College Promise

Last updated

College Promise is a national non-partisan campaign that supports funding the first two years of higher education, starting with community colleges in the United States. While state-level campaigns often lack funding, College Promise highlights growing concerns about unaffordable college costs and student loan debt in the United States. [1] College Promise is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2015. [2]

Contents

History

Higher education in the United States has been restrictive for most of US history, serving elites at first, and slowly growing more egalitarian from the 1800s to the early 2000s. Government action such as the Morrill Act, GI Bill and Civil Rights Act increased accessibility while growing student populations. In the 1960s, community colleges were low cost, and some larger universities were also low cost. For many reasons, college affordability has been a significant issue in US higher education, especially since 1970. [3] [4]

In 2005, the Kalamazoo Promise program was instituted so that local high school students could attend Michigan colleges with a 65 percent to 100 percent tuition discount. [5] In 2014, Tennessee was the first state to initiate a program for free tuition at community colleges. [6] In his 2015 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama proposed making community college tuition free to many residents of the US. Despite its popularity, the plan did not materialize. [7] In September 2015, the College Promise Campaign was started, which serves to educate and promote College Promise programs in the United States. At that time, there were 53 College Promise Programs in place. By 2017, 16 states had at least one statewide College Promise program. [1] A year later, the College Promise movement grew to over 300 programs in 24 states. [8] As of September 2019, it was observed that there are over 320 College Promise Programs in 47 states nationwide. [9]

Leadership

The College Promise advisory board consists of 37 leaders representing interests from education, business, philanthropy, labor, nonprofits, government, and students. [10]

Funding

College Promise's donors include the Kresge Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, J.P. Morgan, Great Lakes, Arconic Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation. [11]

Research about College Promise programs

How each College Promise program works influences its effectiveness. [12]

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), College Promise programs that only cover tuition costs may be insufficient for working-class people who may need help with housing, childcare, food and transportation costs. [13] Other researchers have reported similar limitations. [14]

Pacific NW Study

One of the early Promise Programs began in 2007 in the Pacific Northwest; graduating students from one high school were able to attend their first year of a local community college due to scholarships with both government and private funding. The selected high school was located in a large city in a low-income neighborhood, and more than half of the students were minorities. From the period between 2005 and 2007 before the Promise Program was announced, only 6.2% of graduating seniors enrolled in college, but following the implementation of the Promise program in 2008, 60.7% of graduating seniors enrolled to college. [15] The fall-to winter retention rates of first-year students who attended college because of the Promise Program was 90%, indicating that the initiative increased student enrollment in college and academic success. Despite the high retention rates observed in this study, few students were placed into college-level math and English classes, and the average college grade point average (GPA) during their freshman year was 1.83, suggesting that students were not prepared in high school for the rigor of college classes. [15] A total of 51 students participated in the study, with 46 students reenrolling for a second semester. Nonetheless, this Promise Program increased college attendance for lower-income students more than other Promise Programs, such as the Oregon Promise, because it does not take into account family income.

Oregon Study

A state-wide Promise Program was started in Oregon in 2016, where community college tuition is covered to residents of Oregon with a cumulative high school GPA of 2.5 or higher. [16] The Oregon Promise is a “last-dollar” scholarship, meaning that aid will only be rewarded after all other federal loans are applied, such as the Pell Grant. In 2016–2017, students from middle-income families received 53% of all aid rewarded from the Oregon Promise because they did not meet the requirements for the Pell Grant, while lower-income families received 47% of tuition covered because slightly higher percentages of these students qualified for more federal and state grants. [16] Overall, 6,745 students who attended Oregon Community Colleges received the scholarship out of 10,500 applicants who met the scholarship requirements. Despite the problems in allocating scholarships primarily to need-based students, it was observed that Oregon community colleges saw an increase of 4%-5% in student enrollment in 2017. [16]

