Arizona Uncertainty: How One Need-Based Aid Program’s Restrictive Entry Requirements Undermine Diversity and College Access

• In Event: Economic and Financial Factors in College Access and Persistence: The Good, Bad, and Terrible?

Abstract

Arizona Assurance is a financial aid policy at the University of Arizona that covers tuition, room, and board, for students of families making less than $42,400 per year. Two years ago, the administrators of the program added additional eligibility criteria (e.g., a 3.0 high school gpa). Within the context of this paper, we explore how these changing criteria affect the racial, gender, and class composition of Assurance Scholars.

Authors

• Dee Hill Zuganelli, The University of Arizona

• Nolan L. Cabrera, The University of Arizona

• Jeffrey F. Milem, The University of Arizona