College Affordability and Student Success: Evidence on Policies to Address Non-Tuition Costs and Student Basic Needs

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

As one of the surest paths to economic stability, higher education has the potential to play an equalizing role, yet college graduation rates remain strikingly unequal (Wright-Kim et al., 2022). Compared to their more affluent peers, far fewer students from families with low incomes complete college (Page & Scott-Clayton, 2016). Given the equity imperative of increasing graduation rates, many programs and policies have aimed to address barriers to college student success. While much attention has focused on financial aid and scholarships (Dynarski, Page, et al., 2023), it is clear that non-tuition barriers also stand in students’ way (Dynarski, Nurshatayeva, et al., 2023). 

This panel presents evidence on the non-tuition costs facing college students and on policies and interventions that states and institutions can implement to help students cover costs and stay on track academically. 

The first paper uses a decade of administrative data from multiple Michigan community colleges to estimate the causal effect of Open Educational Resource (OER) on students’ academic outcomes, including grades, persistence, credit intensity, and course composition, as well as academic performance in subsequent courses. Additionally, this study contributes evidence on the institutional costs of implementing OER and on per-student textbook cost savings. The second paper contributes to this discussion by analyzing OER’s effects within the California Community Colleges (CCC) system, leveraging a statewide zero-textbook-cost initiative to study impacts on similar academic outcomes. Both papers support OER as a low-cost affordability strategy that removes a meaningful non-tuition barrier without any negative impacts on student academic outcomes. 

The third paper adds to the discussion on non-tuition costs with an exploration of food insecurity and homelessness. Tracking students from their first through third academic years, the authors analyze how early exposure to food and housing insecurity is associated with subsequent hardship, cumulative GPA, and enrollment status. The findings highlight the importance of early screening, sustained support throughout students’ college careers, and policy approaches that address food and housing insecurity as interconnected challenges rather than separate issues. Finally, the fourth paper shares findings from the College Student Basic Needs Network, an Urban Institute initiative that brings together six states in the Great Lakes region. This paper shows how these states are using cross-agency coordination and a community-of-practice model to address basic need challenges at the policy level and sustain support for students amid federal volatility. 

Taken together, the papers in this panel look at multiple non-tuition barriers—text-book costs, food insecurity, and homelessness—and they examine current policy solutions at the state and institutional levels addressing college student basic needs. These barriers often operate outside traditional financial aid systems, yet they directly affect students’ academic engagement, course-taking behavior, and overall well-being. By focusing on these often-overlooked constraints, this panel provides a comprehensive understanding of college affordability and suggests actionable insights for policymakers and institutions seeking to promote both affordability and degree completion.

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Michael Alexander Cooper, University of California Irvine

Discussants

• Veronica M. Minaya, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Silvia Robles, Brown University

Organizer

• Stacey Lee Brockman, Wayne State University

Individual Presentations

• What is the Cost of Free? Effects and Costs of Open Educational Resources - Presenting Author: Huong Nguyen, Wayne State University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Stacey Lee Brockman, Wayne State University

• Does Affordability Come at a Cost? Evidence on Textbook Cost Reduction and Student Academic Outcomes - Presenting Author: Michael Span, University of California Irvine; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Di Xu, University of California Irvine; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Winnie Yee, University of California Irvine; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Sabrina Mahendra Solanki, University of California Irvine

• Unmet Non-Tuition Needs Among College Students in the First-Year: Food Insecurity, Homelessness, and Year-3 Outcomes - Presenting Author: Muhammad Kara, Temple University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Sara Renee Abelson, Temple University

• Helping States Support College Student Basic Needs Amid Rapid Policy Change - Presenting Author: Theresa M Anderson, Urban Institute