Celeste Carruthers

ALT Abstract text: "We study the rollout of Tennessee’s tuition-free community college program, Tennessee Promise, which preceded similar efforts in over twenty states as well as multiple federal proposals. Promise increased college enrollment by 5.9 percentage points for 19 year-olds and increased associate’s degree attainment by 3.8 percentage points for 22 year-olds. Gains in associate’s degrees faded thereafter, suggesting that Promise accelerated post-secondary enrollment to the year after high school. Eligible cohorts had jobs with better pay prospects at age 21, but this advantage also diminished. By age 24, Promise cohorts were not significantly more or less likely to hold bachelor’s degrees."