Last Dollar vs First Dollar Promise Programs

Most Promise Programs in the United States currently award scholarships on a "last dollar" approach, meaning that students who qualify for need-based grants will only receive their scholarships after federal and state grants are exhausted. Creating programs based on "last dollar" financial aid is cheaper to states and cities than the alternate "first dollar" scholarships. In last dollar programs, low-income students should be receiving less aid from Promise scholarships than middle-income and high-income students. However, this is not necessarily true. Lower-income students will receive their Promise Program scholarship as well as federal grants, but middle-class students may only receive the Promise Program scholarship. Many middle-class families make too much money for students to qualify for federal grants such as the Pell Grant, but they do not make enough to comfortably send their children to public universities even with financial aid. [14] Often middle-class families are not able to afford college tuition prices and do not receive additional aid, and these students end up graduating college with thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Shifting scholarship aid from last dollar to first dollar can greatly benefit both low-income and middle-class students, but that would require the assistance of the federal government. [14]

Kalamazoo Study

A well-known example is seen in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Kalamazoo Public School (KPS) students have 100% of their tuition covered by anonymous donors in Michigan universities if they attended KPS from kindergarten through 12th grade. [17] When Kalamazoo announced their Promise Program in 2005, KPS schools saw a surge in student enrollment, while other districts across the state and nation saw a decline in student enrollment. In 2009, it was observed that enrollment in KPS increased by 2,400 students. [17] Not only were there more students enrolling, but schools also observed less high school seniors students drop-out. The effects of the Promise Program made many positive advancements in Kalamazoo, especially since many of the students in KPS came from poorer communities. Many more students have the opportunity to attend college, when they otherwise would not have had the chance. The Kalamazoo Promise is still in effect as of 2020, and will be continuing indefinitely. [18]

Problems Associated with Expanding Promise Programs

Although there are many reasons why free higher education is beneficial to society, there are also problems that will arise if Promise Programs are instituted nationwide. President Lyndon B. Johnson implemented federal student loan and grant programs in 1965, which were supposed to help lower income students attend college. [19] With the mass adoption of federal funding, universities became much cheaper and easier to access. This means free tuition hangs on taxes. During the Reagan '80s, Tax and Expenditure Limitations were passed. Colleges could no longer afford free tuition due to a massive cut to state spending, which consequently drastically increased the cost of tuition and other fees. [20] Furthermore, if public universities become free to all students, more students will have access to higher education and will be expected to retain a degree, regardless of whether they actually need one.

See also

Related Research Articles

School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to public schools. It is the subject of fierce debate in various state legislatures across the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scholarship</span> Financial aid for a students education

A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need, research experience or specific professional experience.

Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending, private spending via tuition payments are the largest revenue sources for education institutions in some countries. In most developed countries, especially countries in Scandinavia and Continental Europe, there are no or only nominal tuition fees for all forms of education, including university and other higher education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Student loan</span> Type of loan for educational expenses

A student loan is a type of loan designed to help students pay for post-secondary education and the associated fees, such as tuition, books and supplies, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in the fact that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in school. It also differs in many countries in the strict laws regulating renegotiating and bankruptcy. This article highlights the differences of the student loan system in several major countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Phoenix</span> American for-profit university

University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree levels. It is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has an open enrollment admissions policy for many undergraduate programs. The school is owned by Apollo Global Management and Vistria Group.

Free education is education funded through government spending or charitable organizations rather than tuition funding. Many models of free higher education have been proposed. Primary school and other comprehensive or compulsory education is free in many countries. Tertiary education is also free in certain countries, including post-graduate studies in the Nordic countries. The Article 13 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ensures the right to free education at primary education and progressive introduction of it at secondary and higher education as the right to education.

