Investing in Student Completion: Overcoming Financial Barriers to Retention through Small-Dollar Grants and Emergency Aid Programs
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| Title: | Investing in Student Completion: Overcoming Financial Barriers to Retention through Small-Dollar Grants and Emergency Aid Programs |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Dachelet, Karole, Goldrick-Rab, Sara, Wisconsin HOPE Lab |
| Source: | Online Submission. 2015. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2015 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Kresge Foundation Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation and Affiliates |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research Tests/Questionnaires |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Paying for College, Barriers, Student Financial Aid, Grants, Emergency Programs, Program Effectiveness, Eligibility, College Role, Student Needs, Delivery Systems, Financial Support, Information Dissemination |
| Abstract: | The rising price of a college education often leaves students strapped for cash and without the financial resources necessary to succeed in school and cover their basic needs, such as housing and food. These students are living on the edge, and a financial emergency can derail their dreams of obtaining college degrees. The contemporary financial aid system may not be nimble enough to respond to the nature or urgency of a student's financial emergency. Instead, some colleges and universities are providing students quick infusions of money through emergency aid programs. Such programs are springing up at schools across the country, but little information is available about their prevalence, practices, or effectiveness at helping students stay in school. In this report, researchers at the Wisconsin HOPE Lab use data from surveys and interviews conducted with emergency aid program administrators around the country in order to provide details on the current landscape of emergency aid. At least 100 programs are operating-- some have support from larger organizations such as Scholarship America's Dreamkeepers program, while others are sophisticated in-house solutions using predictive data or small local efforts of caring and committed staff. All emergency aid programs seek to help students overcome financial shocks, as sometimes a tank of gas or a grocery store gift card is the lifeline a student needs to remain enrolled. The data suggest that emergency aid programs are popular, and program administrators believe that they effectively help students, yet they face many challenges. These include: Adequately defining an "emergency"; Effectively stewarding resources while delivering funds in a timely manner; Ensuring that students are aware of the program while at the same time sustaining a limited pool of funding; Collecting and utilizing data to establish program effectiveness; Addressing these challenges by learning from the breadth of practitioners' experiences as well as lessons from related college retention programs (such as benefits access and case management approaches) may help colleges and universities develop well-implemented emergency aid programs. These programs might be an effective approach to supplementing the existing financial aid system. To that end, we offer five recommendations for improving practice in the field of emergency aid. [This report was produced in collaboration with Scholarship America.] |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2023 |
| Accession Number: | ED628062 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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