Community College StudentsStructuring scholarships to best support their needs

Student characteristics - statewide

75%ATTEND PUBLIC,

TWO-YEAR COLLEGES

60%OF COMMUNITY COLLGE STUDENTS

ARE MINORITY STUDENTS

NEARLY

>40%ATTEND PART TIME

>35%ARE 25 OR OLDER

Student Concerns

Financial:TransportationChildcareTuition and feesRoom, board, utilitiesLoss of incomeDebt aversion

Information:First-gen/under-representedLack of college knowledgeLack of time to access resources

Student Concerns

Time:• Full/part-time work• Supporting parents• Raising children

Psychological:• Don’t see self as “college material”• Pressure to move back home• Fear of accessing assistance• Common behavioral constraints

(i.e., “students don’t do optional” and other characteristics identified by behavioral economists)

Examples from our work:TG Charley Wootan Grant Program

Previous model

1500 scholarships

Need-based

First-come, first-served

Median EFC: $0

Average award: $3,112

Wootan Grant recipient: Peyton Boutwell

Scholarship RE-Design:Competitive Grant Process

Open to public and nonprofit technical or community colleges in Texas

$100,000

Cohorts of 15-20 students

Two-year scholarships (one semester stop-out allowed)

$6,390 total

Scholarship must transferif student does

Retention supports

Financial literacy

No GPA

The Greater Houston Community Foundation

Greater Houston Community Foundation

• Assets totaling more than $540 million

• More than 1,400 different funds– Scholarship Funds– Donor Advised Funds– Community Impact Funds

• Family philanthropy

• Corporate philanthropy

• Next Generation Donor education

• Philanthropic Advising

GHCF Scholarships

29 unique scholarship funds with separate donors and criteria– Memorial scholarships– Employer scholarships– Industry scholarships

2014 scholarships:– 306 students– $1,055,600 in awards

• 2014 Demographics:– 81% attended 4-year universities– 18% attended 2-year colleges

GHCF scholarship students in Texas

61% of GHCF scholarship students attend Texas schools

47 schools across Texas– 32 4-year– 15 2-year

Top schools:1. University of Houston2. Texas A&M3. Houston Community College

Examples from our work: Greater Houston Community Foundation

In 2014, GHCF spent significant time evaluating and improving scholarship administration to benefit both donors and students

Working with donors

Held deeper conversations regarding their vision and goals for their scholarship program

Encouraged donors to be open-minded regarding eligibility

Encouraged donors to design scholarship eligibility so that the scholarship program matches the student, not the student fitting into the scholarship program

Advised donors on industry best practices and current trends

Conclusion: donors are increasingly interested in flexible and unique scholarship structures

Best practices in place

Enrollment minimums match student demographic

Offer industry-based scholarships to build pipeline of workers

Make scholarship awards earlier in high school to encourage high school persistence and motivate for future college attendance

Provide renewal awards to reduce stress of re-applying annually

Scholarship funding is predictable and reliable

Scholarship awards are sufficient enough to reduce students’ financial obligations

Scholarships not limited only to students pursuing four-year degrees

Best practices implemented in 2015

Expanded demographic questions asked on applications

Probation semester option

Semester off option (for extenuating life circumstances)

“Flexible funding”

Eligibility criteria expanded to include wider variety of applicants

Scholarship application evaluated on more than just traditional academics and school activities

SUCCESS Resources

Resources

“Keeping the Promise of Opportunity: Redesigning financial aid to support post-secondary completion among low-income young adults,” FSG, 2013 (www.fsg.org)

“Who Gets to Graduate?” by Paul Tough, The New York Times, May 15, 2014 (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/magazine/who-gets-to-graduate.html?_r=0)

“Dollars for Degrees: Structuring post-secondary scholarships to increase student success,” Greater Texas Foundation, 2010 (www.greatertexasfoundation.org)

“Student Success through Scholarships,” The Oregon Community Foundation, 2015 (www.oregoncf.org)

Small group discussions

HOWHAVE YOU PARTNERED

WITH EMPLOYERS/WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY FOR YOUR

STUDENTS/FOR SCHOLARSHIPS?

HOWHAVE WORKFORCE NEEDS IMPACTED

YOUR WORKWITH STUDENTS?

HOW ARE YOU WORKING WITH RETENTION

SUPPORTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH

YOUR SCHOLARSHIPS?

Questions?