WWC review of this study

Can Scholarships Alone Help Students Succeed? Lessons from Two New York City Community Colleges

Patel, Reshma; Rudd, Timothy (2012). MDRC. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED540689

examining

1,502

Students

, grade

PS

Strategies for Postsecondary Students in Developmental Education–A Practice Guide for College and University Administrators, Advisors, and Faculty

Review Details

Reviewed: February 2024

No statistically significant positive
findings

Meets WWC standards without reservations

For:

Strategies for Postsecondary Students in Developmental Education–A Practice Guide for College and University Administrators, Advisors, and Faculty Practice Guide (findings for Need- and performance-based scholarships – Patel & Rudd (2012))

Using:

Research Design:

Randomized Controlled Trial

Rating:

Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.

This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Findings

Academic achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Term GPA	Need- and performance-based scholarships – Patel & Rudd (2012) vs. Business as usual	2 Semesters	Full sample; 729 students	2.60	2.60	No	--
Earned a C average or better in six or more credits	Need- and performance-based scholarships – Patel & Rudd (2012) vs. Business as usual	2 Semesters	Full sample; 1,502 students	0.33	0.34	No	--

Access and enrollment outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Enrolled in community college by end of first semester (full-time)	Need- and performance-based scholarships – Patel & Rudd (2012) vs. Business as usual	0 Semesters	Full sample; 1,502 students	0.78	0.74	No	--
Enrolled in community college by end of first semester (full-time or part-time)	Need- and performance-based scholarships – Patel & Rudd (2012) vs. Business as usual	0 Semesters	Full sample; 1,502 students	0.96	0.95	No	--

Attainment outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Earned degree within five years	Need- and performance-based scholarships – Patel & Rudd (2012) vs. Business as usual	5 Years	Full sample; 1,502 students	0.34	0.32	No	--

Credit accumulation and persistence outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
College-level credits earned	Need- and performance-based scholarships – Patel & Rudd (2012) vs. Business as usual	4 Years	Full sample; 1,502 students	41.37	39.42	No	--

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Sample Characteristics

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.

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New York

Study Details

Setting

The study was conducted in two New York City community colleges. The two colleges are: Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and Hostos Community College, which are both part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system.

Study sample

Program group students were about 70% female. Over half were between the ages of 22 and 26, and 74% were unmarried. About 44% of the program group students were Hispanic and about 36% were African American. Slightly more than half of the program participants were employed (56.5%) and about two-thirds (66.2% had completed 12th grade). Control group participants were generally similar in terms of demographics and background characteristics. In Richburg Hayes et al (2011), the study sample did not include the Fall 2009 Cohort, and only included the first and second program semesters (fall 2008 and Spring 2009), for an overall n of 882 (444 in intervention group and 438 in comparison group).

Intervention Group

There were two intervention groups in the study: (1) students were offered a performance-based scholarship for two semesters (up to $2,600) and (2) students were offered a performance-based scholarship for two semesters plus one summer term (up to $3,900). Scholarships were awarded directly to students, on top of their existing financial aid, at the beginning, middle, and end of each semester, contingent on their continued enrollment and grades. The two intervention groups were combined.

Comparison Group

Students in the control group were not offered a performance-based scholarship, though they were still eligible to receive other financial aid. Implementation analyses reported by the study authors confirmed that scholarship program received a fair test; that is, control students did not have access to a similar program and received significantly less in overall financial aid than students in the scholarship program. This difference is almost entirely due to the performance-based scholarship.

Support for implementation

Both colleges had designated staff to manage and implement the program. In addition, both colleges had coordinators who were responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the program. Implementation data reported in the study indicate that the scholarships were delivered as intended over the duration of the study, there was a high rate of participation among students in the program group, and students in the control group did not have access to a similar program.

Additional Sources

In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.

Richburg-Hayes, Lashawn; Sommo, Colleen; Welbeck, Rashida. (2011). Promoting Full-Time Attendance among Adults in Community College: Early Impacts from the Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration in New York. MDRC.