Community College Students Structuring scholarships to best support their needs

Student characteristics - statewide 75% ATTEND PUBLIC, TWO-YEAR COLLEGES 60% OF COMMUNITY COLLGE STUDENTS ARE MINORITY STUDENTS NEARLY >40% ATTEND PART TIME >35% ARE 25 OR OLDER

Student Concerns Financial: Transportation Childcare Tuition and fees Room, board, utilities Loss of income Debt aversion Information: First-gen/under-represented Lack of college knowledge Lack of time to access resources

Student Concerns Time: Full/part-time work Supporting parents Raising children Psychological: Don’t see self as “college material” Pressure to move back home Fear of accessing assistance Common behavioral constraints (i.e., “students don’t do optional” and other characteristics identified by behavioral economists)

Examples from our work: TG Charley Wootan Grant Program

Previous model 1500 scholarships Need-based First-come, first-served Median EFC: $0 Average award: $3,112 Wootan Grant recipient: Peyton Boutwell

Scholarship RE-Design: Competitive Grant Process Open to public and nonprofit technical or community colleges in Texas $100,000 Cohorts of students Two-year scholarships (one semester stop-out allowed) $6,390 total Scholarship must transfer if student does Retention supports Financial literacy No GPA

The Greater Houston Community Foundation

Greater Houston Community Foundation Assets totaling more than $540 million More than 1,400 different funds – Scholarship Funds – Donor Advised Funds – Community Impact Funds Family philanthropy Corporate philanthropy Next Generation Donor education Philanthropic Advising

GHCF Scholarships 29 unique scholarship funds with separate donors and criteria – Memorial scholarships – Employer scholarships – Industry scholarships 2014 scholarships: – 306 students – $1,055,600 in awards 2014 Demographics: – 81% attended 4-year universities – 18% attended 2-year colleges

GHCF scholarship students in Texas 61% of GHCF scholarship students attend Texas schools 47 schools across Texas – 32 4-year – 15 2-year Top schools: 1. University of Houston 2. Texas A&M 3. Houston Community College

Examples from our work: Greater Houston Community Foundation In 2014, GHCF spent significant time evaluating and improving scholarship administration to benefit both donors and students Better understand donor vision and goals for scholarships Research and implement best practices for serving students Re-structure scholarships to encourage student success

Working with donors Held deeper conversations regarding their vision and goals for their scholarship program Encouraged donors to be open-minded regarding eligibility Encouraged donors to design scholarship eligibility so that the scholarship program matches the student, not the student fitting into the scholarship program Advised donors on industry best practices and current trends Conclusion: donors are increasingly interested in flexible and unique scholarship structures

Best practices in place Enrollment minimums match student demographic Offer industry-based scholarships to build pipeline of workers Make scholarship awards earlier in high school to encourage high school persistence and motivate for future college attendance Provide renewal awards to reduce stress of re-applying annually Scholarship funding is predictable and reliable Scholarship awards are sufficient enough to reduce students’ financial obligations Scholarships not limited only to students pursuing four-year degrees

Best practices implemented in 2015 Expanded demographic questions asked on applications Probation semester option Semester off option (for extenuating life circumstances) “Flexible funding” Eligibility criteria expanded to include wider variety of applicants Scholarship application evaluated on more than just traditional academics and school activities SUCCESS Resources

Resources “Keeping the Promise of Opportunity: Redesigning financial aid to support post-secondary completion among low-income young adults,” FSG, 2013 ( “Who Gets to Graduate?” by Paul Tough, The New York Times, May 15, 2014 ( graduate.html?_r=0) “Dollars for Degrees: Structuring post-secondary scholarships to increase student success,” Greater Texas Foundation, 2010 ( “Student Success through Scholarships,” The Oregon Community Foundation, 2015 (

Small group discussions HOW HAVE YOU PARTNERED WITH EMPLOYERS/ WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY FOR YOUR STUDENTS/FOR SCHOLARSHIPS? HOW HAVE WORKFORCE NEEDS IMPACTED YOUR WORK WITH STUDENTS? HOW ARE YOU WORKING WITH RETENTION SUPPORTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH YOUR SCHOLARSHIPS?

Questions?