Growing Outcomes in the Garden State: Examining Community College Merit Aid, Enrollment, Completion, and Transfer.
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| Title: | Growing Outcomes in the Garden State: Examining Community College Merit Aid, Enrollment, Completion, and Transfer. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Hu, Xiaodan1 (AUTHOR) xiaodanhu@smu.edu, Fernandez, Frank2 (AUTHOR), Capaldi, Matthew J.3 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Community College Review. Jul2026, Vol. 54 Issue 3, p302-338. 37p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Scholarships, *Associate degree education, *School enrollment, *Achievement gains (Education), *Educational equalization, *Higher education, *Achievement |
| Geographic Terms: | New Jersey |
| Abstract: | Objective: This study examines whether New Jersey's state-funded merit-aid program, which was designed to benefit community college students, including first-time full-time student enrollment, associate degree completion, and transferring out. We compared STARS to programs in other states by applying a typology that categorizes state-funded merit-aid programs by whether they are designed to be inclusive of community college students. Methods: Using institution-level data between 2001 and 2021, we used propensity score matching to select comparable community colleges to be included in the untreated group, as well as difference-in-differences and event study approaches to test our hypotheses about the relationship between STARS program adoption and community college outcomes. Results: We found that New Jersey's STARS programs increased White students' enrollment and associate degree completion in community colleges relative to community colleges in states with merit-aid programs that disproportionately favor 4-year students. However, we did not find the same relationship for non-White students. It was unlikely that the enrollment increase was the result of community colleges siphoning off enrollments from other higher education sectors. Additionally, we did not find any evidence that STARS reduced students transferring out before completing credentials. Conclusions/Contributions: By examining a unique merit-aid program focused on community college students, we discuss implications to adopt and design more equitable financial aid policies to support community college enrollment, completion, and transfer. Our results help advance current scholarship by considering tensions among access, social mobility, and merit, while studying whether merit-aid programs can serve as an equitable mechanism for improving community college outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Community College Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 194258051 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Growing Outcomes in the Garden State: Examining Community College Merit Aid, Enrollment, Completion, and Transfer. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hu%2C+Xiaodan%22">Hu, Xiaodan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> xiaodanhu@smu.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fernandez%2C+Frank%22">Fernandez, Frank</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Capaldi%2C+Matthew+J%2E%22">Capaldi, Matthew J.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Community+College+Review%22">Community College Review</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 54 Issue 3, p302-338. 37p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scholarships%22">Scholarships</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Associate+degree+education%22">Associate degree education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+enrollment%22">School enrollment</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement+gains+%28Education%29%22">Achievement gains (Education)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+equalization%22">Educational equalization</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement%22">Achievement</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22New+Jersey%22">New Jersey</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Objective: This study examines whether New Jersey's state-funded merit-aid program, which was designed to benefit community college students, including first-time full-time student enrollment, associate degree completion, and transferring out. We compared STARS to programs in other states by applying a typology that categorizes state-funded merit-aid programs by whether they are designed to be inclusive of community college students. Methods: Using institution-level data between 2001 and 2021, we used propensity score matching to select comparable community colleges to be included in the untreated group, as well as difference-in-differences and event study approaches to test our hypotheses about the relationship between STARS program adoption and community college outcomes. Results: We found that New Jersey's STARS programs increased White students' enrollment and associate degree completion in community colleges relative to community colleges in states with merit-aid programs that disproportionately favor 4-year students. However, we did not find the same relationship for non-White students. It was unlikely that the enrollment increase was the result of community colleges siphoning off enrollments from other higher education sectors. Additionally, we did not find any evidence that STARS reduced students transferring out before completing credentials. Conclusions/Contributions: By examining a unique merit-aid program focused on community college students, we discuss implications to adopt and design more equitable financial aid policies to support community college enrollment, completion, and transfer. Our results help advance current scholarship by considering tensions among access, social mobility, and merit, while studying whether merit-aid programs can serve as an equitable mechanism for improving community college outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Community College Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=194258051 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1177/00915521261428114 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 37 StartPage: 302 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Scholarships Type: general – SubjectFull: Associate degree education Type: general – SubjectFull: School enrollment Type: general – SubjectFull: Achievement gains (Education) Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational equalization Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher education Type: general – SubjectFull: Achievement Type: general – SubjectFull: New Jersey Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Growing Outcomes in the Garden State: Examining Community College Merit Aid, Enrollment, Completion, and Transfer. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hu, Xiaodan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Fernandez, Frank – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Capaldi, Matthew J. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 07 Text: Jul2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00915521 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 54 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Community College Review Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
