Sandra C. Andrieu

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.

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.

The influence of price subsidies on within-year persistence by graduate students

The 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study was used to compare four alternative approaches for assessing the influence of price subsidies on within-year persistence by graduate students. The conclusions drawn from the research include: 1) tuition charges has a substantial negative influence on persistence; and 2) comprehensive packages-grants, loans, plus assistantships-were the most effective means of subsidizing graduate student costs.