State-Supported Financial Aid Impact on Baccalaureate Degree Completion in Texas

• In Event: State Policy and Educational Equity

Abstract

College affordability is vital to college access and success. Existing research does not offer clear evidence of how state-supported financial aid affects student outcomes in Texas. As a result, policy debates over the value of state-supported financial aid at the state capitol are missing key empirical evidence. Using Texas administrative data on students who began in Texas public four-year institutions in 2011-2012, this study examines how state-supported financial aid impacts baccalaureate degree completion and whether the effects vary across student characteristics. The results show that state-supported financial aid can improve students’ baccalaureate degree attainment, but the aid effects vary across programs. This study also identifies distinct effects of state-supported financial aid on baccalaureate degree completion across different student subgroups.

Author

• Wonsun Ryu, University of Texas at Austin