HOPE Scholarship Status of Students in a Large General Education Course

Abstract

We examined the extent to which socioeconomic status (SES), precollege academic variables, non-course collegiate measures, and in-course collegiate measures predicted receipt and/or retention of a Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) scholarship at a major southeastern state university. Students (N = 181) enrolled in seven sections of a 200-level general education course participated in the study. Logistic regression analyses revealed that SES and precollege academic models significantly predicted HOPE receipt. Within these models, high school grade point average proved to be the most consistent predictor of HOPE receipt. SES, in-course collegiate, and college grade models were the strongest predictors of HOPE retention.