Promises Fulfilled? A Systematic Review of the Impacts of College Promise Programs

Elise Swanson, Angela R. Watson, and Gary W. Ritter

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This review examines the existing evidence on the impacts of college promise programs on community development, K–12 outcomes, and postsecondary outcomes. Promise programs are place-based, guaranteed college scholarships offered to all students who graduate from a certain school or district while meeting the minimum thresholds of the program. The authors delineate promise programs by their design—whether the scholarships are available to all students, are awarded based on merit, or are awarded based on need. The authors also note whether the awards may be used at a wide range of postsecondary institutions or are narrowly targeted toward certain institutions. They find suggestive evidence that promise programs increase housing prices, attract residents to promise areas, improve student K–12 academic outcomes, and increase postsecondary enrollment. However, the number of studies examining promise programs remains limited, and many examine only a handful of the longest-running programs.