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Research ArticleArticle
Open Access

The Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on College Enrollment and Completion

Timothy J. Bartik, Brad Hershbein and Marta Lachowska
Published online before print September 11, 2020, 0416-7824R4; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.56.1.0416-7824R4
Timothy J. Bartik
Timothy J. Bartik is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Brad Hershbein (corresponding author) is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Marta Lachowska is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
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Brad Hershbein
Timothy J. Bartik is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Brad Hershbein (corresponding author) is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Marta Lachowska is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
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Marta Lachowska
Timothy J. Bartik is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Brad Hershbein (corresponding author) is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Marta Lachowska is a Senior Economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
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Abstract

We estimate the effects on postsecondary education outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise, a generous, place-based college scholarship. We identify Promise effects using two forms of difference-in-differences: comparing eligible to ineligible graduates before and after the Promise’s initiation, and comparing the treated district to comparison districts before and after the Promise’s initiation. According to our estimates, the Promise increases college enrollment and credential attainment. Stronger effects occur for women. The results also provide suggestive but less precise evidence that Promise effects extend to disadvantaged groups.

Keywords
  • place-based scholarship
  • enrollment
  • college completion
  • natural experiment
  • difference-in-differences
  • education policy
JEL Codes
  • I21
  • I22
  • I24

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BY- NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) and is freely available online at: http://jhr.uwpress.org

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Journal of Human Resources: 60 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 60, Issue 3
1 May 2025
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The Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on College Enrollment and Completion
Timothy J. Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Marta Lachowska
Journal of Human Resources Sep 2020, 0416-7824R4; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.56.1.0416-7824R4

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The Effects of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship on College Enrollment and Completion
Timothy J. Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Marta Lachowska
Journal of Human Resources Sep 2020, 0416-7824R4; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.56.1.0416-7824R4
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Keywords

  • place-based scholarship
  • enrollment
  • college completion
  • natural experiment
  • difference-in-differences
  • education policy
  • I21
  • I22
  • I24
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