Also known as “free tuition,” college promise programs are emerging across the United States as a potential mechanism for improving college access and affordability, Whether these initiatives are an effective use of resources depends on whether programs advance societal goals for equity and efficiency. Although some emerging research explores the role of program design, few studies have probed how program design and resource investments influence program outcomes, efficiency, and equity. To address this knowledge gap, this study draws on case studies of programs that offer free tuition to attend four community colleges. Findings illustrate how program outcomes, efficiency, and equity may be influenced by the criteria used to determine program eligibility and the resources invested in the financial award and other program components. We hope the findings are useful to policymakers and institutional leaders, as they strive to allocate resources to advance both efficiency and equity.

大学承诺计划也被称为“免费学费”，它正在美国各地作为改善大学入学率和负担能力的潜在机制而兴起。这些计划是否有效利用资源取决于计划是否促进了社会公平和效率目标的实现。尽管一些新兴研究探索了程序设计的作用，但很少有研究探讨程序设计和资源投资如何影响程序结果，效率和公平性。为了解决这一知识差距，本研究借鉴了为四所社区大学提供免费学费的课程的案例研究。调查结果说明了计划结果，效率和公平性如何受到确定计划资格的标准以及在财务奖励和其他计划组成部分上投入的资源的影响。