Student financial aid in the United States is funding that is available exclusively to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. This funding is used to assist in covering the many costs incurred in the pursuit of post-secondary education. Financial aid is available from federal and state governments, educational institutions, and private organizations. It can be awarded in the form of grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships. In order to apply for federal financial aid, students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Student Assistance Program</span> Financial aid program in Ontario

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) (French: Régime d'aide financière aux étudiantes et étudiants de l'Ontario ) is a provincial financial aid program that offers grants and loans to help Ontario students pay for their post-secondary education. OSAP determines the amount of money that a student is eligible to receive by considering factors such as tuition, course load, and the financial resources of the student. More than 380,000 students – more than half of all full-time students –received student financial aid in 2014-15.

In the United States, dual enrollment (DE), also called concurrent enrollment, programs allow students to be enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college or university courses. Less commonly, it may refer to any individual who is participating in two related programs.

A Pell Grant is a subsidy the U.S. federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with exceptional financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree, or who are enrolled in certain post-baccalaureate programs, through participating institutions. Originally known as a Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, it was renamed in 1980 in honor of Democratic U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island. A Pell Grant is generally considered the foundation of a student's financial aid package, to which other forms of aid are added. The Federal Pell Grant program is administered by the United States Department of Education, which determines the student's financial need and through it, the student's Pell eligibility. The U.S. Department of Education uses a standard formula to evaluate financial information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for determining the student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher education in the United States</span> Education beyond high school

In the United States, higher education is an optional stage of formal learning following secondary education. It is also referred to as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education. It covers stages 5 to 8 on the International ISCED 2011 scale. It is delivered at 3,931 Title IV degree-granting institutions, known as colleges or universities. These may be public or private universities, research universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, or for-profit colleges. U.S. higher education is loosely regulated by the government and by several third-party organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College tuition in the United States</span> Aspect of American higher education

College tuition in the United States is the cost of higher education collected by educational institutions in the United States, and paid by individuals. It does not include the tuition covered through general taxes or from other government funds, or that which is paid from university endowment funds or gifts. Tuition for college has increased as the value, quality, and quantity of education have increased. Many feel that increases in cost have not been accompanied by increases in quality, and that administrative costs are excessive. The value of a college education has become a topic of national debate in the U.S.

The Kalamazoo Promise is a pledge by a group of anonymous donors to pay up to 100 percent of tuition at many Michigan colleges and universities for graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools school district of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Kalamazoo Promise applies to all of Michigan's state colleges and universities, as well as the 15 private colleges of the Michigan College Alliance and several apprenticeships and skilled trade programs. To receive the minimum 65% benefit, students must have lived within the Kalamazoo School District, attended public high school there for four years, and graduated. To receive a full scholarship, students must have attended Kalamazoo public schools since kindergarten.

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program provides "low-interest loans for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student's education after high school. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education ... rather than a bank or other financial institution." It is the largest single source of federal financial aid for students and their parents pursuing post-secondary education and for many it is the first financial obligation they incur, leaving them with debt to be paid over a period of time that can be a decade or more as the average student takes 19.4 years. The program is named after William D. Ford, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan.

Federal Student Aid (FSA), an office of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the United States. Federal Student Aid provides student financial assistance in the form of grants, loans, and work-study funds. FSA is a Performance-Based Organization, and was the first PBO to be established in the US government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Student loans in the United States</span> Loans incurred to pay for higher education

In the United States, student loans are a form of financial aid intended to help students access higher education. In 2018, 70 percent of higher education graduates had used loans to cover some or all of their expenses. With notable exceptions, student loans must be repaid, in contrast to other forms of financial aid such as scholarships, which are not repaid, and grants, which rarely have to be repaid. Student loans may be discharged through bankruptcy, but this is difficult. Research shows that access to student loans increases credit-constrained students' degree completion, later-life earnings, and student loan repayment while having no impact on overall debt.

