Free college? Assessing enrollment responses to the Tennessee Promise program

Synthetic control methods for comparative case studies: estimating the effect of California's tobacco control program

Abadie, A., Diamond, A., & Hainmueller, J. (2010) · Journal of the American Statistical Association · doi:10.1198/jasa.2009.ap08746 · Cited by 5,513 · see citing works

The economic costs of conflict: a case study of the Basque Country

Abadie, A., & Gardeazabal, J. (2003) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/000282803321455188 · Cited by 4,517 · see citing works

Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania: Reply

Card, D., & Krueger, A. B. (2000) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.90.5.1397 · Cited by 2,208 · see citing works

Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

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Generalized Synthetic Control Method: Causal Inference with Interactive Fixed Effects Models

Xu, Y. (2017) · Political Analysis · doi:10.1017/pan.2016.2 · Cited by 938 · see citing works

Does Aid Matter? Measuring the Effect of Student Aid on College Attendance and Completion

Dynarski, S. M. (2003) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/000282803321455287 · Cited by 818 · see citing works

Hope for Whom? Financial Aid for the Middle Class and Its Impact on College Attendance

Dynarski, S. (2000) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w7756 · Cited by 398 · see citing works

The Enrollment Effects of Merit‐Based Financial Aid: Evidence from Georgia’s HOPE Program

Cornwell, C. M., Mustard, D. B., & Sridhar, D. J. (2006) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/506485 · Cited by 386 · see citing works

Hope for Whom? Financial Aid for the Middle Class and Its Impact on College Attendance

Dynarski, S. (2000) · National Tax Journal · doi:10.17310/ntj.2000.3s.02 · Cited by 334 · see citing works

Improving college access in the United States: Barriers and policy responses

Page, L. C., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2016) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.02.009 · Cited by 328 · see citing works

Into College, Out of Poverty? Policies to Increase the Postsecondary Attainment of the Poor

Deming, D. J., & Dynarski, S. (2009) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w15387 · Cited by 246 · see citing works

Looking beyond Enrollment: The Causal Effect of Need-Based Grants on College Access, Persistence, and Graduation

Castleman, B. L., & Long, B. T. (2016) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/686643 · Cited by 233 · see citing works

A Quasi-Experimental Estimate of the Impact of Financial Aid on College-Going

Kane, T. J. (2003) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w9703 · Cited by 205 · see citing works

Looking Beyond Enrollment: The Causal Effect of Need-Based Grants on College Access, Persistence, and Graduation

Castleman, B., & Long, B. T. (2013) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w19306 · Cited by 162 · see citing works

The effect of community college enrollment on bachelor's degree completion

Doyle, W. R. (2008) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2008.01.006 · Cited by 142 · see citing works

Aid for all: College coaching, financial aid, and post-secondary persistence in Tennessee

Carruthers, C. K., & Fox, W. F. (2015) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.06.001 · Cited by 127 · see citing works

Understanding the Promise: A Typology of State and Local College Promise Programs

Perna, L. W., & Leigh, E. W. (2017) · Educational Researcher · doi:10.3102/0013189x17742653 · Cited by 123 · see citing works

Evaluating the Impact of the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program

Kane, T. J. (2004) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w10658 · Cited by 105 · see citing works

STATE MERIT‐BASED FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS AND COLLEGE ATTAINMENT

Sjoquist, D. L., & Winters, J. V. (2014) · Journal of Regional Science · doi:10.1111/jors.12161 · Cited by 100 · see citing works

Evaluating the Impact of the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program

Kane, T. J. (2007) · Journal of Human Resources · doi:10.3368/jhr.xlii.3.555 · Cited by 94 · see citing works

Jackpot? The impact of lottery scholarships on enrollment in Tennessee

Bruce, D. J., & Carruthers, C. K. (2014) · Journal of Urban Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jue.2014.01.006 · Cited by 87 · see citing works

Losing HOPE: Financial aid and the line between college and work

Carruthers, C. K., & Özek, U. (2016) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.03.014 · Cited by 79 · see citing works

Tuition Fees and University Enrolment: A Meta‐Regression Analysis

Havránek, T., Iršová, Z., & Zeynalova, O. (2018) · Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics · doi:10.1111/obes.12240 · Cited by 59 · see citing works

SAT optional policies: Do they influence graduate quality, selectivity or diversity?

