THE INFLUENCE OF COSTS ON PERSISTENCE BY TRADITIONAL COLLEGE‐AGE STUDENTS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Abstract

The impact of costs and cost subsidies (grants, loans, and work study) on persistence by community college students has never been separately examined. This study uses the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey of 1986‐87 to assess the impact of tuition charges and the amount of student aid awarded on persistence by traditional college‐age students enrolled in community colleges. Its findings include: 1) Traditional college‐age community college students are highly responsive to tuition charges; and 2) available grant dollars are not sufficient to mitigate the negative influence of tuition on persistence.