'Bureaucracy and Burden': Understanding Take-Up of a Need-Based Financial Aid Program. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1283
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| Title: | 'Bureaucracy and Burden': Understanding Take-Up of a Need-Based Financial Aid Program. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1283 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Elizabeth Burland, Jasmina Camo-Biogradlija, Kelcie Ferrara-Gerson, Xavier Fields, Katherine Michelmore, Nathan Sotherland, Kevin Stange, Marissa Thompson, Megan Tompkins-Stange, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University |
| Source: | Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025. |
| Availability: | Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 52 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: | R305A220070 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Public Schools, High School Graduates, Paying for College, Educational Finance, Financial Needs, Need Analysis (Student Financial Aid), Student Financial Aid, State Aid, Grants, Tuition, Ability, Barriers, State Programs |
| Geographic Terms: | Michigan |
| Abstract: | Social welfare programs, including college financial aid, often only reach a fraction of eligible beneficiaries. We examine this problem through the lens of Michigan's Tuition Incentive Program (TIP), a state need-based grant aid program. We conduct a large-scale mixed-methods study using data on over one million Michigan public-school students, and 55 interviews with front-line administrators, high school counselors, and financial aid staff. We find that while one third of Michigan high school graduates are eligible for TIP, its take-up rate is only 14 percent, diminishing its impact on college affordability. We identify key barriers that shape take-up: the presence of administrative burdens, and constraints faced by front-line administrators in alleviating these burdens when administrative responsibility is fractured and ill-defined. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED678248 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Social welfare programs, including college financial aid, often only reach a fraction of eligible beneficiaries. We examine this problem through the lens of Michigan's Tuition Incentive Program (TIP), a state need-based grant aid program. We conduct a large-scale mixed-methods study using data on over one million Michigan public-school students, and 55 interviews with front-line administrators, high school counselors, and financial aid staff. We find that while one third of Michigan high school graduates are eligible for TIP, its take-up rate is only 14 percent, diminishing its impact on college affordability. We identify key barriers that shape take-up: the presence of administrative burdens, and constraints faced by front-line administrators in alleviating these burdens when administrative responsibility is fractured and ill-defined. |
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