Project Lead: Katharine Broton

Funding Approved: Fiscal Year 24
Project Status: Complete
Funded amount: $130,617 over two years

This project aimed to evaluate the impact of University of Iowa need-based financial assistance programs on students' GPA, credits earned, retention, and graduation rates. By leveraging substantial institutional data and employing quasi-experimental methods, researchers determined when and for whom financial assistance is most effective. The study involved close collaboration between researchers and campus stakeholders, to ensure findings could support the expansion or refinement of financial assistance programs to enhance academic success and reduce disparities among students.

Past activities:

• Gathered input from campus partners regarding project implementation, aligning the project with their interests and needs.
• Worked with campus partners to compile de-identified datasets, initiated data cleaning, coding, and labeling of variables.
• Started initial data analysis in spring 2024.
  • Refined analyses based on preliminary findings and feedback from stakeholders.