The Contribution of Financial Aid to Undergraduate Persistence. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper [electronic resource] / Laura Walter Perna.
The effects of financial aid on persistence to Bachelor's degree were studied using data from the national longitudinal Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey for 1989-90 freshmen. The subsample of 3,188 students were enrolled full-time in four-year institutions; persistence was defined as atta...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1997.
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| Summary: | The effects of financial aid on persistence to Bachelor's degree were studied using data from the national longitudinal Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey for 1989-90 freshmen. The subsample of 3,188 students were enrolled full-time in four-year institutions; persistence was defined as attainment of the Bachelor's degree from the institution in which the student initially enrolled within 5 years. Descriptive statistics and path analysis were employed to examine the influence of different amounts, types (loans, grants, and/or work study), and combinations of financial aid. Findings suggest that receiving financial aid is not directly related to completing a Bachelor's degree within 5 years. However, the effectiveness of financial aid may depend upon the type and package of aid received; work study and grant-only aid packages both seemed to have positive direct effects upon persistence. The results also suggest that the effects of financial aid are primarily exerted indirectly through college grades. Analyses also suggest a negative effect: students who receive loans are less likely to complete their degrees within 5 years than their counterparts who do not receive financial aid. Findings also show that while the number of hours worked is unrelated to degree completion, work study aid increases degree completion rates. (Contains 53 references.) (SW) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED415818. ERIC Note: Paper presented at Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (22nd, Albuquerque, NM, November 6-9, 1997). |
| Physical Description: | 40 p. |