Contract Canceled

Effectiveness of Promising Strategies in Federal College Access Programs: A Study of Financial Aid Supports for GEAR UP Students

NCEE Evaluation Division Postsecondary, Adult Education, and Choice Studies

Program: Higher Education Act

Award amount: $949,610

Awardee:

Abt Associates, Inc.

Year: 2020

Duration: 4 years 7 months (07/01/2020 - 02/10/2025)

Project type:

Other

Contract number: EDIES12C0087

Background

Scholarships to support college enrollment and persistence can be critical for low-income students, including those in the high need schools that participate in Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). Providing scholarships distinguishes GEAR UP from other federal college access programs, but little is known about how and to whom state grantees distribute the aid. The 2008 Higher Education Act (HEA) changed some requirements for this GEAR UP component, restricting it in some ways but giving states more flexibility in other ways. HEA also requires the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate the scholarship component, a mandate this study would have fulfilled.

Project Activities

Research question

To what extent did state grantee policies and practices emphasize access to scholarships for GEAR UP students?
What were the challenges state grantees faced in administering GEAR UP scholarships and other aspects of the program?

Structured Abstract

Design

This descriptive study was based on three sources of data obtained from and about the 42 state GEAR UP programs awarded six- or seven-year grants between 2011 and 2018: (1) semi-structured interviews with state grantee project directors and scholarship administrators, if relevant, (2) forms these respondents filled out with data on the total number of students receiving scholarships and scholarship amounts, and (3) grant applications and annual reports submitted to the Department.