College students and their families have to shoulder more of the burden in college costs due to rising tuition. To deter students from adding to the national student loan debt, promise programs have been launched to eliminate cost as a barrier to postsecondary education. Programs vary in design and may cover partial tuition, full tuition, or both tuition and fees. Currently, there is a dearth of research on the experiences low-income students have attending a promise eligible institution, especially at the community college level. This qualitative case study explores the ways in which low-income undergraduate students describe their experiences at a promise eligible community college, and how these experiences affect their decisions on pursuing additional higher education. This research is guided by components of Laura Perna’s Conceptual Model of Student Choice, Gary Becker’s Human Capital Theory, Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory on Social and Cultural Reproduction, and Vincent Tinto’s Theory on Student Departure. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students at a large community college in the southern United States. Questions focused on college decision-making and motivations, college funding options, work and study habits, support systems within and outside the institution, and stress and coping mechanisms. Three themes emerged during data analysis: human capital, social capital, and student habitus. Major study findings demonstrate the critical role of support systems in the college experience, and the impact of promise program design on early awareness and academic preparation, funding distribution, and college choice.
","abstract_html":"<p>College students and their families have to shoulder more of the burden in college costs due to rising tuition. To deter students from adding to the national student loan debt, promise programs have been launched to eliminate cost as a barrier to postsecondary education. Programs vary in design and may cover partial tuition, full tuition, or both tuition and fees. Currently, there is a dearth of research on the experiences low-income students have attending a promise eligible institution, especially at the community college level. This qualitative case study explores the ways in which low-income undergraduate students describe their experiences at a promise eligible community college, and how these experiences affect their decisions on pursuing additional higher education. This research is guided by components of Laura Perna’s Conceptual Model of Student Choice, Gary Becker’s Human Capital Theory, Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory on Social and Cultural Reproduction, and Vincent Tinto’s Theory on Student Departure. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students at a large community college in the southern United States. Questions focused on college decision-making and motivations, college funding options, work and study habits, support systems within and outside the institution, and stress and coping mechanisms. Three themes emerged during data analysis: human capital, social capital, and student habitus. Major study findings demonstrate the critical role of support systems in the college experience, and the impact of promise program design on early awareness and academic preparation, funding distribution, and college choice.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lemmerman, Danielle"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Higher Education Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Jaclyn Rivard","Dr. Estee Hernandez","Dr. Brian Hamluk"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-04-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-04-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z","subjects":["Equitable Education","Low-income","Promise Program","Support Systems","College Financing","Student Experiences","Habitus","Human Capital","Social Capital","Education","Education Economics","Higher Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/729","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Jaclyn Rivard","Dr. Estee Hernandez","Dr. Brian Hamluk"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lemmerman, Danielle"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-04-26T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Higher Education Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Equitable Education","Low-income","Promise Program","Support Systems","College Financing","Student Experiences","Habitus","Human Capital","Social Capital","Education","Education Economics","Higher Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/729"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["College students and their families have to shoulder more of the burden in college costs due to rising tuition. To deter students from adding to the national student loan debt, promise programs have been launched to eliminate cost as a barrier to postsecondary education. Programs vary in design and may cover partial tuition, full tuition, or both tuition and fees. Currently, there is a dearth of research on the experiences low-income students have attending a promise eligible institution, especially at the community college level. This qualitative case study explores the ways in which low-income undergraduate students describe their experiences at a promise eligible community college, and how these experiences affect their decisions on pursuing additional higher education. This research is guided by components of Laura Perna’s Conceptual Model of Student Choice, Gary Becker’s Human Capital Theory, Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory on Social and Cultural Reproduction, and Vincent Tinto’s Theory on Student Departure. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students at a large community college in the southern United States. Questions focused on college decision-making and motivations, college funding options, work and study habits, support systems within and outside the institution, and stress and coping mechanisms. Three themes emerged during data analysis: human capital, social capital, and student habitus. Major study findings demonstrate the critical role of support systems in the college experience, and the impact of promise program design on early awareness and academic preparation, funding distribution, and college choice.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Reflections on a Promise: Student Experiences at a Two-Year Promise Institution and Their Educational Aspirations"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Jaclyn Rivard","Dr. Estee Hernandez","Dr. Brian Hamluk"],"dc:creator":["Lemmerman, Danielle"],"dc:date.available":["2023-04-26T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["College students and their families have to shoulder more of the burden in college costs due to rising tuition. To deter students from adding to the national student loan debt, promise programs have been launched to eliminate cost as a barrier to postsecondary education. Programs vary in design and may cover partial tuition, full tuition, or both tuition and fees. Currently, there is a dearth of research on the experiences low-income students have attending a promise eligible institution, especially at the community college level. This qualitative case study explores the ways in which low-income undergraduate students describe their experiences at a promise eligible community college, and how these experiences affect their decisions on pursuing additional higher education. This research is guided by components of Laura Perna’s Conceptual Model of Student Choice, Gary Becker’s Human Capital Theory, Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory on Social and Cultural Reproduction, and Vincent Tinto’s Theory on Student Departure. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students at a large community college in the southern United States. Questions focused on college decision-making and motivations, college funding options, work and study habits, support systems within and outside the institution, and stress and coping mechanisms. Three themes emerged during data analysis: human capital, social capital, and student habitus. Major study findings demonstrate the critical role of support systems in the college experience, and the impact of promise program design on early awareness and academic preparation, funding distribution, and college choice.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/729"],"dc:subject":["Equitable Education","Low-income","Promise Program","Support Systems","College Financing","Student Experiences","Habitus","Human Capital","Social Capital","Education","Education Economics","Higher Education"],"dc:title":["Reflections on a Promise: Student Experiences at a Two-Year Promise Institution and Their Educational Aspirations"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Higher Education Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z"}