The latest data has been released about students who receive state-financed tuition from the TOPS program, The Associated Press reports.
The study, presented Wednesday to the Board of Regents, shows students who start college with the free tuition aid graduate at higher rates than students without TOPS. Awards from the program, which costs more than $280 million this year, continue to go disproportionately to white students and students from wealthier families, the study shows.
Between 2005 and 2014, 79% of TOPS recipients were white and 59% were female. The study also shows the percentage of black students who receive TOPS has grown by 43% over that span.
The study says TOPS recipients increasingly come from middle- and upper-income families. The number of TOPS students from households with income topping $150,000 has more than doubled over the decade.
