Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/62455 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 6801
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We examine the effects of recently adopted state merit-based financial aid programs on college attendance and degree completion. Our primary analysis uses microdata from the 2000 Census and 2001-2010 American Community Survey to estimate the effects of merit programs on educational outcomes for 25 merit aid adopting states. We also utilize administrative data for the University System of Georgia to look more in depth at the effects of the HOPE Scholarship on degree completion in Georgia. We find strong consistent evidence that state merit aid programs have no meaningfully positive effect on college completion. Coefficient estimates for our preferred specifications are small and statistically insignificant. State merit aid programs do not appear to increase the percentage of young people with a college education.
Subjects: 
merit aid
HOPE
college attainment
degree completion
higher education
JEL: 
H75
I23
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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