Saboe, M., & Terrizzi, S. (2018) · Economics Letters · doi:10.1016/j.econlet.2018.10.017 · Cited by 44 · see citing works

HOPE for community college students: The impact of merit aid on persistence, graduation, and earnings

Welch, J. G. (2014) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.08.001 · Cited by 30 · see citing works

The effect of Georgia’s HOPE scholarship on college major: a focus on STEM

Sjoquist, D. L., & Winters, J. V. (2015) · IZA Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1186/s40172-015-0032-6 · Cited by 23 · see citing works

College Costs, Financial Aid, and Student Decisions

Dynarski, S., Page, L., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2022) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w30275 · Cited by 56 · see citing works

Promise for Whom? “Free-College” Programs and Enrollments by Race and Gender Classifications at Public, 2-Year Colleges

Gándara, D., & Li, A. Y. (2020) · Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis · doi:10.3102/0162373720962472 · Cited by 48 · see citing works

Can Free Community College Close Racial Disparities in Postsecondary Attainment? How Tulsa Achieves Affects Racially Minoritized Student Outcomes

Bell, E., & Gándara, D. (2021) · American Educational Research Journal · doi:10.3102/00028312211003501 · Cited by 35 · see citing works

College costs, financial aid, and student decisions

Dynarski, S., Page, L. C., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2023) · Handbook of the economics of education · doi:10.1016/bs.hesedu.2023.03.006 · Cited by 36 · see citing works

Do Promise Programs Reduce Student Loans? Evidence from Tennessee Promise

Odle, T. K., Lee, J. C., & Gentile, S. P. (2021) · The Journal of Higher Education · doi:10.1080/00221546.2021.1888674 · Cited by 33 · see citing works

The effects of recreational cannabis access on labor markets: evidence from Colorado

Chakraborty, A., Doremus, J. M., & Stith, S. S. (2021) · IZA Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.2478/izajole-2021-0005 · Cited by 16 · see citing works

Spending More or Spending Less? Institutional Expenditures and Staffing in the Free-College Era

Odle, T. K., & Monday, A. B. (2021) · AERA Open · doi:10.1177/23328584211034491 · Cited by 14 · see citing works

Tuition‐free promise programs: Implications and lessons learned

Billings, M. S., Gándara, D., & Li, A. Y. (2021) · New Directions for Community Colleges · doi:10.1002/cc.20485 · Cited by 14 · see citing works

Higher Education Finance in the United States: Sources of Funding and Impacts of State Investments

Laderman, S. A., Cummings, K., Lee, J. C., Tandberg, D. A., & Weeden, D. D. (2023) · Higher education dynamics · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-25867-1_7 · Cited by 12 · see citing works

Prioritizing actions and outcomes for community-based future manufacturing workforce development and education

Haapala, K. R., Raoufi, K., Kim, K.-Y. J., Orazem, P. F., Houck, C. S., Johnson, M., Kremer, G. E. O., Rickli, J. L., Sciammarella, F. M., & Ward, K. (2022) · Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science · doi:10.3233/jid-220007 · Cited by 11 · see citing works

A Quasi-Experimental Investigation of Adult Student Enrollment Responses to the Tennessee Reconnect Grant

Collom, G. D. (2022) · Community College Journal of Research and Practice · doi:10.1080/10668926.2022.2050838 · Cited by 10 · see citing works

Delivering on the Promise: The Role of Supplemental Promise Programs in Reducing Barriers to College Success

Dickason, C. N., Heinrich, C. J., & Smith, M. E. (2023) · The Journal of Higher Education · doi:10.1080/00221546.2023.2195770 · Cited by 9 · see citing works

Do Credit Momentum Policies Through the 15 to Finish Improve Academic Progression and Completion of Low-Income, First-Generation Students? Evidence from a College Promise Program

Chan, R. Y. (2022) · Research in Higher Education · doi:10.1007/s11162-022-09687-7 · Cited by 9 · see citing works

