Completion grants are an increasingly popular practice in higher education, but there is not yet any rigorous evidence that they are effective or equitable. A large randomized controlled trial funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences is currently underway to estimate the impact of completion grants and will produce results in late 2020. While descriptive research indicates completion grants are a promising practice, policy makers would benefit from forthcoming comprehensive and rigorous research regarding the short and long-term impact of this kind of financial aid.
This study was conducted in partnership with the APLU.