The effects of HOPE on post-college retention in the Georgia workforce

Research suggests that merit scholarship programs increase college enrollment in states that adopt them but post-college migration may limit the effect these programs have on the stock of college-educated labor in those states. In this paper we consider the effect of Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program on post-college retention, estimating the effect in two ways. First, we use administrative data on student and employment records to examine the effects of the HOPE Scholarship on post-college retention rates in the Georgia workforce for students enrolled in the University System of Georgia (USG). Second, we use data from the census and ACS and a difference-in-difference model following the approach of Hickman (2009).

► We consider the effect of Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program on post-college retention. ► We first use administrative data on student and employment records. ► We also use census/ACS data. ► Students staying in Georgia because of HOPE are more likely to leave after college. ► HOPE had little effect on the stock of college attendees in Georgia post-college.