Abstract
In this study, we investigate the impact of the Bright Futures Scholarship Program on college enrollment and degree production in Florida by using IPEDS enrollment, migration, and completion data. Results suggest large and significant enrollment effects at Florida’s public 4- and 2-year institutions, for both full-time and part-time enrollment. This large growth is at least in part due to reduced out-migration of Florida’s resident students attending out-of-state institutions. Thus the net effect is lower than the enrollment growth in Florida. Finally, our results indicate that the effect of Bright Futures on degree production is lower than that on enrollment. This aggregated-level analysis provides an important baseline for our future research on the effect of Bright Futures on students’ college attendance, choice, financial aid renewal, persistence, and graduation by using detailed individual-level data.
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Notes
SREB has 16 member states including AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV.
This removes six states that have adopted variations of merit-aid programs before 2002, including AR, GA, KY, LA, MS, and SC.
The only public baccalaureate institution reported in IPEDS, New College of Florida, reported data in 2001 but not in other years.
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This manuscript was prepared with financial support from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant # R305A110609. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
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Zhang, L., Hu, S. & Sensenig, V. The Effect of Florida’s Bright Futures Program on College Enrollment and Degree Production: An Aggregated-Level Analysis. Res High Educ 54, 746–764 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-013-9293-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-013-9293-8