Graduate Student Council Session: Can Tuition-Free College Programs Reduce Barriers in Higher Education?

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

This conversation explore the policy design of tuition-free college programs (“Promise” programs) and the ability of these programs to reduce barriers to education. Isabel McMullen, a senior research analyst at the W.E. Upjohn Institute, uses research on the Kalamazoo Promise as a case study to examine the connection between policy, implementation, and outcomes. J. Grant and I. McMullen’s conversation will use three papers on the Kalamazoo Promise and examples from other programs to discuss: 1. How the Promise differentially impacted the college attendance, persistence, and degree completion of student groups, 2. The challenges that universal, race-neutral programs present in terms of equalizing outcomes, and 3. How research is used by the Promise to direct policy changes towards more equitable outcomes overtime.

Sub Unit

• Graduate Student Council

Cosponsor

• Graduate Student Council

Chair

• Janelle Grant, Purdue University

Speaker

• Isabel McMullen, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

Discussant

• Jennifer Deboer, Purdue University