ACE Scholarship Program Boosts College Enrollment for Low-Income Students
High school students from low-income families participating in the ACE Scholarship Program are more inclined to pursue higher education, according to a recent report by the Nebraska Statewide Workforce and Educational Reporting System. This initiative, managed by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE) since 2007, aims to support students in taking dual-credit courses, which count for both high school and college credits.
J. Ritchie Morrow, the financial aid officer for the CCPE, highlighted the challenges faced by students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who aspire to enroll in dual-credit courses. “You had students who came from middle- or upper-income families who had the resources to pay the tuition and fees to the college, but you had students from low-income families that weren’t able to afford that tuition,” Morrow stated. He explained that the program initially received legislative funding but fell short of its goals, prompting a shift in funding towards the ACE scholarship.
Eligibility for the ACE scholarship requires students to be part of a need-based program, such as SNAP or free and reduced lunch, or to have recently experienced financial hardship.
The NSWERS report reveals a significant impact: students in the ACE program are 11% more likely to attend college compared to their non-ACE dual-enrollment peers. “The ultimate goal of the ACE scholarship is to prepare students for college and to encourage their enrollment in the college after high school,” Morrow added, noting the program’s positive influence as demonstrated by the study.
Alex Brodersen, assistant director for research and evaluation at NSWERS, noted that scholarship recipients are consistently graduating from college, particularly community colleges. “The effect, it’s not flashy, but it’s very durable,” he remarked. “Small differences, or even in this case, medium and large differences at any scale, they matter a lot when you’re talking about thousands and thousands of students.”
The program has a broad reach across Nebraska, with 34% of participants from 2017 to 2023 residing in rural counties, underscoring the widespread need for this initiative. “One thing that highlights is that there’s a statewide need for this program,” Brodersen said. “It’s not isolated into any one particular region.”
While the number of scholarship recipients has remained relatively stable, the CCPE’s annual report indicates an increase in the number of classes and credits taken by these students. In the 2024-25 academic year, students accumulated over 19,000 credit hours statewide. “We’re seeing students really utilizing these dual-enrollment courses a lot more, and of course, those are just the ACE scholarship recipients,” Morrow said.
Another report from NSWERS shows a rise in dual-credit course enrollment, increasing from 26% in 2016 to 33% in 2022, reflecting a growing trend among high school students.
