Date of Degree
2025
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)
Director
Kortegast, Carrie
Committee Members
Hutchings, Quortne; Turner, Daniel
Keywords
First-Dollar, Last-Dollar, Promise Programs, Community College
Abstract
Promise Programs gained popularity during the Great Recession to increase access to postsecondary education amid growing concerns regarding student loan debt. Promise Programs provide tuition-free scholarships to eligible students, typically based on non-merit criteria. Two common types of Promise Programs scholarships are first-dollar scholarships, which are awarded before any other grants, financial aid, or scholarships, and last-dollar scholarships, which are applied after all other grants, financial aid, or scholarships. Both models have been shown to positively impact student outcomes such as enrollment, semester-to-semester retention, and degree completion. This quantitative study determined whether student outcomes improved when a Promise Program scholarship at a community college shifted from last-dollar to a first-dollar funding model. Specifically, it analyzed the relationship between students eligible for the Promise Program as first-dollar compared to last-dollar and between students eligible for the scholarship and those ineligible under each funding format. Dependent variables included semester-to-semester retention, degree completion, and GPA. Covariates included race, ethnicity, biological sex, Pell eligibility, and age. Key findings included statistically significant improvements in GPA for students eligible for the scholarship as last-dollar compared to ineligible students. A positive correlation between degree completion and GPA for first-dollar eligible students compared to ineligible students. While the change in the scholarship funding format from first-dollar to last-dollar did not impact retention or degree completion, it did influence GPA. The scholarship positively impacted female students' retention, degree completion, and GPA, regardless of the funding format. Finally, eligible male students had higher enrollment rates than their ineligible counterparts. These findings suggest that the funding format of a Promise Program may influence student outcomes. Further research, which includes student voices through surveys, interviews, or focus groups, can provide valuable insights into how students perceive changes in scholarship funding models.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Kotowski, Jennifer, "THE CORRELATION BETWEEN FIRST-DOLLAR PROMISE PROGRAMS AND STUDENT ENROLLMENT, RETENTION, AND COMPLETION" (2025). Dissertations of Practice. 84.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/84
