The Effects of University Characteristics and Academic Regulations in Student Persistence, Degree Completion and Time to Degree (by Dr. Felice Martinello of Brock University) focuses on the effects of institutional policies surrounding course withdrawal, tuition refunds and course repetition in Canadian universities. The research showed that later withdrawal dates and more generous tuition refund policies were linked with increased switching between programs or post-secondary institutions before second year. More generous tuition refund policies were also linked to fewer exits from post-secondary education between students' second and third years. As the author puts it, these factors "allow students to make more adjustments to the surprises, shocks and learning about PSE that occurs while in PSE." Course repetition policies, on the other hand, appear to have no impact on switching or graduation. The significance of the study is monumental, specifically because the policies described are not difficult to implement and could lead to improvements in completion rates at very low cost.

Does Student Financial Aid Cause More Participation in and Graduation from Post-Secondary Education( by Dr. Matthieu Chemin of L'Université du Québec à Montréal) investigates the effects of a student assistance policy change in Quebec made effective in the 2001-02 loan year, in which the government of Quebec decreased the student and parental contribution requirements for student loans. This initiative resulted in an increase in the number of students eligible for government financial assistance (both loans and grants), in the amount of aid for which they were eligible and in an increase in grant eligibility. Dr. Chemin's analysis showed an increase in enrolments to university in Quebec for the affected cohort, which suggests that expansion of student financial assistance resulted in increased access to PSE. Evidence of policy success, however, was more mixed when retention and graduation were examined for this cohort, suggesting that students who may have been attracted to a university education by a more generous student aid regime may not have been suitably prepared for or accommodated by the system. The study has great relevance to policymakers, firmly showing that increasing financial aid generosity may increase access; however, increasing retention and graduation rates may require a different set of policy tools.

These are now available at the MESA website.