The Need for Equitable Scholarship Criteria for Part-Time Students
Alexandria N Ardissone1, Sebastian Galindo2, Allen F Wysocki3
1Microbiology and Cell Science Department, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA.
Innovative Higher Education
|April 26, 2021
Summary
Current higher education policies often overlook part-time nontraditional students. This study reveals that online transfer students, facing work and family demands, enroll part-time by necessity but achieve comparable outcomes to full-time peers.
Area of Science:
- Higher Education Policy
- Student Retention Studies
- STEM Education
Background:
- Traditional student success metrics often link full-time enrollment to better outcomes.
- These metrics may not accurately reflect the experiences of today's diverse student population, including transfer and online learners.
- Current need-based scholarships for STEM transfer students require full-time enrollment, excluding many eligible part-time students.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the enrollment behaviors of on-campus and hybrid online STEM transfer students.
- To examine the relationship between enrollment status, student characteristics, and academic outcomes.
- To assess the implications of current scholarship eligibility criteria on student access and equity.
Main Methods:
- Employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection.
- Analyzed enrollment patterns, student demographics, and academic performance (GPA, graduation rates).
- Explored factors influencing enrollment decisions, particularly for online transfer students.
Main Results:
- Full-time enrollment presents a significant barrier for many transfer students.
- Scholarship requirements are a key factor, but work and family obligations heavily influence online transfer students' part-time enrollment.
- Online transfer students, despite enrolling part-time due to necessity, demonstrate comparable GPAs and graduation rates to their on-campus peers.
- Part-time enrollment disproportionately affects women and underrepresented minorities in hybrid online programs.
Conclusions:
- Existing higher education policies based on traditional student outcomes may perpetuate inequities.
- The necessity-driven part-time enrollment of online transfer students warrants a re-evaluation of scholarship eligibility and support systems.
- Recognizing the unique challenges and comparable achievements of nontraditional students is crucial for inclusive educational practices.
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