Does Free Tuition Cool Off the Cool Out? Evidence From a National Sample

• In Event: 64.048 - Promise Programs and the Free College Movement: Fad or Future?

Abstract

Evidence suggests that free tuition for community college students opens access and may even boost academic performance. However, the degree to which free tuition is associated with changes in degree aspirations among community college students is not clear. This is a critical gap in our understanding of the "Promise Movement," since student success is clearly dependent, in part, on students maintaining their degree aspirations after entry. Consequently, the current study uses nationally representative data to examine the association between net-free tuition and subsequent changes in community college students' degree aspirations.

Authors

• Cameron Sublett, WestEd

• Jason L. Taylor, University of Utah