[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-585247-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-585247-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","maryland-higher-education-commission-policy-brief-baby-carrot-and-big-stick-does-a-credit-requirement-for-financial-aid-improve-student-academic-progression","Maryland Higher Education Commission Policy Brief - Baby Carrot and Big Stick: Does a Credit Requirement for Financial Aid Improve Student Academic Progression?","","Maryland Higher Education Commission policy brief examines how a merit-based credit requirement added to the Delegate Howard P. Rawlings Education Excellence Awards affects undergraduate academic progression. After the College Affordability Act of 2016, students must complete at least 30 credits to keep the full award, 24–29 for a prorated amount, and lose the grant if they fail the 24-credit minimum. The study summarizes both short- and long-term effects on student outcomes and highlights the policy’s reach across recipients.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/maryland-higher-education-commission-policy-brief-baby-carrot-and-big-stick-does-a-credit-requirement-for-financial-aid-improve-student-academic-progression/585247/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/maryland-higher-education-commission-policy-brief-baby-carrot-and-big-stick-does-a-credit-requirement-for-financial-aid-improve-student-academic-progression/585247.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Aria Callaghan","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-25","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":30},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What credit requirement changes were introduced for the EEA program?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"After the College Affordability Act of 2016, maintaining the full EEA award required at least 30 credits in the prior year. Students completing at least 24 but fewer than 30 credits receive a prorated amount, and students lose the entire grant if they fail to complete 24 credit hours.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"How many EEA recipients were affected when the policy began?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"OSFA reports that almost two thirds of the target population were impacted in 2018–19, the first year the policy was enacted. Specifically, 37% completely lost eligibility and 27% received a prorated amount.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What is the report’s main purpose regarding the credit requirement policy?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"The report summarizes the main findings of a 2022 MHEC study on the short-term and long-term effects of the credit requirement policy on student outcomes, including how it affects academic progression and success.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},585247,1792209878,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":30,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962084926284,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Maryland Higher Education Commission Policy Brief  \nOffice of Research and Policy Analysis  \nWes Moore Governor  \nAruna Miller Lt. Governor  \nSanjay Rai, Ph. D. Acting Secretary  \nBaby Carrot and Big Stick: Does a Credit Requirement for Financial Aid Improve Student Academic Progression?  \nPrincipal Author Yuxin Lin, Ph. D.  \nAssociate Director of Research and Policy Analysis  \nSuggested Citation: Lin, Y. (2023) . Baby Carrot and Big Stick: Does a Credit Requirement for Financial Aid Improve Student Academic Progression? Baltimore, MD: Maryland Higher Education Commission.  \nThe author thanks Barbara Schmertz, Emily Dow, Ann Kellogg, and Al Dorsett for their detailed feedback and comments on earlier drafts. Seminar participants at the AEFP 2023 annual conference gave valuable suggestions as well. If you have questions regarding this publication, please contact [rpa.mhec@maryland.gov](rpa.mhec@maryland.gov)  \nClick  Here for the Executive Summary  \nor enter: [https://mhec.maryland.gov/publications/Documents/Research/PolicyReports/MHECPolicyBriefVol2Summary.pdf](https://mhec.maryland.gov/publications/Documents/Research/PolicyReports/MHECPolicyBriefVol2Summary.pdf)  \nJune 2023  \n6 North Liberty Street, 10th Floor, Baltimore Maryland 21201  \nIntroduction  \nEnsuring equitable access to affordable and high-quality postsecondary education for all Maryland residents has been a long-standing commitment for Maryland for decades. Offering need-based financial aid is one of the most important tools to eliminate financial barriers for lowincome students in Maryland. Among four need-based undergraduate financial aid programs administered by the MHEC Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), the Delegate Howard P. Rawlings Education Excellence Awards (EEA) Program is the largest program. In 2021, approximately $80 million dollars were disbursed to over 22,000 students. About 16% of first-time full-time undergraduate students received EEA in 2021.  \nThe Maryland General Assembly passed the College Affordability Act of 20161, which added a merit-based eligibility criterion for the EEA program. The new criterion applied only to students who received the award for at least two years. Among these students, starting in the 2018-2019 academic year, only those completing at least 30 credits in the previous year can maintain the full award. Students completing at least 24 credits but fewer than 30 credits receive a prorated amount of award according to how many credits they completed. Students lose the entire grant if they fail to complete 24 credit hours in the previous year (Figure 1) .2  \nFigure 1: Current Eligibility Requirements for the EEA Program  \nOSFA reports that almost two thirds ofthe target population (EEA recipients who had received the award for at least two years) were impacted under the new policy in 2018-19, the first year when the policy was enacted.3 In fact, 37% of the EEA recipients completely lost  \n1 Senate Bill 676 ([https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/bills/sb/sb0676T.pdf](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/bills/sb/sb0676T.pdf)) and House Bill 1014 ([https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/bills/hb/hb1014E.pdf](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/bills/hb/hb1014E.pdf)).  \n2 See [https://mhec.maryland.gov/preparing/Pages/FinancialAid/EEAProgramChanges.aspx](https://mhec.maryland.gov/preparing/Pages/FinancialAid/EEAProgramChanges.aspx for)[ for](https://mhec.maryland.gov/preparing/Pages/FinancialAid/EEAProgramChanges.aspx for) the detailed explanation of the requirement.  \n3 [https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs/budgetfiscal/2024fy-budget-docs-operating-R62I0010-MHEC---Student](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs/budgetfiscal/2024fy-budget-docs-operating-R62I0010-MHEC---Student)Financial-Assistance.pdf  \neligibility, having failed to meet the 24-credit minimum, while 27% of recipients received a prorated amount, having completed at least 24 credits, but fewer than 30 credits.  \nWith so many students affected, both legislators and MHEC","cbCairtGD4TZEetF","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairtGD4TZEetF","pdf",2706576,21,"English","# Introduction\n## Background\n## Current Eligibility Requirements for the EEA Program\n## Impact of the Credit Requirement Policy\n## Study Scope and Research Questions\n## Grants Summary under the EEA Program","[{\"question\":\"What credit requirement changes were introduced for the EEA program?\",\"answer\":\"After the College Affordability Act of 2016, maintaining the full EEA award required at least 30 credits in the prior year. Students completing at least 24 but fewer than 30 credits receive a prorated amount, and students lose the entire grant if they fail to complete 24 credit hours.\"},{\"question\":\"How many EEA recipients were affected when the policy began?\",\"answer\":\"OSFA reports that almost two thirds of the target population were impacted in 2018–19, the first year the policy was enacted. Specifically, 37% completely lost eligibility and 27% received a prorated amount.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the report’s main purpose regarding the credit requirement policy?\",\"answer\":\"The report summarizes the main findings of a 2022 MHEC study on the short-term and long-term effects of the credit requirement policy on student outcomes, including how it affects academic progression and success.\"}]","Maryland Higher Education Commission Policy Brief - Baby Carrot and Big Stick: Does a Credit Requirement for Financial Aid Improve Student Academic Progression? | PDF",1792054160,53]