No Cost and Low Cost Schedule Designation and Student Enrollment Behavior at Oregon Community Colleges and Public Universities

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the no- and lowcost schedule designation used statewide at Oregon’s public community colleges and universities had an effect on student enrollment behavior, and whether it had a more pronounced effect for historically underserved student populations. Research questions included (1) whether there was a difference in the percentage that designated and undesignated sections filled, (2) whether there was a difference in the make-up of the student population in designated and undesignated sections, and (3) whether there was a difference in the number of credits per term students were enrolled in between students in designated and undesignated sections. Data from six public institutions of higher education were analyzed using a Factorial ANOVA for Research Questions 1 and 3 and OneWay ANOVAs for Research Question 2. The data analysis showed that designated sections filled at a significantly higher percentage; students in undesignated sections took more credits per term, but that this statistical significance did not translate into a real-world difference that would affect students’ lives; and that the proportion of historically underserved students is significantly higher in designated sections. Due to this study’s limitations, the results may not be generalizable, but the authors hope that this method may be replicable in other settings. These findings have implications for stakeholders including faculty, staff who support these schedule designations, and the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission and legislature in terms of future directions for improving the processes surrounding these designations to better support students.