Promoting Academic Success Through University Microgrants for Students

Abstract

The high price of college attendance remains a barrier to success for students from low- and moderate-income families. In response, institutions have introduced microgrants—small, off-cycle, need-based grants for undergraduates—to support student success. However, evidence on their effectiveness is limited. Using extensive administrative and survey data, we apply doubly robust quasi-experimental matching methods to estimate the relationships between microgrants and academic outcomes over 4 years. Findings indicate that grant recipients achieved higher grade point averages (GPAs), earned more credits, had better retention rates, and graduated at higher rates than their observably similar peers. These findings have important implications for equity efforts in the current sociopolitical context, as students from historically underserved groups were more likely to receive microgrants despite their universal design.