College Costs, Financial Aid, and Student DecisionsPreprint

Dynarski, S., Page, L. C., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4171452 · Cited by 10 · see citing works

The looming demographic cliff: A wake‐up call for the agricultural and applied economics profession

Nayga, R. M., Liu, J., & Kassas, B. (2024) · American Journal of Agricultural Economics · doi:10.1111/ajae.12457 · Cited by 8 · see citing works

Estimating the effects of E-cigarette taxes: a generalized synthetic control approach

Deng, X., & Zheng, Y. (2023) · Applied Economics · doi:10.1080/00036846.2023.2293671 · Cited by 6 · see citing works

Whose Last Dollar? Estimating the Effects of Promise Programs on Financial Aid Awards

Odle, T. K., Wright-Kim, J. M., & Castrejón, A. (2025) · The Journal of Higher Education · doi:10.1080/00221546.2025.2455332 · Cited by 6 · see citing works

The college campus as a living laboratory for meaningful food system transformation

Evans, J., & Roggio, A. M. (2023) · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · doi:10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.014 · Cited by 6 · see citing works

Matching Potential with Promise: How Oklahoma’s Promise Shapes Academic Undermatch

Bell, E., Skinner, B. T., Smith, K., & Morales, O. (2025) · The Journal of Higher Education · doi:10.1080/00221546.2025.2497186 · Cited by 3 · see citing works

How offering a free introductory AI computing course at a hispanic-serving community college influences computing interests for enrolled students?

Rodriguez, S. L., & Ross, A. (2024) · Computer Science Education · doi:10.1080/08993408.2024.2429082 · Cited by 3 · see citing works

Promise scholarship consequences: Early evidence from Tennessee and Oregon

Lee, J., Fernandez, F., & Ro, H. K. (2021) · New Directions for Community Colleges · doi:10.1002/cc.20495 · Cited by 3 · see citing works

Impact of equity pledges on analysts earnings forecasts

Gao, X., Luo, J., & Zhao, Q. (2024) · Finance research letters · doi:10.1016/j.frl.2024.106380 · Cited by 3 · see citing works

Effects of Federal Loans on First-Year College Student Retention, Transfer, and Dropout

Chen, R., & Smith, K. N. (2024) · Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice · doi:10.1177/15210251241252927 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

How powerful are promises? A comprehensive review of the causal mechanisms and outcomes of ‘free college' programs in the United States

Monaghan, D. B. (2024) · Policy Reviews in Higher Education · doi:10.1080/23322969.2024.2436923 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

Promise Programs and the Allocation of Institutional Expenditures at Community Colleges

Li, A. Y., Billings, M. S., Gándara, D., & Hu, X. (2024) · Community College Review · doi:10.1177/00915521241300150 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

Tuition fees and academic (in)activity

Berens, J., Henao, L., & Schneider, K. (2025) · Labour Economics · doi:10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102809 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

The Impact of Reverse Transfer Associate Degrees on Education and Labor Market Outcomes

Odle, T. K., & Russell, L. (2023) · Journal of Policy Analysis and Management · doi:10.1002/pam.22480 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

Prioritizing components of university brands by using the integrated Delphi and AHP methods

Huyen, N. T., Hai, H. V., Lich, H. K., & Tuan, P. M. (2024) · Multidisciplinary Reviews · doi:10.31893/multirev.2024067 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

Can the Promise of Free Education Improve College Attainment? Lessons from the Milwaukee Area Technical College Promise

Anderson, D. M., Monaghan, D. B., & Richardson, J. T. (2024) · Research in Higher Education · doi:10.1007/s11162-024-09811-9 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

Does expanding access to high quality technical education induce participation and improve outcomes?

