The political formation of a hybrid financial aid program in Texas and its impact on access

The purpose of this study was to determine what led to the creation of the TEXAS Grant program as well as evaluate whether the program facilitated higher education access for financially needy students. The TEXAS Grant, House Bill 713, was passed during the 76th legislative session and was the state's first comprehensive hybrid financial aid program The TEXAS Grant program is historic because it represents the state's largest appropriation to a financial aid program.; In conducting this research, qualitative data were collected. Twelve interviews were conducted, each with the same 14 questions, and all those interviewed represented one of the following interest groups: state government legislators and staff, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, state financial aid officers and various other stakeholders and interest groups.; In determining "how and why" the TEXAS Grant was developed, three themes emerged: window of opportunity, objectives, muddling through---working through concerns. The window of opportunity was formed by six sub-themes: the post-Hopwood era, commissions and reports, demographics, workforce, awareness of need, and revenue source. The research findings also indicated that policymakers had three objectives in mind as they created the Grant: financial need, encouraging certain behaviors to increase retention and increasing participation from certain groups. In addition, like all policy making, the data revealed that three areas of concern continued to surface throughout the policy process: the merit component, the complexity of the grant, and concerns regarding the nontraditional student. Finally, themes from the data emerged as to whether the grant had facilitated higher education access for financially needy students. Analysis of the data revealed that access for financially needy students had occurred and that higher education retention efforts had been successful.; The study concluded with a discussion on the political process and how the program demonstrated the legislators' commitment to increasing state financial aid while also emphasizing that college preparation is essential in order to ensure successful college completion. Four recommendations for Texas policymakers were also offered.