Financial Aid and Students College Decisions Evidence from the District of Columbias Tuition Assistance Grant Program

How college price influences student decisions about whether and where to attend college is an important issue. The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program allows those who qualify to attend public colleges and universities in other states at considerably lower "in-state" tuitions. This paper examines whether the grant program has effects on the likelihood that DC high school graduates apply to and enroll in college, finding that applications to four-year colleges increased substantially under the program.