise," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 65(8), pages 1747-1770, December.
    7. Lindsay C. Page & Judith Scott-Clayton, 2015. "Improving College Access in the United States: Barriers and Policy Responses," NBER Working Papers 21781, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/527ht1a96e837pq2dubgo2953q is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Steven W. Hemelt & Nathaniel L. Schwartz & Susan M. Dynarski, 2020. "Dual‐Credit Courses and the Road to College: Experimental Evidence from Tennessee," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(3), pages 686-719, June.
    10. Li Feng & Eleanor W. Close & Cynthia J. Luxford & Jiwoo An Pierson & Alice Olmstead & Jieon Shim & Venkata Sowjanya Koka & Heather C. Galloway, 2025. "Transforming Undergraduate STEM Education: The Learning Assistant Model and Student Retention and Graduation Rates," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 66(1), pages 1-26, February.
    11. Celeste K. Carruthers & Christopher Jepsen, 2020. "Vocational Education: An International Perspective," CESifo Working Paper Series 8718, CESifo.
    12. Page, Lindsay C. & Scott-Clayton, Judith, 2016. "Improving college access in the United States: Barriers and policy responses," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 4-22.
    13. Elaine W. Leigh & Manuel S. González Canché, 2021. "The College Promise in Communities: Do Place-based Scholarships Affect Residential Mobility Patterns?," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 62(3), pages 259-308, May.
    14. Joshua Goodman & Michael Hurwitz & Jonathan Smith, 2017. "Access to 4-Year Public Colleges and Degree Completion," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(3), pages 829-867.
    15. Nguyen, Hieu, 2020. "Free college? Assessing enrollment responses to the Tennessee Promise program," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    16. Benjamin Cowan & Nathan Tefft, 2025. "College Access and Adult Health," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 11(3), pages 335-374.
    17. Anderson, Drew M. & Goldrick-Rab, Sara, 2018. "Aid after enrollment: Impacts of a statewide grant program at public two-year colleges," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 148-157.
    18. Delaney, Taylor & Marcotte, Dave E., 2022. "Public Higher Education Costs and College Enrollment," IZA Discussion Papers 15320, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household

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