The Best-Kept Secret: An Analysis of Florida's Tuition Assistance Program for Homeless Students

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: The Role of Financial Aid and College Costs in College Access

Abstract

The proposed conceptual paper presents an analysis of Florida’s Tuition Exemption Program for homeless students. While tuition assistance policies promote access by reducing the cost of college, they are sometimes underutilized and lack sufficient institutional level supports to encourage persistence and degree completion for targeted populations. This study analyzes Florida’s Tuition Exemption policy for homeless students and addresses opportunities to improve support for homeless students in higher education. The purpose of the paper is to further the scholarly discussion regarding college access for housing vulnerable students. The proposed study brings forward a group of the students that receive little attention in the literature and engages scholars on how to improve higher education policy for homeless students.

Author

• Jarrett Gupton, University of South Florida - Tampa