Making College Happen Through Financial Aid Incentive Programs

Making College Happen Through Financial Aid Incentive Programs

A well-designed financial aid incentive program couples a pre-college pipeline program targeting traditionally under-represented populations with an appropriate combination of scholarships, grants, and tuition discounts that covers 100% of tuition for students who meet admissions standards.

1. Guide to Creating Programs Offering Financial Aid Incentives

When considering a Financial Aid Incentive Program, consider the following:

• What will the focus be? Potential focus for your incentive program may include:
  • The local neighborhood/host city
  • Underserved regions in the state
  • Underserved populations
• Who will your partners be?
  • Local public schools
  • All local schools, public and private
  • Community organizations serving youth
• What will the incentive look like based on your enrollment management goals?
• What existing resources on your campus can you pull together to invest in the program?
• How will you leverage existing resourrces to support underrepresented populations once they are admitted to your campus?

2. Exemplary Programs

3. Links to Additional Resources

Rutgers Future Scholars (RFS) Research Library on college access programs