The Oklahoma's Promise Program: A National Model to Promote College Persistence

Using a multi-method approach involving fixed effects and logistic regressions, this study examined the effect of the Oklahoma's Promise Program on student persistence in relation to the Pell and Stafford federal programs and according to socio-economic characteristics and class level. The Oklahoma's Promise is a hybrid state program that pays in-state college tuition for students that have completed a series of academic and disciplinary benchmarks in high school and demonstrated financial need. Results indicate that the Promise program alone or in combination with Pell grants and Stafford loans is a predictor of persistence; however, this effect varies by income and race/ethnicity.