Beyond Tuition Waivers: The Impact of Campus-Based Support Programs on Postsecondary Outcomes Among Foster Care Alumni

Background and Purpose Foster care alumni face substantial structural barriers to postsecondary attainment, including disrupted schooling, housing instability, and financial precarity (Okpych et al., 2025). State tuition and fee waivers (TFW) have expanded college access, but access alone does not guarantee persistence or completion (Okpych et al., 2020). Campus-Based Support Programs (CBSPs) offer coordinated services including advising, housing assistance, and emotional support; prior evaluations suggest promise, yet rigorous longitudinal evidence remains limited (Collins et al., 2025; Watt et al., 2024). This study evaluates the impact of CBSP participation on retention and graduation outcomes across three Texas public 2-year and 4-year institutions.

Methods Using a longitudinal comparative design, enrollment and graduation records were analyzed for six cohorts (2019–2024) across a 2-year community college district and two 4-year public universities. Three groups were compared: CBSP participants, TFW-only recipients, and general students. Year-to-year retention and on-time graduation rates were computed per cohort, with graduates excluded from retention denominators. Logistic regression assessed group differences in next-year retention and on-time graduation, controlling for enrollment intensity (full-time vs. part-time) and entry type (FTIC vs. transfer).

Results CBSP participants consistently outperformed TFW-only peers on retention across institutions and cohorts, and also exceeded retention rates among general students. In the 2019 cohort, one-year retention for CBSP students was 90.9% at 4-year-A, 80.0% at the 2-year institution, and 82.9% at 4-year-B, well above the 42.9%, 55.9%, and 44.1% observed for TFW-only students, and the 67.9%, 55.4%, and 68.2% for general students. Models confirmed significantly higher adjusted odds of retention for CBSP students relative to both TFW-only and general peers (e.g., OR = 4.54 [1.04, 19.77] vs. general at 4-year-A; OR = 2.62 [1.54, 4.44] vs. general at the 2-year institution in 2019). Full-time enrollment (e.g., OR = 1.84 [1.72, 1.97] at 4-year-B in 2019) and FTIC entry at 4-year-A and the 2-year institution (e.g., OR = 1.49 [1.29, 1.71]) were independently associated with stronger retention.

Graduation findings were more nuanced. At 4-year institutions, CBSP students showed higher adjusted odds of on-time completion than TFW-only peers (CBSP OR = 0.48 [0.27, 0.85]; TFW OR = 0.27 [0.08, 0.96], both relative to general; p < .05), though both groups trailed general students. At the 2-year institution, CBSP enrollment was not significantly associated with graduation (OR = 0.50 [0.20, 1.26]). Full-time enrollment strongly predicted completion in both sectors (OR = 17.0 [11.9, 24.1] at the 2-year institution), and a significant FTIC × Full-time interaction at 4-year institutions (B = 2.82, p < .01) showed the full-time advantage was amplified for FTIC students.

Conclusions and Implications CBSP participation is associated with stronger retention among foster care alumni and higher on-time graduation odds than tuition support alone, even where CBSP students do not yet match general-student completion. Findings support a "support plus tuition" model over tuition assistance alone. The independent effects of enrollment intensity and entry type underscore the need to address full-time enrollment and academic preparation within comprehensive support models, advancing rigorous inquiry for the common good.