Yoon, Y., & Dougherty, S. M. (2026) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2026.102831 · Cited by 2 · see citing works

The effect of promoting access to community colleges on educational and labor market outcomes

Kim, S. W. (2023) · Labour Economics · doi:10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102438 · Cited by 1 · see citing works

Income-based scholarships and access to higher educationPreprint

Leal, G. S., & Choi, Á. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4099649

Understanding institutionally supported free college programs

Carrier, J. W., Scull, W. R., Perkins, M. A., & Schaffer, J. M. (2023) · New Directions for Community Colleges · doi:10.1002/cc.20585

Understanding and responding to free community college critics

Smith, D. A., Cain, C. M., Tran, H., & Friedel, J. N. (2023) · New Directions for Community Colleges · doi:10.1002/cc.20593

Motives Behind University Students’ Enrolment in the Co-operative Programs in Tanzania

Lawrence, O. M. (2024) · EAST AFRICAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES · doi:10.46606/eajess2024v05i01.0350

Statewide Community College Promise Programs: An Event History Analysis

Kunkle, K., & Taylor, B. J. (2024) · Community College Journal of Research and Practice · doi:10.1080/10668926.2024.2386672

“ If I Go, I’ll Probably End Up Dropping Out too ”: College Enrollment Choices in a Free College Context

Collom, G. D., Cooper, A. R., Biddix, J. P., & Hartley, A. (2024) · Community College Journal of Research and Practice · doi:10.1080/10668926.2024.2415711

The Role of Policy Design in Free College Programs: Evidence from Virginia

Sparks, D., & Bonilla, S. (2025) · Education Finance and Policy · doi:10.1162/edfp.a.23

Get a Skill, Get a Job, Get Ahead? Evaluating the effects of Virginia’s workforce-targeted free college program

Bonilla, S., & Sparks, D. (2026) · Economics of Education Review · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2026.102798

Toward Work-Based Policies in Higher Education: Review of Contemporary Policies and Practices

Sparks, D. (2025) · Higher education · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-86738-5_12-1

Better late than never: Macroeconomic impact of intermittent college enrollment and tuition subsidies

Yang, G. (2025) · Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control · doi:10.1016/j.jedc.2025.105219

From Passive Promises to Proactive Guarantees: The Efficacy of Financial Certainty Interventions Among Automatically (In-)Admissible Students

Giani, M., Murphy, R., Flores, S. M., Barash, J., Akhbari, M., Dixon, B. A., & Bernal, J. J. M. (2026) · Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis · doi:10.3102/01623737261482127

A winning bid: are the benefits of hosting a mega-sporting event hidden underground?

Beaudin, L., Berdiev, A. N., & Saunoris, J. W. (2025) · International Tax and Public Finance · doi:10.1007/s10797-025-09932-6

Toward Work-Based Policies in Higher Education: Review of Contemporary Policies and Practices

Sparks, D. (2026) · Higher education · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-05671-9_12

Growing Outcomes in the Garden State: Examining Community College Merit Aid, Enrollment, Completion, and Transfer

Hu, X., Fernandez, F., & Capaldi, M. J. (2026) · Community College Review · doi:10.1177/00915521261428114

Extending the Promise: Student Experiences with Evolving Supplemental College Promise Programs

Heinrich, C. J., & Smith, M. M. (2026) · American Educational Research Journal · doi:10.3102/00028312261441251

Estimating the Spillover Effects of the Tennessee Promise: Exploring Changes in Tuition, Fees, and Enrollment

Bell, E. (2021) · Journal of Student Financial Aid · doi:10.55504/0884-9153.1725 · Cited by 27 · see citing works

A Quasi-Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Tennessee Promise on Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Enrollment Responses

Collom, G. D. (2021) · Career and Technical Education Research · doi:10.5328/cter46.3.3 · Cited by 4 · see citing works

Competing with Free: An Analysis of the Effects of Tennessee Promise on Freshman Enrollment in Four-Year Colleges and Universities

Clark, V. L. P. (2017) · Digital Commons (Liberty University)

A Difference-in-Difference Examination of Tennessee Promise's Influence on Community College Enrollment by Student Adjusted Gross Income

Hyder, Z. J., Collom, G. D., & Biddix, P. (2024) · Texas Digital Library (University of Texas) · doi:10.26153/tsw/51989

A Promise Worth Keeping? Impacts of Free Community College on Degrees and EarningsPreprint

Schoonover, P., Attridge, J., Carruthers, C. K., & Welch, J. G. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.6824964