Date of Award

Summer 8-2014

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Studies and Research

Committee Chair

Kyna Shelley

Committee Chair Department

Educational Studies and Research

Committee Member 2

Aubrey Lucas

Committee Member 2 Department

Educational Studies and Research

Committee Member 3

Thomas Lipscomb

Committee Member 3 Department

Educational Studies and Research

Committee Member 4

Thomas O'Brien

Committee Member 4 Department

Educational Studies and Research

Abstract

Financial aid helps many students gain access to college, and the federal government spends a great deal of money to fund financial aid programs. Community colleges serve a large amount of students who enter the higher education system and there is very limited published research that provides conclusive evidence as to whether or not financial aid promotes success in community college students. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship of federal need-based aid with the achievement of community college students by analyzing grade point averages, earned semester hours, and graduation frequencies among students who fall into the categories of recipients who receive Pell grants, recipients who receive Pell grant and other aid, recipients who receive other aid, and recipients who do not receive any type of aid. Student data was collected from all 15 community college located in the Mississippi community college system. Multivariate Analysis techniques were used to examine the elements of this study.

The researcher concluded that differences exist among groups of students regarding aid and community college success indicators and race seems to play a role.

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