Edward P. St. John

Price response in enrollment decisions: An analysis of the High School and Beyond Sophomore cohort

Most research on student price response was conducted on students who entered college before the Pell Grant program was implemented in fall 1973. This study uses the High School and Beyond Sophomore cohort, the High School Class of 1982, to analyze the effects of the amount of tuition charged and aid offered on student enrollment decisions. The findings include (1) all forms of financial aid—grants, work, and loans—were effective in promoting enrollment; (2) one hundred dollars of aid (any type) had a stronger influence on enrollment than a one-hundred-dollar reduction in tuition; (3) low-income students were more responsive to increases in grant aid than to increases in loans or work study; and (4) high-income students were not responsive to changes in aid amounts.Most research on student price response was conducted on students who entered college before the Pell Grant program was implemented in fall 1973. This study uses the High School and Beyond Sophomore cohort, the High School Class of 1982, to analyze the effects of the amount of tuition charged and aid offered on student enrollment decisions. The findings include (1) all forms of financial aid—grants, work, and loans—were effective in promoting enrollment; (2) one hundred dollars of aid (any type) had a stronger influence on enrollment than a one-hundred-dollar reduction in tuition; (3) low-income students were more responsive to increases in grant aid than to increases in loans or work study; and (4) high-income students were not responsive to changes in aid amounts.

The effects of student financial aid on access to higher education: An analysis of progress with special consideration of minority enrollment

An objective of the federal student financial aid programs is to promote access to higher education, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. During the past few years, concern has been expressed by diverse segments of the higher education community that this objective is not being met for black and Hispanic students. This article analyzes the effects of aid offers on enrollment decisions by college applicants from the classes of 1972, 1980, and 1982, and analyzes the effects the type of aid offered had on enrollment by minority students in the classes of 1980 and 1982. The principal findings from this analysis are that (1) all types of aid packages had a positive impact on enroliment decisions by college applicants in all three classes, and (2) all types of aid had a positive influence on enrollment by minority students.

What really influences minority attendance? Sequential analyses of the high school and beyond sophomore cohort

While the factors that influence college minority student attendance have been the subject of recent study, there remain unresolved questions about how different factors influence college attendance decisions of applicants from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. In particular, there is ambiguity about whether blacks are more or less likely to attend than whites and what factors might improve their attendance rates. This study uses two sets of logistic regressions to identify the factors that can promote minority attendance: a set that examines attendance by all high school seniors in the high school class of 1982 and a set that examines attendance by college applicants in this class. Consistent with prior research on student access, three factors are identified that can potentially improve college attendance by minority students: (1) improved academic preparation in elementary and high school; (2) increased aspirations for higher levels of educational attainment; (3) increased levels of financial aid. Public interventions that would improve any of these factors for minority high school students are likely to improve minority participation rates.

THE INFLUENCE OF STUDENT AID ON WITHIN-YEAR PERSISTENCE BY TRADITIONAL COLLEGE-AGE STUDENTS IN FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES

This paper uses the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study to compare five alternative approaches for assessing the influence of student aid on within-year persistence by traditional college-age students enrolled in four-year colleges. Three conclusions were drawn from the research. First, models that included tuition charges better predicted within-year persistence than models that did not include this independent variable. Second, the use of multiple approaches for measuring the influence of student aid provided more insight into the ways student aid policies influence persistence than any single approach. Third, tuition charges had a consistent negative influence on persistence.

Price response in persistence decisions: An analysis of the high school and beyond senior cohort

It is well established in the research literature that student financial aid has a positive influence on year-to-year persistence. However, there has been no prior research on price responsiveness in persistence decisions. This article examines the influence of the amounts of student financial aid received and tuition charged on year-to-year persistence by college students in the high school class of 1980. The principal finding is that the persistence decisions of college students in the early 1980s were more responsive to increases in student aid than to tuition increases. This finding suggests that persistence rates can be improved if institutions increase need-based aid for currently enrolled students when tuition is increased each year, or if government student aid increases over the levels provided in the 1980s.It is well established in the research literature that student financial aid has a positive influence on year-to-year persistence. However, there has been no prior research on price responsiveness in persistence decisions. This article examines the influence of the amounts of student financial aid received and tuition charged on year-to-year persistence by college students in the high school class of 1980. The principal finding is that the persistence decisions of college students in the early 1980s were more responsive to increases in student aid than to tuition increases. This finding suggests that persistence rates can be improved if institutions increase need-based aid for currently enrolled students when tuition is increased each year, or if government student aid increases over the levels provided in the 1980s.

The Effects of Student Financial Aid on Persistence: A Sequential Analysis

Abstract: This article analyzes the effects of different types of financial aid on year-to-year persistence by college students in the high school class of 1980. The authors assessed the effects of different types of aid packages on year-to-year persistence and found that: (1) Social and educational background had different effects on persistence at different points in the college experience; (2) College experiences—the characteristics of the college, attending full time, and college grades—had an influence throughout the matriculation process; (3) Student financial aid had a positive effect on student persistence for students in the high school class of 1980; and (4) Loans, as well as grants and work study, were effective in promoting persistence.

Assessing Tuition and Student Aid Strategies: Using Price-Response Measures to Simulate Pricing Alternatives.

This paper uses price-response measures derived from recent national studies to assess institutional pricing (tuition and student aid) alternatives in diverse institutional settings. It concludes that such analyses are viable, especially if an understanding of institutional contexts is used to frame and interpret simulation results. The analyses indicate there are limits to the viability of the “Robin Hood” pricing approach that has predominated in private colleges during the past decade. New alternatives, such as simultaneous tuition and grant reductions or the creation of forgivable loans, merit consideration in some settings.

THE INFLUENCE OF COSTS ON PERSISTENCE BY TRADITIONAL COLLEGE‐AGE STUDENTS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

The impact of costs and cost subsidies (grants, loans, and work study) on persistence by community college students has never been separately examined. This study uses the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey of 1986‐87 to assess the impact of tuition charges and the amount of student aid awarded on persistence by traditional college‐age students enrolled in community colleges. Its findings include: 1) Traditional college‐age community college students are highly responsive to tuition charges; and 2) available grant dollars are not sufficient to mitigate the negative influence of tuition on persistence.

THE INFLUENCE OF PRICES ON GRADUATE STUDENT PERSISTENCE

The topic of how prices influence graduate student persistence has seldom been examined. Using the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 1987 to examine the influence of prices on within-year persistence by graduate students, this analysis indicates that graduate students, especially those enrolled in public institutions, are responsive to tuition charges in their persistence decisions. The major implication of this finding is that universities should examine the potential impact of price changes on graduate student persistence when they consider tuition increases each year.

INFLUENCE OF TUITION AND STUDENT AID ON WITHIN‐YEAR PERSISTENCE BY ADULTS IN 2‐YEAR COLLEGES

This article uses the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study to examine the influence of student subsidies on within‐year persistence by nontraditional college‐age students enrolled in 2‐year colleges. The findings include the following: (a) tuition charges were negatively associated with within‐year persistence of adult students in 2‐year colleges and (b) student aid subsidies were insufficient to mitigate the negative effects of tuition.