Adult Promise Program: A Pilot Design Template for States

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Postsecondary Education; Educational Certificates; Associate Degrees; Bachelors Degrees; Community Colleges; Access to Education; Tuition; Fees; Student Financial Aid; State Legislation; Nontraditional Students; Low Income Students; Adult Students; Mentors; Paying for College; Academic Persistence; School Holding Power; Child Care; Costs; Income; Expenditures; Prior Learning; Welfare Services; Program Evaluation

Tennessee; Oregon; Colorado; Delaware

A number of states have adopted, considered or proposed legislation creating promise programs. These proposals often are viewed as cost-effective strategies to encourage or promote postsecondary enrollment and improve attainment of credentials of value. For our purpose, credentials of value refer to certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and any others that provide benefits to the individual. These promise programs offer free community college tuition and fees for a specific subset of students in a state. According to research by the Education Commission of the States (ECS), as of July 2016, a total of 22 states proposed 46 pieces of legislation to create these programs within the last year; however, the vast majority limited eligibility to traditional-age students (18-24). Eighteen policy proposals or enactments specifically define eligibility by the student's age, and 24 proposals limit eligibility by the year that the student graduated from high school. Two promise programs currently underway in Tennessee and Oregon are geared toward recent high school graduates. These programs function as last dollar scholarships and rely primarily on the federal Pell Grant to cover all or most of the tuition and fees, with existing state grants making up the difference where necessary. These programs do not represent significant investments of new state funding. In fact, for low-income students in Tennessee, tuition is already "free" because the Pell Grant covers these costs. If these programs are successful, it may be due to eliminating the sticker shock many potential students and families face when they consider paying for college prior to applying for financial aid. These programs make the promise of free tuition up front so that affording postsecondary education seems possible. In Tennessee, a strong mentoring component, designed to help students navigate postsecondary education and succeed, also may assist in improving credential attainment. The purpose of this document is to assist states interested in implementing a "promise-type" aid program specific to meeting the needs of adult students. It is intended to serve as a playbook to guide states through the implementation and pilot year of such a program.

ERIC

2020

ED603885