Working Paper: NBER ID: w19306
Authors: Benjamin L. Castleman; Bridget Terry Long
Abstract: The government has attempted to ameliorate gaps in college access and success by providing need-based grants, but little evidence exists on the long-term impacts of such aid. We examine the effects of the Florida Student Access Grant (FSAG) using a regression-discontinuity strategy and exploiting the cut-off used to determine eligibility. We find grant eligibility had a positive effect on attendance, particularly at public four-year institutions. Moreover, FSAG increased the rate of credit accumulation and bachelor’s degree completion within six years, with a 22 percent increase for students near the eligibility cutoff. The effects are robust to sensitivity analysis.
Keywords: Need-based grants; College access; Persistence; Graduation
JEL Codes: I2; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| FSAG eligibility (I38) | probability of immediate enrollment in a public four-year university (I23) |
| FSAG eligibility (I38) | likelihood of continuous enrollment into the spring semester of the freshman year (I23) |
| FSAG eligibility (I38) | earned credits after three years (G51) |
| FSAG eligibility (I38) | probability of earning a bachelor's degree within six years (D29) |