THE IMPACT OF TUITION, PELL GRANTS, AND STATE APPROPRIATIONS ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENROLLMENT DURING CHALLENGING ECONOMIC TIMES

Abstract

This study presents the results of a quantitative analysis of the headcount enrollment of 97 community colleges in North and South Carolina and Virginia during the period fall 2003 through fall 2012, a period that included the "Great Recession." The study analyzes the relationship between three financial independent variables (in-state tuition and fees, annual Pell Grant limits, and state FTE appropriations) and one economic independent variable (county level unemployment) against the dependent variable - demographic headcount enrollment by subgroups: (1) gender, (2) enrollment status, and (3) race. My analysis finds that while in-state tuition and fees, Pell Grant limits, and state FTE appropriations were associated with demographic enrollment patterns differently in North and South Carolina, only local unemployment had a measureable association with the enrollment patterns of community college students in Virginia, a state with relatively lower unemployment rates. The study also finds that during the period federal Pell Grants and state appropriations had a greater influence on the enrollment patterns of full-time students than on part-time students. Finally, the study discovered that in the state of North Carolina, state FTE appropriations had a greater influence on the enrollment of Hispanic students than any other racial subgroup. This study contains various implications for federal and state legislators as well as community college administrators. The study concludes with recommendations for future research.