Year of Award

2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Degree Name

Educational Leadership

Department or School/College

College of Education and Human Sciences

Committee Chair

Frances L. O’Reilly

Commitee Members

Roberta Evans, Thomas P. Gallagher, John Matt, William P. McCaw

Keywords

Catholic higher education, enrollment, financial responsibility composite score, Student Choice Theory, student loan default rates

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the relationships of the demographic variables of religious order, program length, and geographic region interact with the score a Catholic institution receives on the U.S. Education Department test for financial responsibility using descriptive statistics. The research study showed a statistically significant negative correlation between the institution’s composite score on the financial responsibility test and student loan default rates using the Pearson correlation coefficient, with a small effect size. The research study also showed a statistically significant positive correlation between the institution’s composite score on the financial responsibility test and enrollment using the Pearson correlation coefficient, with a small effect size. Data were collected from Federal Student Aid Department within the U.S. Education Department, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Educational Statistics, and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. Implications of this study allow for higher education leaders to further understand the economic factor of an institution’s financial responsibility composite score as a potential influencer for students and their families in their college selection process as understood by Student Choice Theory in an increasingly competitive admissions market.

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© Copyright 2020 Sarah Nicole Agostinelli