Lack of financial resources to pay for postsecondary education—perceived and actual—has been cited as a barrier to student access and persistence, particularly for Latino students. This study investigates the following question: “To what extent does financial aid affect the educational attainment of Latinos enrolled in Associate’s degree programs, and how do these effects change over time?” We find receiving aid of any type was positively associated with degree completion, though the effect declined over time.

Contextualizing the recent Fisher v. University of Texas ruling and how state institutions address diversity and affirmative action, the authors sought to determine how explicit institutions are being with regards to diversity strategic planning. The findings from a qualitative policy analysis determined that while 70% of State Higher Education Executive Offices explicitly mentioned diversity in their strategic plan, most did not reference the difference that differences make, or the equity of diversity on campus.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to identify the factors associated with federal loan default among a nationally-representative sample of community college students. The guiding research question was: For community college students who borrow federal loans, to what extent do demographic, academic, and enrollment characteristics relate to default? Methods: Using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), our analysis focused on loan repayment outcomes six years after enrollment for students who began their postsecondary careers at a community college (i.e., a public, two-year institution) and had not transferred to a four-year institution. The analytic methods included descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. Results: Compared to their peers who did not use federal loans, borrowers were more likely to be female, unmarried, lower-income, a Pell Grant recipient, and enrolled exclusively full-time. Regression results indicated that compared to borrowers still in repayment, defaulters were more likely to be male, first-generation college, lower-income, enrolled in workforce certificate and applied associate degree programs, lateral transfers, and non-completers. Notably, two-thirds of the defaulters had $5,000 or less in outstanding debt. Conclusions: Many of the student groups that have traditionally experienced the lowest rates of success at the community college are also the populations more likely to default on their loans. Relatively low levels of debt can still place severe financial hardship on community college borrowers. We propose several modifications to federal loan policy and institutional practices that could help reduce the number of community college borrowers who default.

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This dissertation was made possible by many individuals who supported me throughout my doctoral program journey. I want to express my sincere appreciation for my mentor, Dr. Jacob Gross, who believed in me before I believed in myself. Without his persistent encouragement and reassurance, I may have never submitted a doctoral program application, let alone complete this dissertation. I am eternally grateful for his insight, expertise, and generosity. Thank you to my dissertation committee members: Dr.