In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of tertiary education. Community colleges offer undergraduate education in the form of an associate degree. In addition community colleges also offer remedial education, GEDs, high school diplomas, technical diplomas and tech certificates, and in rare cases, a limited number of 4-year bachelor's degrees. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year college or university to continue their studies leading to a bachelor's degree. Community college is tuition-free for selected students in 47 states, often under the name College Promise. Most community college instructors have advanced degrees but serve as part-time low wage employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher education bubble in the United States</span> Economic trend

The higher education bubble in the United States is the possibility that excessive investment in higher education could have negative repercussions in the broader economy. Although college tuition payments are rising, the supply of college graduates in many fields of study is exceeding the demand for their skills, which aggravates graduate unemployment and underemployment while increasing the burden of student loan defaults on financial institutions and taxpayers. Moreover, the higher education bubble might be even more serious than load of student debts. Without safeguards in place for funding and loans, the government risks creating a moral hazard in which schools charge students expensive tuition fees without offering them marketable skills in return. The claim has generally been used to justify cuts to public higher education spending, tax cuts, or a shift of government spending towards law enforcement and national security. There is a further concern that having an excess supply of college graduates exacerbates political instability, historically linked to having a bulge in the number of young degree holders.

Financial issues facing students in the United States include the rising cost of tuition, as well as ancillaries, such as room and board, textbook and coursework costs, personal expenses, and transportation.

The Tennessee Promise, administered by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, is a last-dollar scholarship and mentorship program available for Tennessee's high school graduates to attend two years of secondary education. This program began as a component of Governor Bill Haslam's "Drive to 55" initiative, which set the statewide goal of 55% of Tennesseans possessing a college degree or certificate by 2025. Tennessee (TN) Promise recipients are able to use their scholarship at any of Tennessee's 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology.

References

  1. 1 2 Mishory, Jen. "The Future of Statewide College Promise Programs". Century Foundation. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. ↑ "College Promise Campaign". College Prmomise. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  3. ↑ Loss, Christopher. "Why the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act Still Matters". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio. "How The Cost Of College Went From Affordable To Sky-High". National Public Radio. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  5. ↑ Kalamazoo Gazette Editorial Board. "Editorial: The good of The Promise extends far beyond Kalamazoo". mlive.com. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Tamburin, Adam. "Free community college spreads from Tennessee to Oregon". www.statesmanjournal.com. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  7. ↑ Arnett, Autumn. "3 years ago, President Obama first proposed making community college tuition free. Here's where we now stand". Education Dive. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  8. ↑ Cloud, Rosye. "Reimagining The American College Student". Forbes. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "College Promise Campaign 2018-2019 Annual Report" (PDF). College Promise.
  10. ↑ "Mision and Strategy". College Promise. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  11. ↑ "Donors". College Promise Campaign. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  12. ↑ Billings, Meredith. "Understanding the design of college promise programs, and where to go from here". Brookings Institution. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  13. ↑ Stewart, Pearl. "Policy Research: College Promise Programs Are Excluding Student Parents". Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 Goldrick-Rab, Sara; Miller-Adams, Michelle. "Don't Dismiss the Value of Free-College Programs. They Do Help Low-Income Students". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  15. 1 2 Pluhta, Elizabeth (2013). "The Effect of a Community College Promise Scholarship on Access and Success". Community College Journal of Research and Practice. 37 (10): 723–734. doi:10.1080/10668926.2011.592412. S2CID   144534891.
  16. 1 2 3 Guarantz, Oded (2020). "What Does Free Community College Buy? Early Impacts From the Oregon Promise". Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 39: 11–35. doi:10.1002/pam.22157.
  17. 1 2 Miller, Ashley (2017-12-18). "College Scholarships as a Tool for Economic Development? Evidence From the Kalamazoo Promise". Economic Development Quarterly. 32 (1): 3–17. doi: 10.1177/0891242417747704 . ISSN   0891-2424.
  18. ↑ "The Kalamazoo Promise | Kalamazoo Promise | Western Michigan University". wmich.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  19. ↑ Krason, Stephen (2017). "What's Wrong With Guaranteeing a Free College Education?". Catholic Social Science Review. 22: 395–398. doi: 10.5840/cssr20172239 .[ irrelevant citation ]
  20. ↑ Hess, Abigail. "How student debt became a $1.6 trillion crisis". CNBC. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.