Designing for Success: The Early Implementation of College Promise Programs

College Promise programs aim to make students believe they can afford college, and to give them the opportunity to go to college and earn degrees without taking on significant debt. At the core of all College Promise programs is a scholarship: All eligible College Promise students receive scholarships that may cover up to 100 percent of tuition and fees at postsecondary institutions. Additionally, many Promise programs are designing, implementing, and refining additions to their models by providing students with support services once they enroll in college. MDRC's College Promise Success Initiative (CPSI) provides important lessons for Promise programs interested in including such services. This brief shares early lessons from CPSI about how different Promise programs are designing, implementing, and refining their models with embedded student services in mind. [Additional funding from Ascendium Education Group and the state of California.]